加快微生物油脂研究为生物柴油产业提供廉价原料

当前国内外致力于发展生物柴油,因其性能优良,成为化石柴油的替代品。由于以植物油脂生产生物柴油原料成本占总成本的70％-85％,所以亟待开发廉价油脂资源。微生物油脂主要是微生物利用碳水化合物合成的甘油脂,其脂肪酸组成和植物油相近。产油微生物具有资源丰富、油脂含量高、碳源利用谱广等特点,开发潜力大。然而,目前微生物油脂生产成本偏高,研究工作仍以富含多不饱和脂肪酸的高附加值菌油为目标。随着现代分子生物学和生物化工技术的发展,对产油微生物菌种筛选、改良、代谢调控和发酵工程的研究日趋深入,将降低微生物油脂生产成本,为未来生物柴油产业提供廉价原料。     

中国如何突破生物柴油产业的原料瓶颈

因应我国日益严峻的能源资源、能源环境和能源安全形势,国家大力倡导发展可再生能源。生物柴油是最重要的液体可再生燃料之一,在能源性质方面可以完全替代化石柴油,而且还具有安全环保等其它优良特性。当前利用动植物油脂生产生物柴油,原料成本偏高,而且稳定、充足的油脂原料供应体系尚未形成。我国是油脂资源短缺国家,近年来植物油进口量逐年增加。同时,我国耕地资源匮乏,粮食供应形势不容乐观,扩大油料作物种植的潜力非常有限。但是,我国宜林地丰富,农林废弃生物质资源量巨大。综合以上因素,我国应重点发展木本油料植物规模化种植和推广,加快微生物油脂发酵技术创新和产业化进程;同时,利用植物遗传育种技术提高油料作物产量以及选择性发展不与粮争地的油料作物。依靠各方面的进步,发展创新的油脂生产技术,保障我国生物柴油产业和油脂化工行业健康发展。     

能源微生物油脂技术进展

微生物油脂技术是缓解生物柴油规模化生产原料短缺的有效途径之一。介绍了国内外利用产油真菌生产能源微生物油脂的现状,包括拓展发酵原料、选育优良菌株、建立新型调控策略和不同培养模式以及解析油脂过量积累的分子机制;概括了微生物油脂技术产业化面临的问题及其解决方案;最后指出了能源微生物油脂研究未来发展方向。     

我国优势油脂类生物柴油植物蓖麻的种质资源发掘和生物柴油利用

发展可再生生物质能源是解决人类能源危机和环境污染的重要途径。利用边际土地发展油脂类生物质能是生物质能的重要组成部分。蓖麻因为适应性强和油脂成份独特被誉为"理想的生物柴油植物"。蓖麻是我国优势油脂类能源植物,利用边际土地,发展蓖麻产业为我国生物柴油产业化提供原料,是我国现阶段生物柴油产业化发展的相对理想而又现实的选择,而且具有重要的发展前景和巨大的发掘潜力。立足我国现阶段生物柴油产业化的瓶颈问题,着重阐述了蓖麻种质资源发掘的现状、优良品种培育的途径和发展前景,以及利用蓖麻种子油生产商业化生物柴油的现状,以期推动我国利用边际土地发展蓖麻产业以及生物柴油商业化生产。     

产业动向

<正>中国农业科学院油料作物研究所在生物柴油关键技术方面取得突破近日,中国农业科学院油料作物研究所等单位研发了以小桐子、光皮树、废弃油脂等非食用油脂资源为原料转化成生物柴油的关键技术,并获得2014年度中国农业科学院科技成果奖一等奖。这项生物柴油转化技术包括非食用油脂资源预处理关键技术、高效油脂制取与回收技术和关键设备、适于不同原料的高效转化技术     

发展生物柴油产业的挑战与对策的探讨

生物柴油是一种由可再生资源生产的优质清洁燃料,发展生物柴油不仅可以保护环境,减少温室气体排放,而且可以缓解我国石油进口的压力,推动新农村建设。但由于植物油脂价格的飙升,生物柴油产业发展面临仅生产生物柴油燃料在经济上难以立足的挑战。本文从发展生物柴油原料资源,生产技术以及生物柴油化工技术开发的现状与未来发展动态进行分析,探讨了促进我国生物柴油产业健康发展的对策。[编者按]     

发展菜籽油制备生物柴油产业的一种有效对策

菜籽油是生产生物柴油的主要原料之一,目前用菜籽油生产生物柴油的主要瓶颈是原料成本较高,一般占到总生产成本的75%左右。在介绍国内外菜籽油制备生物柴油产业发展现状和存在的主要问题的基础上,提出了利用现有冬闲田生产高芥酸油菜籽,以高芥酸菜籽油为原料联产制备生物柴油、芥酸及其系列衍生产品和甘油、甾醇类化合物等高值副产品的对策,并从产品用途与市场需求潜力、企业经济效益、生产技术和条件、原料来源等几方面分析了这一发展对策的可行性。该对策的实施,将实现我国菜籽油制备生物柴油产业的兴起和可持续发展,提高生物柴油产品品质,带动我国生物化工和其它诸多行业的共同发展,为我国社会主义新农村建设作出贡献。     

生物柴油新原料——微生物油脂

生物柴油是替代传统石化能源的重要途径,但高昂的原料油成本限制其进一步应用。微生物油脂具有价格低廉、供给充足和不占用耕地资源等优点,是理想的生物柴油原料油脂。对微生物油脂组成成分,提取和测定方法等方面进行详细介绍,并重点综述转座标签育种、代谢通路调控育种、转录因子调控育种和发酵过程优化等技术在提高细胞油脂积累量方面的应用进展,探讨以微生物油脂为新原料制备生物柴油的优点及可行性。     

生物柴油的制造技术与应用

目前,由可再生油脂原料制造绿色燃料生物柴油的技术成为各国的研究热点,本文重点介绍了生物柴油的酯交换法制备技术,并对生物柴油及其副产品甘油等在国内外的开发应用作了介绍。[编者按]     

生物柴油原料资源高油脂微藻的开发利用

生物柴油作为化石能源的替代燃料已在国际上得到广泛应用。至今生物柴油的原料主要来自油料植物, 但与农作物争地的情况以及较高的原料成本限制了生物柴油的进一步推广。微藻作为高光合生物有其特殊的原料成本优势, 微藻的脂类含量最高可达细胞干重的80%。利用生物技术改良微藻, 获得的高油脂基因工程微藻经规模养殖, 可大大降低生物柴油原料成本。介绍了国内外生物柴油的应用现状, 阐述了微藻作为生物柴油原料的优势, 对基因工程技术调控微藻脂类代谢途径的研究进展, 以及在构建工程微藻中面临的问题和应采取的对策进行了综述和展望。     

生物柴油利用概况及其在中国的发展思路

石化燃料是当前人类使用的主要能源,但其日益消耗殆尽,同时造成了严重的温室效应和环境污染问题,因此,生物柴油被当作石化燃料的绿色替代品,许多国家都在大力研发。该文阐述了生物柴油的本质及其较石化柴油咱使用上的优良特性,综述了生物柴油主要在欧美国家中的发展现状及其它国家的研发动态,特别是以大豆(Glycine max)和油菜(Brassica campestris)等油料作物为主的生物柴油原料生产状况。在分析了我国油料生产与食用消费现状、受国际生物柴油大力发展的影响的程度及油料作物与粮食生产对耕地资源的激烈竞争矛盾的基础上,提出了充分利用盐碱地、贫瘠、荒漠与退耕还林地,通过种植抗逆性强的油料植物发展我国生物柴油的思路。     

Process integration possibilities for biodiesel production from palm oil using ethanol obtained from lignocellulosic residues of oil palm industry

In this paper, integration possibilities for production of biodiesel and bioethanol using a single source of biomass as a feedstock (oil palm) were explored through process simulation. The oil extracted from Fresh Fruit Bunches was considered as the feedstock for biodiesel production. An extractive reaction process is proposed for transesterification reaction using in situ produced ethanol, which is obtained from two types of lignocellulosic residues of palm industry (Empty Fruit Bunches and Palm Press Fiber). Several ways of integration were analyzed. The integration of material flows between ethanol and biodiesel production lines allowed a reduction in unit energy costs down to 3.4%, whereas the material and energy integration leaded to 39.8% decrease of those costs. The proposed integrated configuration is an important option when the technology for ethanol production from biomass reaches such a degree of maturity that its production costs be comparable with those of grain or cane ethanol.     

Biodiesel production from various feedstocks and their effects on the fuel properties

Biodiesel, which is a new, renewable and biological origin alternative diesel fuel, has been receiving more attention all over the world due to the energy needs and environmental consciousness. Biodiesel is usually produced from food-grade vegetable oils using transesterification process. Using food-grade vegetable oils is not economically feasible since they are more expensive than diesel fuel. Therefore, it is said that the main obstacle for commercialization of biodiesel is its high cost. Waste cooking oils, restaurant greases, soapstocks and animal fats are potential feedstocks for biodiesel production to lower the cost of biodiesel. However, to produce fuel-grade biodiesel, the characteristics of feedstock are very important during the initial research and production stage since the fuel properties mainly depend on the feedstock properties. This review paper presents both biodiesel productions from various feedstocks and their effects on the fuel properties. JIMB 2008: BioEnergy - Special issue.     

Biodiesel production,properties, and feedstocks

Biodiesel, defined as the mono-alkyl esters of vegetable oils or animal fats, is an environmentally attractive alternative to conventional petroleum diesel fuel (petrodiesel). Produced by transesterification with a monohydric alcohol, usually methanol, biodiesel has many important technical advantages over petrodiesel, such as inherent lubricity, low toxicity, derivation from a renewable and domestic feedstock, superior flash point and biodegradability, negligible sulfur content, and lower exhaust emissions. Important disadvantages of biodiesel include high feedstock cost, inferior storage and oxidative stability, lower volumetric energy content, inferior low-temperature operability, and in some cases, higher NO _x exhaust emissions. This review covers the process by which biodiesel is prepared, the types of catalysts that may be used for the production of biodiesel, the influence of free fatty acids on biodiesel production, the use of different monohydric alcohols in the preparation of biodiesel, the influence of biodiesel composition on fuel properties, the influence of blending biodiesel with other fuels on fuel properties, alternative uses for biodiesel, and value-added uses of glycerol, a co-product of biodiesel production. A particular emphasis is placed on alternative feedstocks for biodiesel production. Lastly, future challenges and outlook for biodiesel are discussed. Disclaimer: Product names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the name by USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable.     

One-step enzymatic production of fatty acid ethyl ester from high-acidity waste feedstocks in solvent-free media

This work aims to demonstrate the enzymatic production of fatty acid ethyl ester biodiesel from highly acidic feedstock in a single-step reaction, without co-solvents and avoiding the inhibition of the enzyme by ethanol and glycerol. Additionally, an empirical equation is proposed to predict the kinetics of the production reaction as a function of the used feedstock and catalyst concentration. Biodiesel production from highly acidic feedstock perform via simultaneous esterification of free fatty acids and transesterification of triacylglycerols. Enzymatic catalysis is one of the most promising alternative technologies for the biodiesel production. Increasing of the enzymatic bioactivity is crucial for the success of such process in industrial scale. Currently, stepwise addition of the alcohol or the use of co-solvents have been proposed to avoid enzyme inhibition, such strategies add downstream processes to the production. These results can be applied to the development economical-viable enzymatic production of biodiesel in industrial scale.     

Molecular Identification and Comparative Evaluation of Tropical Marine Microalgae for Biodiesel Production

Marine microalgae have emerged as important feedstock for liquid biofuel production. The identification of lipid-rich native microalgal species with high growth rate and optimal fatty acid profile and biodiesel properties is the most challenging step in microalgae-based biodiesel production. In this study, attempts have been made to bio-prospect the biodiesel production potential of marine and brackish water microalgal isolates from the west coast of India. A total of 14 microalgal species were isolated, identified using specific molecular markers and based on the lipid content; seven species with total lipid content above 20% of dry cell weight were selected for assessing biodiesel production potential in terms of lipid and biomass productivities, nile red fluorescence, fatty acid profile and biodiesel properties. On comparative analysis, the diatoms were proven to be promising based on the overall desirable properties for biodiesel production. The most potential strain Navicula phyllepta MACC8 with a total lipid content of 26.54 % of dry weight of biomass, the highest growth rate (0.58 day^?1) and lipid and biomass productivities of 114 and 431 mgL^?1 day^?1, respectively, was rich in fatty acids mainly of C16:0, C16:1 and C18:0 in the neutral lipid fraction, the most favoured fatty acids for ideal biodiesel properties. The biodiesel properties met the requirements of fuel quality standards based on empirical estimation. The marine diatoms hold a great promise as feedstock for large-scale biodiesel production along with valuable by-products in a biorefinery perspective, after augmenting lipid and biomass production through biochemical and genetic engineering approaches.     

Bio-hydrogen production by biodiesel-derived crude glycerol bioconversion: a techno-economic evaluation

Global biodiesel production is continuously increasing and it is proportionally accompanied by a huge amount of crude glycerol (CG) as by-product. Due to its crude nature, CG has very less commercial interest; although its pure counterpart has different industrial applications. Alternatively, CG is a very good carbon source and can be used as a feedstock for fermentative hydrogen production. Further, a move of this kind has dual benefits, namely it offers a sustainable method for disposal of biodiesel manufacturing waste as well as produces biofuels and contributes in greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction. Two-stage fermentation, comprising dark and photo-fermentation is one of the most promising options available for bio-hydrogen production. In the present study, techno-economic feasibility of such a two-stage process has been evaluated. The analysis has been made based on the recent advances in fermentative hydrogen production using CG as a feedstock. The study has been carried out with special reference to North American biodiesel market; and more specifically, data available for Canadian province, Québec City have been used. Based on our techno-economic analysis, higher production cost was found to be the major bottleneck in commercial production of fermentative hydrogen. However, certain achievable alternative options for reduction of process cost have been identified. Further, the process was found to be capable in reducing GHG emissions. Bioconversion of 1 kg of crude glycerol (70 % w/v) was found to reduce 7.66 kg CO₂ eq (equivalent) GHG emission, and the process also offers additional environmental benefits.     

A process model to estimate biodiesel production costs

'Biodiesel' is the name given to a renewable diesel fuel that is produced from fats and oils. It consists of the simple alkyl esters of fatty acids, most typically the methyl esters. We have developed a computer model to estimate the capital and operating costs of a moderately-sized industrial biodiesel production facility. The major process operations in the plant were continuous-process vegetable oil transesterification, and ester and glycerol recovery. The model was designed using contemporary process simulation software, and current reagent, equipment and supply costs, following current production practices. Crude, degummed soybean oil was specified as the feedstock. Annual production capacity of the plant was set at 37,854,118 l (10 x 10(6)gal). Facility construction costs were calculated to be US dollar 11.3 million. The largest contributors to the equipment cost, accounting for nearly one third of expenditures, were storage tanks to contain a 25 day capacity of feedstock and product. At a value of US dollar 0.52/kg (dollar 0.236/lb) for feedstock soybean oil, a biodiesel production cost of US dollar 0.53/l (dollar 2.00/gal) was predicted. The single greatest contributor to this value was the cost of the oil feedstock, which accounted for 88% of total estimated production costs. An analysis of the dependence of production costs on the cost of the feedstock indicated a direct linear relationship between the two, with a change of US dollar 0.020/l (dollar 0.075/gal) in product cost per US dollar 0.022/kg (dollar 0.01/lb) change in oil cost. Process economics included the recovery of coproduct glycerol generated during biodiesel production, and its sale into the commercial glycerol market as an 80% w/w aqueous solution, which reduced production costs by approximately 6%. The production cost of biodiesel was found to vary inversely and linearly with variations in the market value of glycerol, increasing by US dollar 0.0022/l (dollar 0.0085/gal) for every US dollar 0.022/kg (dollar 0.01/lb) reduction in glycerol value. The model is flexible in that it can be modified to calculate the effects on capital and production costs of changes in feedstock cost, changes in the type of feedstock employed, changes in the value of the glycerol coproduct, and changes in process chemistry and technology.     

Microbial lipids from cellulolytic oleaginous fungus Penicillium citrinum PKB20 as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production

Microbial lipids derived from oleaginous fungi are considered as an alternative feedstock for biodiesel production. We attempt to isolate a cellulolytic oleaginous fungi as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production. The fungus was identified by 5.8 S-ITS rRNA gene sequencing. The extracellular enzyme activities were recorded after every 24 h for 7 days. Nile red staining and fluorescence microscopy was used to visualise the lipid bodies within the fungal hyphae. A renewable heterogeneous base catalyst derived from Musa balbisiana cola peels was used for the transesterification of Penicillium citrinum PKB20 derived oil into biodiesel. GC-MS analysis was used to analyse the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) profile of the transesterified lipids. Penicillium citrinum PKB20 was isolated from detritus rich soil of Assam, India. The endoglucanase, xylanase and β-glucosidase enzyme activities were found to be 292.83 ± 0.29, 111.72 ± 0.45 and 6.54 ± 0.13 U/mg respectively. The specific enzyme activity for extracellular lipase was found to be 3.12 ± 0.16 U/mg. It could accumulate up to 60.61% of lipids in nitrogen-limited medium (7.34 ± 0.45 g/L biomass production). The extracted lipids were converted to biodiesel with 89.3% conversion efficiency. The predominant fatty acids were oleic acid (30.09%), palmitic acid (20.25%) and linoleic acid (33.14%) suggesting a balance between oxidative stability and cold flow properties for suitable biodiesel quality. Penicillium citrinum PKB20 was found to be a potential feedstock for biodiesel production with desirable fuel properties. The cellulolytic nature could be utilised for simultaneous lipid production directly on cellulosic substrates.     

Homogeneous,heterogeneous and enzymatic catalysis for transesterification of high free fatty acid oil (waste cooking oil) to biodiesel: A review

In the last few years, biodiesel has emerged as one of the most potential renewable energy to replace current petrol-derived diesel. It is a renewable, biodegradable and non-toxic fuel which can be easily produced through transesterification reaction. However, current commercial usage of refined vegetable oils for biodiesel production is impractical and uneconomical due to high feedstock cost and priority as food resources. Low-grade oil, typically waste cooking oil can be a better alternative; however, the high free fatty acids (FFA) content in waste cooking oil has become the main drawback for this potential feedstock. Therefore, this review paper is aimed to give an overview on the current status of biodiesel production and the potential of waste cooking oil as an alternative feedstock. Advantages and limitations of using homogeneous, heterogeneous and enzymatic transesterification on oil with high FFA (mostly waste cooking oil) are discussed in detail. It was found that using heterogeneous acid catalyst and enzyme are the best option to produce biodiesel from oil with high FFA as compared to the current commercial homogeneous base-catalyzed process. However, these heterogeneous acid and enzyme catalyze system still suffers from serious mass transfer limitation problems and therefore are not favorable for industrial application. Nevertheless, towards the end of this review paper, a few latest technological developments that have the potential to overcome the mass transfer limitation problem such as oscillatory flow reactor (OFR), ultrasonication, microwave reactor and co-solvent are reviewed. With proper research focus and development, waste cooking oil can indeed become the next ideal feedstock for biodiesel.