Biological Routes for the Synthesis of Platform Chemicals from Biomass Feedstocks

Furfural (FAL) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) are important and sustainable platform chemicals. They are produced from lignocellulose biomass and attract significant attention as precursors for producing value-added chemicals and fuels. The...

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Review on biomass feedstocks, pyrolysis mechanism and physicochemical properties of biochar: State-of-the-art framework to speed up vision of circular bioeconomy

Journal of Cleaner Production ◽

10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126645 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 297 ◽

pp. 126645

Author(s):

Gajanan Sampatrao Ghodake ◽

Surendra Krushna Shinde ◽

Avinash Ashok Kadam ◽

Rijuta Ganesh Saratale ◽

Ganesh Dattatraya Saratale ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physicochemical Properties ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Pyrolysis Mechanism ◽

Biomass Feedstocks ◽

Speed Up

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Recent Advances in Renewable Polymer Production from Lignin-Derived Aldehydes

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13030364 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 364

Author(s):

Nahyeon Lee ◽

Yong Tae Kim ◽

Jechan Lee

Keyword(s):

Lignocellulosic Biomass ◽

Aromatic Aldehydes ◽

Renewable Chemicals ◽

Platform Chemicals ◽

Recent Advances ◽

Promising Source

Lignin directly derived from lignocellulosic biomass has been named a promising source of platform chemicals for the production of bio-based polymers. This review discusses potentially relevant routes to produce renewable aromatic aldehydes (e.g., syringaldehyde and vanillin) from lignin feedstocks (pre-isolated lignin or lignocellulose) that are used to synthesize a range of bio-based polymers. To do this, the processes to make aromatic aldehydes from lignin with their highest available yields are first presented. After that, the routes from such aldehydes to different polymers are explored. Challenges and perspectives of the production the lignin-derived renewable chemicals and polymers are also highlighted.

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Mini-Review on the Synthesis of Furfural and Levulinic Acid from Lignocellulosic Biomass

Processes ◽

10.3390/pr9071234 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 1234

Author(s):

Zhiwei Jiang ◽

Di Hu ◽

Zhiyue Zhao ◽

Zixiao Yi ◽

Zuo Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reaction Mechanism ◽

Lignocellulosic Biomass ◽

Catalytic System ◽

Levulinic Acid ◽

Value Added ◽

Environmental Issues ◽

Alternative Route ◽

Catalytic Systems ◽

Renewable Biomass ◽

Platform Chemicals

Efficient conversion of renewable biomass into value-added chemicals and biofuels is regarded as an alternative route to reduce our high dependence on fossil resources and the associated environmental issues. In this context, biomass-based furfural and levulinic acid (LA) platform chemicals are frequently utilized to synthesize various valuable chemicals and biofuels. In this review, the reaction mechanism and catalytic system developed for the generation of furfural and levulinic acid are summarized and compared. Special efforts are focused on the different catalytic systems for the synthesis of furfural and levulinic acid. The corresponding challenges and outlooks are also observed.

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Hydrothermal conversion of different lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks – Effect of the process conditions on hydrochar structures

Fuel ◽

10.1016/j.fuel.2021.121166 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 302 ◽

pp. 121166

Author(s):

Fatih Güleç ◽

Luis Miguel Garcia Riesco ◽

Orla Williams ◽

Emily T. Kostas ◽

Abby Samson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lignocellulosic Biomass ◽

Process Conditions ◽

Hydrothermal Conversion ◽

Biomass Feedstocks

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Renewable Biomass Utilization: A Way Forward to Establish Sustainable Chemical and Processing Industries

Clean Technologies ◽

10.3390/cleantechnol3010014 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 243-259

Author(s):

Yadhu N. Guragain ◽

Praveen V. Vadlani

Keyword(s):

Fossil Fuels ◽

Process Intensification ◽

Raw Material ◽

Biomass Composition ◽

Biomass Feedstocks ◽

Renewable Biomass ◽

Sustainability Criteria ◽

Biomass Component ◽

Biomass Resources ◽

Multiple Challenges

Lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks are promising alternatives to fossil fuels for meeting raw material needs of processing industries and helping transit from a linear to a circular economy and thereby meet the global sustainability criteria. The sugar platform route in the biochemical conversion process is one of the promising and extensively studied methods, which consists of four major conversion steps: pretreatment, hydrolysis, fermentation, and product purification. Each of these conversion steps has multiple challenges. Among them, the challenges associated with the pretreatment are the most significant for the overall process because this is the most expensive step in the sugar platform route and it significantly affects the efficiency of all subsequent steps on the sustainable valorization of each biomass component. However, the development of a universal pretreatment method to cater to all types of feedstock is nearly impossible due to the substantial variations in compositions and structures of biopolymers among these feedstocks. In this review, we have discussed some promising pretreatment methods, their processing and chemicals requirements, and the effect of biomass composition on deconstruction efficiencies. In addition, the global biomass resources availability and process intensification ideas for the lignocellulosic-based chemical industry have been discussed from a circularity and sustainability standpoint.

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A Redox-Neutral, Two-Enzyme Cascade for the Production of Malate and Gluconate from Pyruvate and Glucose

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11114877 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 4877

Author(s):

Ravneet Mandair ◽

Pinar Karagoz ◽

Roslyn M. Bill

Keyword(s):

Malate Dehydrogenase ◽

Closed System ◽

Glucose Dehydrogenase ◽

Sulfolobus Solfataricus ◽

Cofactor Regeneration ◽

Triple Mutant ◽

Thermococcus Kodakarensis ◽

Platform Chemicals ◽

Enzyme Cascade

A triple mutant of NADP(H)-dependent malate dehydrogenase from thermotolerant Thermococcus kodakarensis has an altered cofactor preference for NAD+, as well as improved malate production compared to wildtype malate dehydrogenase. By combining mutant malate dehydrogenase with glucose dehydrogenase from Sulfolobus solfataricus and NAD+/NADH in a closed reaction environment, gluconate and malate could be produced from pyruvate and glucose. After 3 h, the yield of malate was 15.96 mM. These data demonstrate the feasibility of a closed system capable of cofactor regeneration in the production of platform chemicals.

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Gasification and Power Generation Characteristics of Rice Husk, Sawdust, and Coconut Shell Using a Fixed-Bed Downdraft Gasifier

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13042027 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 2027

Author(s):

Md. Emdadul Hoque ◽

Fazlur Rashid ◽

Muhammad Aziz

Keyword(s):

Rice Husk ◽

Fixed Bed ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Coconut Shell ◽

Energy Sources ◽

Airflow Rate ◽

Gas Generation ◽

Biomass Feedstocks ◽

Downdraft Gasifier ◽

Synthetic Gas

Synthetic gas generated from the gasification of biomass feedstocks is one of the clean and sustainable energy sources. In this work, a fixed-bed downdraft gasifier was used to perform the gasification on a lab-scale of rice husk, sawdust, and coconut shell. The aim of this work is to find and compare the synthetic gas generation characteristics and prospects of sawdust and coconut shell with rice husk. A temperature range of 650–900 °C was used to conduct gasification of these three biomass feedstocks. The feed rate of rice husk, sawdust, and coconut shell was 3–5 kg/h, while the airflow rate was 2–3 m3/h. Experimental results show that the highest generated quantity of methane (vol.%) in synthetic gas was achieved by using coconut shell than sawdust and rice husk. It also shows that hydrogen production was higher in the gasification of coconut shell than sawdust and rice husk. In addition, emission generations in coconut shell gasification are lower than rice husk although emissions of rice husk gasification are even lower than fossil fuel. Rice husk, sawdust, and coconut shell are cost-effective biomass sources in Bangladesh. Therefore, the outcomes of this paper can be used to provide clean and economic energy sources for the near future.

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