Answers to the Quickies
371
oligomers formed are enzymatically cleaved
to form lactide, which can be obtained by
distillation in high purity. The lactide is then
polymerized in the melt with homogeneous
transition metal catalysts to polylactic acid.
8. The most important polymer classes based
on biogenic monomers are polyesters and
polyamides.
9. Succinic acid, itaconic acid, fumaric acid,
maleic acid, muconic acid and furan dicarboxylic acid are available from carbohydrates. Sebacic acid and azelaic acid can be
produced from oleochemicals.
10. Ethylene glycol from bioethanol can be
used, for example, in polyethylene terephthalate as diol component and thus replace
the petrochemical monomer in a drop-in
solution.
Answers to 7 Chap. 20
1. Both refineries, i.e. oil and biorefineries,
form the basis for the production of a wide
variety of products, such as energy and fuels
on the energy side and chemicals and materials on the material side.
2. A biorefinery can, in addition to providing the products mentioned in answer 1,
potentially also contribute to the supply of
food such as vegetable oils and sugar as well
as feed for animal breeding. Neither food
nor animal feed is produced on the basis of
crude oil.
3. In the context of biorefineries, the term
“integration” means that all product flows
are recycled and ideally linked in such a way
that they are made available for further use.
For example, plant residues can be used for
biogas production or heat generated during
combustion can be used as process heat. A
state-of-the-art biorefinery concept produces no waste streams and thus aims for
maximum sustainability, which means that
all processes are “integrated”.
4. A Phase I biorefinery is based on a single
raw material, which is converted into a
single valuable product in a single process.
Using the production of fatty acids as an
example, this means that the corresponding
fatty acids are produced from vegetable oil
by hydrolysis (“fat splitting”) with water.
Glycerol is produced as a by-product.
5. This is a Phase II biorefinery because a large
number of secondary products are produced
from a single platform raw material (starch
or glucose) by means of various reactions.
Glucose, for example, can now be converted
into lactic acid or itaconic acid by fermentation on an industrial scale. Hydrogenation
can be used, for example, to produce sorbitol
and dehydration to produce hydroxymethylfurfural.
6. In primary refining, the desired platform
intermediate is obtained from the corresponding parts of plants. In plant oil
biorefineries, for example, this involves
pressing the plant oil from the oilseeds and
further purification. In secondary refining,
biotechnological and chemical processes are
mainly used to produce further products
using the platform intermediates. In the case
of vegetable oil, this includes, for example,
hydrolysis to fatty acids or transesterification to esters.
7. Possible semi-finished products of a vegetable oil biorefinery include fatty acids,
glycerol, fatty esters or fatty alcohols. Possible final products are biodiesel, edible fat or
dihydroxyacetone.
8. The raw material for the green biorefinery is
pasture grass. This is first pressed, and after
several separation operations, amino acids
and lactic acid can be extracted from the
pressed juice as the most important products.
9. With regard to a Phase III biorefinery,
lignocellulose is a particularly promising
platform intermediate. Lignocellulose is not
in competition with food production and is
partly complementary. Wheat straw, wood
waste or bagasse from sugar cane cultivation
are even waste products that can be better
used in this way.
10. Lignocellulose biorefinery provides a mixture of fermentable sugars from cellulose
and hemicellulose hydrolysis that is suitable
for the production of bioethanol as a fuel.
After combustion, the raw lignin can supply
part of the process energy. Some streams
are suitable for biogas production, such as
slurry from fermentation.
371
oligomers formed are enzymatically cleaved
to form lactide, which can be obtained by
distillation in high purity. The lactide is then
polymerized in the melt with homogeneous
transition metal catalysts to polylactic acid.
8. The most important polymer classes based
on biogenic monomers are polyesters and
polyamides.
9. Succinic acid, itaconic acid, fumaric acid,
maleic acid, muconic acid and furan dicarboxylic acid are available from carbohydrates. Sebacic acid and azelaic acid can be
produced from oleochemicals.
10. Ethylene glycol from bioethanol can be
used, for example, in polyethylene terephthalate as diol component and thus replace
the petrochemical monomer in a drop-in
solution.
Answers to 7 Chap. 20
1. Both refineries, i.e. oil and biorefineries,
form the basis for the production of a wide
variety of products, such as energy and fuels
on the energy side and chemicals and materials on the material side.
2. A biorefinery can, in addition to providing the products mentioned in answer 1,
potentially also contribute to the supply of
food such as vegetable oils and sugar as well
as feed for animal breeding. Neither food
nor animal feed is produced on the basis of
crude oil.
3. In the context of biorefineries, the term
“integration” means that all product flows
are recycled and ideally linked in such a way
that they are made available for further use.
For example, plant residues can be used for
biogas production or heat generated during
combustion can be used as process heat. A
state-of-the-art biorefinery concept produces no waste streams and thus aims for
maximum sustainability, which means that
all processes are “integrated”.
4. A Phase I biorefinery is based on a single
raw material, which is converted into a
single valuable product in a single process.
Using the production of fatty acids as an
example, this means that the corresponding
fatty acids are produced from vegetable oil
by hydrolysis (“fat splitting”) with water.
Glycerol is produced as a by-product.
5. This is a Phase II biorefinery because a large
number of secondary products are produced
from a single platform raw material (starch
or glucose) by means of various reactions.
Glucose, for example, can now be converted
into lactic acid or itaconic acid by fermentation on an industrial scale. Hydrogenation
can be used, for example, to produce sorbitol
and dehydration to produce hydroxymethylfurfural.
6. In primary refining, the desired platform
intermediate is obtained from the corresponding parts of plants. In plant oil
biorefineries, for example, this involves
pressing the plant oil from the oilseeds and
further purification. In secondary refining,
biotechnological and chemical processes are
mainly used to produce further products
using the platform intermediates. In the case
of vegetable oil, this includes, for example,
hydrolysis to fatty acids or transesterification to esters.
7. Possible semi-finished products of a vegetable oil biorefinery include fatty acids,
glycerol, fatty esters or fatty alcohols. Possible final products are biodiesel, edible fat or
dihydroxyacetone.
8. The raw material for the green biorefinery is
pasture grass. This is first pressed, and after
several separation operations, amino acids
and lactic acid can be extracted from the
pressed juice as the most important products.
9. With regard to a Phase III biorefinery,
lignocellulose is a particularly promising
platform intermediate. Lignocellulose is not
in competition with food production and is
partly complementary. Wheat straw, wood
waste or bagasse from sugar cane cultivation
are even waste products that can be better
used in this way.
10. Lignocellulose biorefinery provides a mixture of fermentable sugars from cellulose
and hemicellulose hydrolysis that is suitable
for the production of bioethanol as a fuel.
After combustion, the raw lignin can supply
part of the process energy. Some streams
are suitable for biogas production, such as
slurry from fermentation.