Rationale for Biobased Chemicals Production
The production of chemicals from biomass, also known as bio-based chemicals, plays a critical role in creating a sustainable and environmentally friendly future, particularly as the world strives to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Some of the advantages of biobased chemicals are listed below:Approaches for the Production of Biobased Chemicals
There are two main ways in which biobased chemicals can be obtained from biomass feedstocks:How Celignis Can Help
At Celignis our multidisciplinary team has strong understanding of: biomass chemistry, bioprocessing technologies, and the mechanisms and challenges involved in producing a wide variety of biobased chemicals. We are ready to work with you on developing a suitable bioprocess to either obtain your targeted biobased chemical from biomass or to obtain the most appropriate biobased chemicals from a given feedstock.
Feedstock Chemistry
The chemical composition of lignocellulosic feedstocks varies greatly. This variability if seen not only in the relative proportions of the different polymers of lignocellulose (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin) but also in the compositions of each of these polymers.Lignocellulose Fractionation
Some pretreatment processes (e.g. steam explosion) focus primarily on a disruption of the lignocellulose matrix to allow for it to be more readily hydrolysed in downstream processes. However, other technologies (e.g. when using acids, alkalis, solvents, or hydrothermal pretreatment) involve the production of two (or more) process streams with the primary lignocellulose polymers (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin) displaying a preference for one of these streams.Downstream Technologies
There are different ways in which the output streams (solid and liquid) of the pretreatment process can be valorised. For example, the hemicellulose sugars that become separated into the liquid phase in a number of pretreatment processes (e.g. acid pretreatments and hydrothermal pretreatments) can be biologically-processed (e.g. fermented to ethanol) or chemically/catalytically processed (e.g. catalytic production of xylitol from xylose).Commercial & Environmental Viability
For a bioprocess to be commercially-viable it is necessary for the revenues associated with it to exceed the operating costs and that these operating margins cover the CAPEX in a reasonable timeframe.
1. Understanding Your Requirements
2. Detailed Feedstock Analysis
3. Lab-Scale Pretreatments
4. Downstream Valorisation Experiments
5. Validation at Higher TRLs
6. Technoeconomic Analysis (TEA)
Pretreatment of Palm Residues
Celignis undertook a bioprocess development project for a client, based in the Middle East, that was targeting the production of ethanol from the residues of local palm trees. This was a lab-scale vertically-integrated project covering pretreatment, hydrolysis, and fermentation.Pre-Pretreatment Extraction
Extractives, if present in signficant quantities in the feedstock, can present a challenge to certain pretreatment technologies. For example, in organosolv pretreatments the extractives typically end-up in the liquid output stream of the process, along with lignin and hemicellulose sugars. At that point it can be hard to separate these extractives from the lignin meaning that the final lignin product may have a lower purity and, potentially, a lower market value.Prodution of Oligomers from Hemicellulose
Celignis undertook a bioprocess development project for a client where the focus was on the optimisation of process conditions to allow for increased yields of oligomeric sugars from the hemicellulose of an agricultural residue feedstock.Pretreatment of Paper Industry Residues
In this project we worked with a client on evaluating processes for producing sugars in high yields from recycled paper streams. Along with other aspects, the project involved evaluating different process conditions for the selected pretreatment technology and then assessing the effect of these pretreatments on the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of the solids.Global Recognition as Bioprocess Experts
Extraction
Pretreatment
Hydrolysis
Enzymes
Fermentation
Downstream Processing
Lab-Scale Optimisations
TRL Scale-Up
Technoeconomic Analyses
From Process Refinements to an Entire New Process
Research Collaborations