Environmental and economic analysis of the fully integrated biorefinery

Cellulosic biofuel systems have the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of the world's transportation energy requirements. However, realizing this potential will require systems level thinking and scale integration. Until now, we have lacked modeling tools for studying the behavior of integrated cellulosic biofuel systems. In this paper, we describe a new research tool, the Biorefinery and Farm Integration Tool (BFIT) in which the production of fuel ethanol from cellulosic biomass is integrated with crop and animal (agricultural) production models. Uniting these three subsystems in a single combined model has allowed, for the first time, basic environmental and economic analysis of biomass production, possible secondary products, fertilizer production, and bioenergy production across various regions of the United States. Using BFIT, we simulate cellulosic ethanol production embedded in realistic agricultural landscapes in nine locations under a collection of farm management scenarios. This combined modeling approach permits analysis of economic profitability and highlights key areas for environmental improvement. These results show the advantages of introducing integrated biorefinery systems within agricultural landscapes. This is particularly true in the Midwest, which our results suggest is a good setting for the cellulosic ethanol industry. Specifically, results show that inclusion of cellulosic biofuel systems into existing agriculture enhances farm economics and reduces total landscape emissions. Model results also indicate a limited ethanol price effect from increased biomass transportation distance. Sensitivity analysis using BFIT revealed those variables having the strongest effects on the overall system performance, namely: biorefinery size, switchgrass yield, and biomass farm gate price.     

Biomass pretreatment: fundamentals toward application

Development of sustainable energy systems based on renewable biomass feedstocks is now a global effort. Lignocellulosic biomass contains polymers of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, bound together in a complex structure. Liquid biofuels, such as ethanol, can be made from biomass via fermentation of sugars derived from the cellulose and hemicellulose within lignocellulosic materials, but the biomass must be subjected to pretreatment processes to liberate the sugars needed for fermentation. Production of value-added co-products along-side biofuels through integrated biorefinery processes creates the need for selectivity during pretreatment. This paper presents a survey of biomass pretreatment technologies with emphasis on concepts, mechanism of action and practicability. The advantages and disadvantages, and the potential for industrial applications of different pretreatment technologies are the highlights of this paper.     

Methods for discovery and characterization of cellulolytic enzymes from insects

Abstract Cellulosic ethanol has been identified as a crucial biofuel resource due to its sustainability and abundance of cellulose feedstocks. However, current methods to obtain glucose from lignocellulosic biomass are ineffective due to recalcitrance of plant biomass. Insects have evolved endogenous and symbiotic enzymes to efficiently use lignocellulosic material as a source of metabolic glucose. Even though traditional biochemical methods have been used to identify and characterize these enzymes, the advancement of genomic and proteomic research tools are expected to allow new insights into insect digestion of cellulose. This information is highly relevant to the design of improved industrial processes of biofuel production and to identify potential new targets for development of insecticides. This review describes the diverse methodologies used to detect, quantify, purify, clone and express cellulolytic enzymes from insects, as well as their advantages and limitations.     

New technologies in value addition to the thin stillage from corn-to-ethanol process

Grain-to-ethanol production has increased steadily in the United States in the past few decades, which resulted in remarkable records in the availability of co-products. Dry-grind is the most common method of ethanol production worldwide, which concentrates the corn and yeast nutrients in the downstream operations. The ethanol co-products have traditionally been a commodity for livestock feed as they contain desirable nutrients, mostly sold as distiller’s grains. The liquid fraction produced after the centrifugation of the bottoms of the ethanol rectifying and distilling operations is named thin stillage, produced at volumes several times greater than those of ethanol. A portion of thin stillage is normally recycled as backset water, while the remaining goes through a series of evaporations. Evaporating a large amount of water from thin stillage is an energy-consuming process and recycling the thin stillage may lead to the accumulation of nutrients in co-products in distiller’s grains. There are several other industrial processes to utilize thin stillage, such as oil extraction, anaerobic digestion, and secondary fermentation. Recently, promising results have been reported on the production of important commodity chemicals, extracting high-value products, and energy production from thin stillage. This review provides an overview on the new processes and products via valorization of thin stillage by innovative technologies that are being currently developed. The new applications of thin stillage discussed in this review could open new opportunities for the ethanol plants and ethanol researchers by increasing the revenue and simultaneously reducing negative environmental impacts of ethanol production.     

Selection and optimization of microbial hosts for biofuels production

Currently, the predominant microbially produced biofuel is starch- or sugar-derived ethanol. However, ethanol is not an ideal fuel molecule, and lignocellulosic feedstocks are considerably more abundant than both starch and sugar. Thus, many improvements in both the feedstock and the fuel have been proposed. In this paper, we examine the prospects for bioproduction of four second-generation biofuels (n-butanol, 2-butanol, terpenoids, or higher lipids) from four feedstocks (sugars and starches, lignocellulosics, syngas, and atmospheric carbon dioxide). The principal obstacle to commercial production of these fuels is that microbial catalysts of robust yields, productivities, and titers have yet to be developed. Suitable microbial hosts for biofuel production must tolerate process stresses such as end-product toxicity and tolerance to fermentation inhibitors in order to achieve high yields and titers. We tested seven fast-growing host organisms for tolerance to production stresses, and discuss several metabolic engineering strategies for the improvement of biofuels production.     

Mining diversity of the natural biorefinery housed within Tipula abdominalis larvae for use in an industrial biorefinery for production of lignocellulosic ethanol

Abstract Although they are the largest taxonomic group of animals, relatively few insects have been examined for symbiotic relationships with micro-organisms. However, this is rapidly changing because of the potential for examination of the natural insect–microbe–lignocellulose interactions to provide insights for biofuel technology. Micro-organisms associated with lignocellulose-consuming insects often facilitate the digestion of the recalcitrant plant diet; therefore these microbial communities may be mined for novel lignocellulose-degrading microbes, or for robust and inexpensive biocatalysts necessary for economically feasible biofuel production from lignocellulose. These insect–microbe interactions are influenced by the ecosystem and specific lignocellulose diet, and appreciating the whole ecosystem–insect–microbiota–lignocellulose as a natural biorefinery provides a rich and diverse framework from which to design novel industrial processes. One such natural biorefinery, the Tipula abdominalis larvae in riparian ecosystems, is reviewed herein with applications for biochemical processes and overcoming challenges involved in conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuel ethanol. From the dense and diverse T. abdominalis larval hindgut microbial community, a cellulolytic bacterial isolate, 27C64, demonstrated enzymatic activity toward many model plant polymers and also produced a bacterial antibiotic. 27C64 was co-cultured with yeast in fermentation of pine to ethanol, which allowed for a 20% reduction of commercial enzyme. In this study, a micro-organism from a lignocellulose-consuming insect was successfully applied for improvement of biomass-to-biofuel technology.     

Microalgae for high-value compounds and biofuels production: A review with focus on cultivation under stress conditions

Microalgal biomass as feedstock for biofuel production is an attracting alternative to terrestrial plant utilization for biofuels production. However, today the microalgal cultivation systems for energy production purposes seem not yet to be economically feasible. Microalgae, though cultivated under stress conditions, such as nutrient starvation, high salinity, high temperature etc. accumulate considerable amounts (up to 60–65% of dry weight) of lipids or carbohydrates along with several secondary metabolites. Especially some of the latter are valuable compounds with an enormous range of industrial applications. The simultaneous production of lipids or carbohydrates for biofuel production and of secondary metabolites in a biorefinery concept might allow the microalgal production to be economically feasible. This paper aims to provide a review on the available literature about the cultivation of microalgae for the accumulation of high-value compounds along with lipids or carbohydrates focusing on stress cultivation conditions.     

Yeasts in sustainable bioethanol production: A review

Bioethanol has been identified as the mostly used biofuel worldwide since it significantly contributes to the reduction of crude oil consumption and environmental pollution. It can be produced from various types of feedstocks such as sucrose, starch, lignocellulosic and algal biomass through fermentation process by microorganisms. Compared to other types of microoganisms, yeasts especially Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the common microbes employed in ethanol production due to its high ethanol productivity, high ethanol tolerance and ability of fermenting wide range of sugars. However, there are some challenges in yeast fermentation which inhibit ethanol production such as high temperature, high ethanol concentration and the ability to ferment pentose sugars. Various types of yeast strains have been used in fermentation for ethanol production including hybrid, recombinant and wild-type yeasts. Yeasts can directly ferment simple sugars into ethanol while other type of feedstocks must be converted to fermentable sugars before it can be fermented to ethanol. The common processes involves in ethanol production are pretreatment, hydrolysis and fermentation. Production of bioethanol during fermentation depends on several factors such as temperature, sugar concentration, pH, fermentation time, agitation rate, and inoculum size. The efficiency and productivity of ethanol can be enhanced by immobilizing the yeast cells. This review highlights the different types of yeast strains, fermentation process, factors affecting bioethanol production and immobilization of yeasts for better bioethanol production.     

Conversion of corn milling fibrous co-products into ethanol by recombinant Escherichia coli strains K011 and SL40

Corn hulls and corn germ meal were both evaluated as feedstocks for production of ethanol for biofuel. Currently, these fibrous co-products are combined with corn steep liquor and the fermentation bottoms (if available) and marketed as cattle feed. Samples were obtained from wet and dry corn mills. The corn hulls and germ meal were evaluated for starch and hemicellulose compositions. Starch contents were 12 to 32% w/w and hemicellulose (arabinoxylans) contents were 23 to 64% w/w. Corn fibrous samples were hydrolysed, using dilute sulphuric acid, into mixed sugar streams containing arabinose, glucose and xylose. Total sugar concentrations in the hydrolysate varied from 8.4 to 10.8% w/v. The hydrolysates were fermented to ethanol using recombinant E. coli strains K011 and SL40. Ethanol yields were 0.38 to 0.41g ethanol produced/g total sugars consumed and fermentations were completed in 60h or less. However, residual xylose was detected for each hydrolysate fermentation and was especially significant for fermentations using strain SL40. Strain K011 was a superior ethanologenic strain compared with strain SL40 in terms of both ethanol yield and maximum productivity.     

Techno-Economic Evaluation of Cellulosic Ethanol Production Based on Pilot Biorefinery Data: a Case Study of Sweet Sorghum Bagasse Processed via L+SScF

Replacing fossil fuels with renewable fuels derived from lignocellulosic biomass can contribute to the mitigation of global warming and the economic development of rural communities. This will require lignocellulosic biofuels to become price competitive with fossil fuels. Techno-economic analyses can provide insights into which parts of the biofuel production process need to be optimized to reduce cost or energy use. We used data obtained from a pilot biorefinery to model a commercial-scale biorefinery that processes lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol, with a focus on the minimum ethanol selling price (MESP). The process utilizes a phosphoric acid-catalyzed pre-treatment of sweet sorghum bagasse followed by liquefaction and simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (L+SScF) of hexose and pentose sugars by an engineered Escherichia coli strain. After validating a techno-economic model developed with the SuperPro Designer software for the conversion of sugarcane bagasse to ethanol by comparing it to a published Aspen Plus model, six different scenarios were modeled for sweet sorghum bagasse Under the most optimistic scenario, the ethanol can be produced at a cost close to the energy-equivalent price of gasoline. Aside from an increase in the price of gasoline, the gap between ethanol and gasoline prices could also be bridged by either a decrease in the cost of cellulolytic enzymes or development of value-added products from lignin.     

Studies on cellulosic ethanol production for sustainable supply of liquid fuel in China

As the biggest developing country, China faces a serious challenge in satisfying its need for huge amounts of energy resources, especially for liquid fuel. The Chinese government has recently started a bioethanol project, and has produced about 1 million tons of ethanol fuel from corn and wheat in 2005. As it has the largest population in the world and limited lands for food production, cellulosic ethanol would be a more suitable choice for China. Many research projects in China on biodegradation and biotransformation of lignocellulosics have been carried out. Furthermore, understanding the biodegradation mechanism of lignocellulosics and developing practical processes for ethanol production have been ongoing. After more than 30 years of research, several pilot scale facilities have been set up, and lots of experience has been acquired. However, the calculated production cost of cellulosic ethanol is still higher than that of corn ethanol. To overcome this problem, the biorefinery conception has been introduced into research on lignocellulosics transformation. A corncob biorefinery process has been developed in Shandong University. By combining the cellulase and ethanol production with a xylose-related products production, the total production cost can be reduced. A scale of 50,000-ton/year cellulosic ethanol biorefinery is being planned to be built at Yucheng.     

Biomass feedstock preprocessing and long‐distance transportation logistics

Biomass‐based biofuels have gained attention because they are renewable energy sources that could facilitate energy independence and improve rural economic development. As biomass supply and biofuel demand areas are generally not geographically contiguous, the design of an efficient and effective biomass supply chain from biomass provision to biofuel distribution is critical to facilitate large‐scale biofuel development. This study compared the costs of supplying biomass using three alternative biomass preprocessing and densification technologies (pelletizing, briquetting, and grinding) and two alternative transportation modes (trucking and rail) for the design of a four‐stage biomass–biofuel supply chain in which biomass produced in Illinois is used to meet biofuel demands in either California or Illinois. The BioScope optimization model was applied to evaluate a four‐stage biomass–biofuel supply chain that includes biomass supply, centralized storage and preprocessing (CSP), biorefinery, and ethanol distribution. We examined the cost of 15 scenarios that included a combination of three biomass preprocessing technologies and five supply chain configurations. The findings suggested that the transportation costs for biomass would generally follow the pattern of coal transportation. Converting biomass to ethanol locally and shipping ethanol over long distances is most economical, similar to the existing grain‐based biofuel system. For the Illinois–California supply chain, moving ethanol is Biomass‐based biofuels have gained attention because they are renewable energy sources that could facilitate energy independence and improve rural economic development. As biomass supply and biofuel demand areas are generally not geographically contiguous, the design of an efficient and effective biomass supply chain from biomass provision to biofuel distribution is critical to facilitate large‐scale biofuel development. This study compared the costs of supplying biomass using three alternative biomass preprocessing and densification technologies (pelletizing, briquetting, and grinding) and two alternative transportation modes (trucking and rail) for the design of a four‐stage biomass–biofuel supply chain in which biomass produced in Illinois is used to meet biofuel demands in either California or Illinois. The BioScope optimization model was applied to evaluate a four‐stage biomass–biofuel supply chain that includes biomass supply, centralized storage and preprocessing (CSP), biorefinery, and ethanol distribution. We examined the cost of 15 scenarios that included a combination of three biomass preprocessing technologies and five supply chain configurations. The findings suggested that the transportation costs for biomass would generally follow the pattern of coal transportation. Converting biomass to ethanol locally and shipping ethanol over long distances is most economical, similar to the existing grain‐based biofuel system. For the Illinois–California supply chain, moving ethanol is $0.24 gal^?1 less costly than moving biomass even in densified form over long distances. The use of biomass pellets leads to lower overall costs of biofuel production for long‐distance transportation but to higher costs if used for short‐distance movement due to its high capital and processing costs. Supported by the supply chain optimization modeling, the cellulosic‐ethanol production and distribution costs of using Illinois feedstock to meet California demand are $0.08 gal^?1 higher than that for meeting local Illinois demand.     

Sustainable production of eicosapentaenoic acid-rich oil from microalgae: Towards an algal biorefinery

Utilization of sustainable natural resources such as microalgae has been considered for the production of biofuels, aquaculture feed, high-value bioactives such as omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, etc. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is an omega-3 fatty acid present in fish oil, which is of physiological importance to both humans and fish. Marine microalgae are sustainable sources of lipid rich in EPA, and different species have been explored for the production of EPA as a single product. There has been a rising interest in the concept of a multi-product biorefinery, focusing on the maximum valorization of the algal biomass. Targeting one or more value-added compounds in a biorefinery scenario can improve the commercial viability of low-value products such as triglycerides for biofuel. This approach has been viewed by technologists and experts as a sustainable and economically feasible possibility for the large-scale production of microalgae for its potential applications in biodiesel and jet fuel production, nutraceuticals, animal and aquaculture feeds, etc. In this review paper, we describe the recent developments in the production of high-value EPA-rich oil from microalgae, emphasizing the upstream and downstream bioprocess techniques, and the advantages of considering an EPA-rich oil-based biorefinery.     

Cyanobacteria and microalgae: a positive prospect for biofuels

Biofuel-bioenergy production has generated intensive interest due to increased concern regarding limited petroleum-based fuel supplies and their contribution to atmospheric CO2 levels. Biofuel research is not just a matter of finding the right type of biomass and converting it to fuel, but it must also be economically sustainable on large-scale. Several aspects of cyanobacteria and microalgae such as oxygenic photosynthesis, high per-acre productivity, non-food based feedstock, growth on non-productive and non-arable land, utilization of wide variety of water sources (fresh, brackish, seawater and wastewater) and production of valuable co-products along with biofuels have combined to capture the interest of researchers and entrepreneurs. Currently, worldwide biofuels mainly in focus include biohydrogen, bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas. This review focuses on cultivation and harvesting of cyanobacteria and microalgae, possible biofuels and co-products, challenges for cyanobacterial and microalgal biofuels and the approaches of genetic engineering and modifications to increase biofuel production.     

Fuel ethanol production: process design trends and integration opportunities

Current fuel ethanol research and development deals with process engineering trends for improving biotechnological production of ethanol. In this work, the key role that process design plays during the development of cost-effective technologies is recognized through the analysis of major trends in process synthesis, modeling, simulation and optimization related to ethanol production. Main directions in techno-economical evaluation of fuel ethanol processes are described as well as some prospecting configurations. The most promising alternatives for compensating ethanol production costs by the generation of valuable co-products are analyzed. Opportunities for integration of fuel ethanol production processes and their implications are underlined. Main ways of process intensification through reaction-reaction, reaction-separation and separation-separation processes are analyzed in the case of bioethanol production. Some examples of energy integration during ethanol production are also highlighted. Finally, some concluding considerations on current and future research tendencies in fuel ethanol production regarding process design and integration are presented.     

The greenhouse gas intensity and potential biofuel production capacity of maize stover harvest in the US Midwest

Agricultural residues are important sources of feedstock for a cellulosic biofuels industry that is being developed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy independence. While the US Midwest has been recognized as key to providing maize stover for meeting near‐term cellulosic biofuel production goals, there is uncertainty that such feedstocks can produce biofuels that meet federal cellulosic standards. Here, we conducted extensive site‐level calibration of the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) terrestrial ecosystems model and applied the model at high spatial resolution across the US Midwest to improve estimates of the maximum production potential and greenhouse gas emissions expected from continuous maize residue‐derived biofuels. A comparison of methodologies for calculating the soil carbon impacts of residue harvesting demonstrates the large impact of study duration, depth of soil considered, and inclusion of litter carbon in soil carbon change calculations on the estimated greenhouse gas intensity of maize stover‐derived biofuels. Using the most representative methodology for assessing long‐term residue harvesting impacts, we estimate that only 5.3 billion liters per year (bly) of ethanol, or 8.7% of the near‐term US cellulosic biofuel demand, could be met under common no‐till farming practices. However, appreciably more feedstock becomes available at modestly higher emissions levels, with potential for 89.0 bly of ethanol production meeting US advanced biofuel standards. Adjustments to management practices, such as adding cover crops to no‐till management, will be required to produce sufficient quantities of residue meeting the greenhouse gas emission reduction standard for cellulosic biofuels. Considering the rapid increase in residue availability with modest relaxations in GHG reduction level, it is expected that management practices with modest benefits to soil carbon would allow considerable expansion of potential cellulosic biofuel production.     

Biodelignification of lignocellulose substrates: An intrinsic and sustainable pretreatment strategy for clean energy production

Lignocellulosic biomass (LB) is a promising sugar feedstock for biofuels and other high-value chemical commodities. The recalcitrance of LB, however, impedes carbohydrate accessibility and its conversion into commercially significant products. Two important factors for the overall economization of biofuel production is LB pretreatment to liberate fermentable sugars followed by conversion into ethanol. Sustainable biofuel production must overcome issues such as minimizing water and energy usage, reducing chemical usage and process intensification. Amongst available pretreatment methods, microorganism-mediated pretreatments are the safest, green, and sustainable. Native biodelignifying agents such as Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pycnoporous cinnabarinus, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora and Cyathus stercoreus can remove lignin, making the remaining substrates amenable for saccharification. The development of a robust, integrated bioprocessing (IBP) approach for economic ethanol production would incorporate all essential steps including pretreatment, cellulase production, enzyme hydrolysis and fermentation of the released sugars into ethanol. IBP represents an inexpensive, environmentally friendly, low energy and low capital approach for second-generation ethanol production. This paper reviews the advancements in microbial-assisted pretreatment for the delignification of lignocellulosic substrates, system metabolic engineering for biorefineries and highlights the possibilities of process integration for sustainable and economic ethanol production.     

Microbiology of synthesis gas fermentation for biofuel production

A significant portion of biomass sources like straw and wood is poorly degradable and cannot be converted to biofuels by microorganisms. The gasification of this waste material to produce synthesis gas (or syngas) could offer a solution to this problem, as microorganisms that convert CO and H2) (the essential components of syngas) to multicarbon compounds are available. These are predominantly mesophilic microorganisms that produce short-chain fatty acids and alcohols from CO and H2. Additionally, hydrogen can be produced by carboxydotrophic hydrogenogenic bacteria that convert CO and H2O to H2 and CO2. The production of ethanol through syngas fermentation is already available as a commercial process. The use of thermophilic microorganisms for these processes could offer some advantages; however, to date, few thermophiles are known that grow well on syngas and produce organic compounds. The identification of new isolates that would broaden the product range of syngas fermentations is desirable. Metabolic engineering could be employed to broaden the variety of available products, although genetic tools for such engineering are currently unavailable. Nevertheless, syngas fermenting microorganisms possess advantageous characteristics for biofuel production and hold potential for future engineering efforts.     

The Influence of Co-product Handling Methodology on Greenhouse Gas Savings of Biofuels in the European Context

The handling of multi-output systems presents a crucial aspect of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission calculation as well as the certification of biofuels, and finding a robust and applicable method that accounts for distinctive characteristics of and benefits generated by all products is a challenge. In this work, GHG emission savings of 11 biofuel production concepts are assessed and the implications of methodological assumptions are discussed by applying the methodology defined by the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), allocation based on physical parameters, two hybrid approaches, as well as six variants of substitution. GHG emission savings according to RED methodology range from 35 to 57 %. Sugar beet-based ethanol shows highest savings. Results reveal that GHG savings according to the RED methodology present, in sum, a relatively good approximation of emission savings occurring due to substitution effects under given assumptions. An introduction of credits for products that are barely or not considered by the RED methodology due to allocation based on the lower heating value (LHV), i.e. fertilizers and wet feed co-products, reduces the difference between RED results and results based on substitution. If displacement mechanisms are considered by substitution, sugar beet-based ethanol, ethanol production by wet milling of wheat and sunflower biodiesel result in highest emission savings under given assumptions if oil that needs to be supplied due to occurring displacement mechanisms stems from rapeseed. The implementation of a method that supports concepts with high emission saving potential, e.g. allocation based the lower heating value of dry material, could promote emission reductions from biofuel provision.