Summary of Summary
Biorefinery: sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of bio-based products (food,
feed, chemicals, materials) and bioenergy (biofuels, power and/ or heat)
- has to be financially sustainable = conversion processes. Value needs to be added by
doing it and it needs to be sustainable.
Eco and economic pyriamid for biomass use:
When you can’t do
anything else, you
start considering the
lower parts of the
pyramid.
Types of Bio-refinery:
- Green Biorefinery (e.g. duckweed & algae):
o Raw materials are usually green and often leafy
o Very high water content (up to 90%)
o Significant amounts of protein (high)
o High lignocellulose content
- Aquatic Biorefinery
o Grown in/ on water (so duckweed & algae also belong here)
o Very water content
o Significant amounts of protein (high)
o Other components more variable (e.g. lipids)
- Lipid Biorefinery (contain a lot of lipids):
o Often seeds
o Low in water content (ca. 5%)
o High amount of lipids
o Significant amounts of proteins
- “Easy sugars” Biorefinery (e.g. sugar beets & maize grain):
o Has starch/ sucrose in it
o Often tubers (potato, beet, etc…) and grain (maize, wheat etc…)
o Medium and high water content
o High amount of starch or sucrose Easy to ferment carbohydrates
- Lignocellulose (“not easy sugars”)
o High amount of cellulose, hemi-cellulose, and lignin (lignocellulose is a part of
lignin)
, o Often “structural” materials
o Low in water content
o Carbohydrates are more difficult to ferment needs pre-treatment
Composition, building blocks/ platform technology and application:
Cellulose is not an easy suger, so harder to get ethanol.
Put in:
What can/ should you do with each compound and what’s most valuable? HOW THEY CAN
BE extracted from biomass
Economy of scale: Cost advantage due the scale of operation: as output increases, the cost
per unit decreases.
Economy of scale is not unlimited, above a certain scale:
- Instead of larger equipment, more of the same will need to be installed.
Still economy of scale because less spare parts will be needed and lower downtime.
- However, in e.g. the agro-food sector other effects can occur:
o Opposing forces between economy of scale for conversion facilities and
diseconomy of scale for feedstock supply chain
Summary:
Why a biobased economy?
- Ecological, security of supply, rural development
What is biorefinery?
- Sustainable processing to multiple marketable products
Why is biorefinery useful?
- Increases the value of biomass, allows food and non-food products to
be made, new and existing products can be made
What biorefinery feedstocks are there?
- Can be grouped depending on composition and origin
What strategy should I use?
, - Look at type of feedstock and composition, look at chemical and
physical behaviour of molecules
- Feedstock type/classification often have similar general process steps
Some examples of biorefinery types
- Green, lipid, sugar, lignocellulose, aquatic – note composition and
process steps
Small or large scale?
- Small: advantages for transportation costs, minerals on site, additional
income, less rest streams at factory, innovation but can suffer from
the economy of scale.
- Small scale processing need to ensure low CAPEX and minimise heat
transfer
Capital Expenditures (CAPEX), staat voor de kosten voor ontwikkeling of levering van niet-
verbruikbare onderdelen van een product of systeem.
Lipids - Fuel production – Biodiesel:
Aquatic:
Biorefinery: sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of bio-based products (food,
feed, chemicals, materials) and bioenergy (biofuels, power and/ or heat)
- has to be financially sustainable = conversion processes. Value needs to be added by
doing it and it needs to be sustainable.
Eco and economic pyriamid for biomass use:
When you can’t do
anything else, you
start considering the
lower parts of the
pyramid.
Types of Bio-refinery:
- Green Biorefinery (e.g. duckweed & algae):
o Raw materials are usually green and often leafy
o Very high water content (up to 90%)
o Significant amounts of protein (high)
o High lignocellulose content
- Aquatic Biorefinery
o Grown in/ on water (so duckweed & algae also belong here)
o Very water content
o Significant amounts of protein (high)
o Other components more variable (e.g. lipids)
- Lipid Biorefinery (contain a lot of lipids):
o Often seeds
o Low in water content (ca. 5%)
o High amount of lipids
o Significant amounts of proteins
- “Easy sugars” Biorefinery (e.g. sugar beets & maize grain):
o Has starch/ sucrose in it
o Often tubers (potato, beet, etc…) and grain (maize, wheat etc…)
o Medium and high water content
o High amount of starch or sucrose Easy to ferment carbohydrates
- Lignocellulose (“not easy sugars”)
o High amount of cellulose, hemi-cellulose, and lignin (lignocellulose is a part of
lignin)
, o Often “structural” materials
o Low in water content
o Carbohydrates are more difficult to ferment needs pre-treatment
Composition, building blocks/ platform technology and application:
Cellulose is not an easy suger, so harder to get ethanol.
Put in:
What can/ should you do with each compound and what’s most valuable? HOW THEY CAN
BE extracted from biomass
Economy of scale: Cost advantage due the scale of operation: as output increases, the cost
per unit decreases.
Economy of scale is not unlimited, above a certain scale:
- Instead of larger equipment, more of the same will need to be installed.
Still economy of scale because less spare parts will be needed and lower downtime.
- However, in e.g. the agro-food sector other effects can occur:
o Opposing forces between economy of scale for conversion facilities and
diseconomy of scale for feedstock supply chain
Summary:
Why a biobased economy?
- Ecological, security of supply, rural development
What is biorefinery?
- Sustainable processing to multiple marketable products
Why is biorefinery useful?
- Increases the value of biomass, allows food and non-food products to
be made, new and existing products can be made
What biorefinery feedstocks are there?
- Can be grouped depending on composition and origin
What strategy should I use?
, - Look at type of feedstock and composition, look at chemical and
physical behaviour of molecules
- Feedstock type/classification often have similar general process steps
Some examples of biorefinery types
- Green, lipid, sugar, lignocellulose, aquatic – note composition and
process steps
Small or large scale?
- Small: advantages for transportation costs, minerals on site, additional
income, less rest streams at factory, innovation but can suffer from
the economy of scale.
- Small scale processing need to ensure low CAPEX and minimise heat
transfer
Capital Expenditures (CAPEX), staat voor de kosten voor ontwikkeling of levering van niet-
verbruikbare onderdelen van een product of systeem.
Lipids - Fuel production – Biodiesel:
Aquatic:
