Biofine Hydrolysis Process and Derivative Product Upgrading Technologies 197
7.3.4 FormiC ACid
As shown earlier, the conversion of cellulose to LA produces formic acid as a
byproduct. Formic acid produced in this manner can be either directly sold as a
commodity or further purified by distillation. As pointed out by Hayes et al. [8],
formic acid is a very versatile product and can be used in a number of different
ways as indicated below:
1. It can be used as road salt in the form of calcium magnesium formate. It can
also be used as a silage additive and a decalcifier as well as an acidulating
agent in textile dyeing and finishing and leather tuning [60].
2. Formic acid is a hydrogen donor solvent. It can also be used in catalyst
preparation and regeneration of catalyst metals that are poisoned by sulfur.
3. It can be used in the manufacture of organic esters, drugs, dyes, insecticides, and refrigerants. Esters of formic acid can be fuel components and
platform chemicals.
Thus, formic acid is a very valuable byproduct of Biofine process.
7.3.5 BioFine ChAr
Since Biofine char largely contains lignin, the amount of residual char in the Biofine
process depends on the acid-insoluble lignin content, along with the ash content,
any insoluble protein present, and the amount of degradation and reversion products
formed from cellulose and hemicellulose fractions during LA production [8]. As
mentioned earlier, extractives and any water-soluble carbohydrates can also be a
part of Biofine char. Since boiling of volatiles and LA cracks char, it is difficult to
predict the final composition of char [8]. The Biofine char, however, has a significant
heating value. This heating value can significantly exceed the heating value of the
original biomass with its water content. If the feedstock lignin content is about 25%
of biomass, and if the process is larger than 270 tons of feedstock per day, it has been
estimated [8] that the energy provided by the residual char is greater than that needed
to completely fuel the steam and electric power needs of the biorefinery.
Biofine char is a good soil conditioner. The chars from straw and paper show
significant carbonyl/carboxyl and acidic functionalities [8]. The char can also be
used to produce syngas via steam gasification/reforming process. This syngas can be
converted to various fuels and chemicals via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis.
7.4 COmParisOn OF BiOFine PrOCess
With Other teChnOlOGies
7.4.1 diBAneT ProjeCT
The Development of Integrated Biomass Approaches Network (DIBANET) is a
collaborative research project between the European Union and Latin America to
produce sustainable diesel miscible biofuels (DMBs) from the residues and wastes
7.3.4 FormiC ACid
As shown earlier, the conversion of cellulose to LA produces formic acid as a
byproduct. Formic acid produced in this manner can be either directly sold as a
commodity or further purified by distillation. As pointed out by Hayes et al. [8],
formic acid is a very versatile product and can be used in a number of different
ways as indicated below:
1. It can be used as road salt in the form of calcium magnesium formate. It can
also be used as a silage additive and a decalcifier as well as an acidulating
agent in textile dyeing and finishing and leather tuning [60].
2. Formic acid is a hydrogen donor solvent. It can also be used in catalyst
preparation and regeneration of catalyst metals that are poisoned by sulfur.
3. It can be used in the manufacture of organic esters, drugs, dyes, insecticides, and refrigerants. Esters of formic acid can be fuel components and
platform chemicals.
Thus, formic acid is a very valuable byproduct of Biofine process.
7.3.5 BioFine ChAr
Since Biofine char largely contains lignin, the amount of residual char in the Biofine
process depends on the acid-insoluble lignin content, along with the ash content,
any insoluble protein present, and the amount of degradation and reversion products
formed from cellulose and hemicellulose fractions during LA production [8]. As
mentioned earlier, extractives and any water-soluble carbohydrates can also be a
part of Biofine char. Since boiling of volatiles and LA cracks char, it is difficult to
predict the final composition of char [8]. The Biofine char, however, has a significant
heating value. This heating value can significantly exceed the heating value of the
original biomass with its water content. If the feedstock lignin content is about 25%
of biomass, and if the process is larger than 270 tons of feedstock per day, it has been
estimated [8] that the energy provided by the residual char is greater than that needed
to completely fuel the steam and electric power needs of the biorefinery.
Biofine char is a good soil conditioner. The chars from straw and paper show
significant carbonyl/carboxyl and acidic functionalities [8]. The char can also be
used to produce syngas via steam gasification/reforming process. This syngas can be
converted to various fuels and chemicals via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis.
7.4 COmParisOn OF BiOFine PrOCess
With Other teChnOlOGies
7.4.1 diBAneT ProjeCT
The Development of Integrated Biomass Approaches Network (DIBANET) is a
collaborative research project between the European Union and Latin America to
produce sustainable diesel miscible biofuels (DMBs) from the residues and wastes