| Project Detail |
Improving the efficiency of the purification and conversion of sugars in a biorefinery concept
Lignocellulose is the biomass with the highest availability in the world, being of particular importance for the bioeconomy in regard to production of bio-based chemicals and materials. Currently, process inefficiencies result in high cost regarding energy and resource use. The EU-funded BioSPRINT project aims to develop and validate process intensification methods to improve purification and conversion of the hemicelluloses fraction of lignocellulosic biomass such as hardwood and straw. Thus, the transformation into new bio-based resins is enabled and fossil-based polymers can be substituted. BioSPRINT will focus on four activity areas: upstream purification, catalytic conversion, downstream purification and polymerisation. The overall goal is to achieve ‘zero-waste’ bio-based operations by concentrating on technologies which can intensify processing methods and applying an integrated biorefinery concept leading to an increased resource efficiency and thus reduction of energy resources and greenhouse gas emissions.
Building on successful projects and relevant assets from partners and an interdisciplinary approach, BioSPRINT applies process intensification in the context of biorefining operations, so as to improve the efficiency of the purification and conversion of sugars from the hemicelluloses fraction of lignocellulosic biomass and to enable their transformation into new bio-based resins for substituting fossil based polymers in a range of applications. The ultimate objective is to lead to a reduction in operation costs, feedstock and energy resources, greenhouse gas emissions and higher yields, while increasing operation safety, by concentrating on technologies which can intensify processing methods and create an integrated biorefinery concept. Of particular interest in BioSPRINT is the valorisation of hemicelluloses streams derived from hard wood and straw, from processes employed in the production of paper pulp or biofuels. Such streams are readily available from the pilot or production processes of the project’s research and industrial partners (Fraunhofer and UPM). A case study using a stream from Clariant will also be carried out. With regards to processing technologies, BioSPRINT will focus on 4 activity areas (a) Upstream purification; (b) Catalytic conversion; (c) Downstream purification and (d) Polymerisation. The project will develop and validate an intensified and integrated purification strategy leveraging innovative anti-solvent precipitation and membrane separation methods, novel intensified and integrated catalytic processes for dehydration of C5 and C6 hemicelluloses sugars into monomers, extractive-reaction methods to isolate the reaction products from the reaction medium in situ, heterogeneous catalysts and an intensified polymerisation process for furan-based derivatives. Cross-cutting activities will cover process simulation and optimisation, an integrated Lifecycle sustainability assessment, standardisation, dissemination and exploitation activities |
