352
Chapter 20 · Refined Raw Materials! – Biorefineries
20
low-molecular weight cracking products such as
vanillin and phenols.
The example of the biorefineries discussed in
this chapter demonstrates that, in the future, all
concepts must be used for entirely waste-free and
sustainable production, and that only an interdisciplinary approach is auspicious.
The priority should be to use renewable raw
materials or biomass as widely as possible in the
form of chemicals, fuels and materials. Vegetable
oil and sugar or starch biorefineries are particularly suitable for this purpose. Their processes and
products are already well developed, and on this
basis many further developments can be established. The residues from these refineries can be
processed together with other raw materials in a
lignocellulose biorefinery for further material use.
All residues from these first three biorefineries,
which cannot be directly used as material, can
then be used as substrate for a synthesis gas or
biogas biorefinery, for example. Biogas for direct
energetic use as well as synthesis gas can then
be produced here as a platform intermediate for
many possible downstream products (e.g. fuels,
BOX: Biomass-to-Liquids (BtL): bioliq®).
In the end, everything that nature offers us as
plant raw materials could be refined into a valuable product.
The last part in . Fig. 20.5 is basically analogous to a sugar and starch biorefinery mentioned
above. In this refinery, too, hydrolysis is first
carried out in order to either obtain glucose as a
platform chemical, or direct fermentation is carried out in order to produce bioethanol. It clearly
shows that the different biorefinery concepts
can be linked with each other and that different
streams and processes are analogous to each other.
These aspects make it very likely that the first
biorefineries, which are almost free of waste, can
be operated economically in the future.
After the separation of hemicelluloses and
lignin in a further process step (right side in
. Fig. 20.5), the hemicelluloses are available as
substrates for the fermentative production of
bioethanol analogous to cellulose after hydrolysis. In addition to this biotechnological use, e.g.
the monomeric sugar xylose can be obtained
from the hemicelluloses after separation and
purification and can be used as a material.
For lignin, we have already discussed some
uses in 7 Chap. 11 that can be integrated into
the lignocellulose biorefinery: Lignin can be
used energetically, i.e. burned, to cover part of
the process energy in the form of heat. However, lignin can also be used as a material, e.g.
for the production of plastics (arboform) or
BOX: Biomass-to-Liquids (BtL): Bioliq®
At the Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology (KIT), a process was
developed to produce synthetic
fuels and chemicals from dry
biomass while simultaneously
covering the process energy
from by-products as electricity
and heat. The aim was to be able
to utilize the residual biomass,
which had previously remained
largely unused and is therefore
very inexpensive. This residual
biomass has a comparatively
low energy density and,
compared to wood, contains
many heteroatoms and a lot of
ash, which makes a tailor-made
process necessary.
In principle, the bioliq® process
(. Fig. 20.7) is a synthesis
gas biorefinery, but with an
additional platform intermediate:
the “biosyncrude”. The latter is
accessible by rapid pyrolysis of
dry biomass and has, in terms
of volume, an energy density
approximately one order of
magnitude higher than dry straw.
Thus, transport costs can be saved
with decentralized production. Fast
pyrolysis can be operated without
external energy supply. Further
processing of the biosyncrude into
fuels and chemicals then takes
place centrally on a larger scale in
a special industrial plant via the
intermediate stage of the synthesis
gas.
A pilot plant based on the
bioliq® process is currently
operated at KIT in cooperation
with industrial partners
(. Fig. 20.8).
Chapter 20 · Refined Raw Materials! – Biorefineries
20
low-molecular weight cracking products such as
vanillin and phenols.
The example of the biorefineries discussed in
this chapter demonstrates that, in the future, all
concepts must be used for entirely waste-free and
sustainable production, and that only an interdisciplinary approach is auspicious.
The priority should be to use renewable raw
materials or biomass as widely as possible in the
form of chemicals, fuels and materials. Vegetable
oil and sugar or starch biorefineries are particularly suitable for this purpose. Their processes and
products are already well developed, and on this
basis many further developments can be established. The residues from these refineries can be
processed together with other raw materials in a
lignocellulose biorefinery for further material use.
All residues from these first three biorefineries,
which cannot be directly used as material, can
then be used as substrate for a synthesis gas or
biogas biorefinery, for example. Biogas for direct
energetic use as well as synthesis gas can then
be produced here as a platform intermediate for
many possible downstream products (e.g. fuels,
BOX: Biomass-to-Liquids (BtL): bioliq®).
In the end, everything that nature offers us as
plant raw materials could be refined into a valuable product.
The last part in . Fig. 20.5 is basically analogous to a sugar and starch biorefinery mentioned
above. In this refinery, too, hydrolysis is first
carried out in order to either obtain glucose as a
platform chemical, or direct fermentation is carried out in order to produce bioethanol. It clearly
shows that the different biorefinery concepts
can be linked with each other and that different
streams and processes are analogous to each other.
These aspects make it very likely that the first
biorefineries, which are almost free of waste, can
be operated economically in the future.
After the separation of hemicelluloses and
lignin in a further process step (right side in
. Fig. 20.5), the hemicelluloses are available as
substrates for the fermentative production of
bioethanol analogous to cellulose after hydrolysis. In addition to this biotechnological use, e.g.
the monomeric sugar xylose can be obtained
from the hemicelluloses after separation and
purification and can be used as a material.
For lignin, we have already discussed some
uses in 7 Chap. 11 that can be integrated into
the lignocellulose biorefinery: Lignin can be
used energetically, i.e. burned, to cover part of
the process energy in the form of heat. However, lignin can also be used as a material, e.g.
for the production of plastics (arboform) or
BOX: Biomass-to-Liquids (BtL): Bioliq®
At the Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology (KIT), a process was
developed to produce synthetic
fuels and chemicals from dry
biomass while simultaneously
covering the process energy
from by-products as electricity
and heat. The aim was to be able
to utilize the residual biomass,
which had previously remained
largely unused and is therefore
very inexpensive. This residual
biomass has a comparatively
low energy density and,
compared to wood, contains
many heteroatoms and a lot of
ash, which makes a tailor-made
process necessary.
In principle, the bioliq® process
(. Fig. 20.7) is a synthesis
gas biorefinery, but with an
additional platform intermediate:
the “biosyncrude”. The latter is
accessible by rapid pyrolysis of
dry biomass and has, in terms
of volume, an energy density
approximately one order of
magnitude higher than dry straw.
Thus, transport costs can be saved
with decentralized production. Fast
pyrolysis can be operated without
external energy supply. Further
processing of the biosyncrude into
fuels and chemicals then takes
place centrally on a larger scale in
a special industrial plant via the
intermediate stage of the synthesis
gas.
A pilot plant based on the
bioliq® process is currently
operated at KIT in cooperation
with industrial partners
(. Fig. 20.8).