NOVEL SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES FOR EFFICIENT UTILISATION OF AGRICULTURAL WASTE STREAMS IN A CIRCULAR ECONOMY

化学和制药工业目前依赖于石化衍生的中间体来合成各种有价值的化学品、材料和药物。石油化工储量的减少，以及对成本增加和温室气体排放的担忧，正在推动人们寻找这些急需化合物的可再生和环保来源。该项目旨在建立一系列新的制造技术，以有效地将农业废物流中的生物质转化为这些有价值的化学中间体的可持续来源。英国气候变化委员会（2018年）强调了有效利用农业生物质应对气候变化的重要性。该项目所开展的工作将有助于这一努力，并帮助英国政府实现其到2050年“净零排放”的既定目标。新方法将以英国来源的甜菜浆（SBP）为例，这是一种英国自给自足的可再生资源。英国每年种植的甜菜超过800万吨，集中在东安格利亚和东米德兰兹的3500多个农场。收获后，甜菜被运送到少数先进的生物精炼厂提取主要产品；蔗糖是我们在食糖中发现的。SBP是蔗糖提取后留下的木质纤维素物质。目前，它被干燥（需要能量输入），然后作为低价值的动物饲料出售。SBP主要由两种天然存在的生物聚合物组成；纤维素和果胶。有效利用这一生物质废物流需要找到这两种应用。这项工作将确立纤维素纳米纤维用于制造抗菌涂层和3d打印支架（其中细胞可以培养用于组织工程和再生医学应用）的用途。果胶将被分解成两种主要成分：l -阿拉伯糖和d -半乳糖醛酸。l -阿拉伯糖可以直接作为一种低热量的甜味剂来对抗日益严重的肥胖问题。d -半乳糖醛酸将被修改，以允许形成具有广泛应用的可生物降解聚合物。这种将SBP转化为一系列有用的食品、化工和保健产品的新能力有望带来显著的社会、经济和环境效益。在进行这项研究时，我们将采用一种整体的方法来设计集成生物精炼厂，并在其中实施这些新技术。计算机建模工具将用于评估原材料、水和能源的利用效率。将采用技术经济分析（TEA）和生命周期分析（LCA）方法来确定最具成本效益和对环境无害的产品和工艺组合，以便进行潜在的商业化。研究结果将广泛传播，以促进公众参与研究和伦理评估。通过这种方式，这项工作将支持英国向低碳、生物基循环经济过渡。

The chemical and pharmaceutical industries are currently reliant on petrochemical derived intermediates for the synthesis of a wide range of valuable chemicals, materials and medicines. Decreasing petrochemical reserves, and concerns over increasing cost and greenhouse gas emissions, are now driving the search for renewable and environmentally friendly sources of these critically needed compounds.This project aims to establish a range of new manufacturing technologies for efficient conversion of biomass in agricultural waste streams into sustainable sources of these valuable chemical intermediates. The UK Committee on Climate Change (2018) has highlighted the importance of the efficient use of agricultural biomass in tackling climate change. The work undertaken in this project will contribute to this effort and help the UK government achieve its stated target of 'net-zero emissions' by 2050.The new approaches will be exemplified using UK-sourced Sugar Beet Pulp (SBP) a renewable resource in which the UK is self-sufficient. Over 8 million tonnes of sugar beet is grown annually in the UK on over 3500 farms concentrated in East Anglia and the East Midlands. After harvest, the beet is transported to a small number of advanced biorefineries to extract the main product; the sucrose we find in table sugar. SBP is the lignocellulosic material left after sucrose extraction. Currently it is dried (requiring energy input) and then sold as a low-value animal feed. SBP is primarily composed of two, naturally occurring, biological polymers; cellulose and pectin. Efficient utilisation of this biomass waste stream demands that applications are found for both of these. This work will establish the use of the cellulose nanofibres for making antimicrobial coatings and 3D-printed scaffolds (in which cells can be cultured for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications). The pectin will be broken down into its two main components: L-arabinose and D-galacturonic acid. The L-arabinose can be used directly as a low-calorie sweetener to combat the growing problem of obesity. The D-galacturonic acid will be modified in order to allow formation of biodegradable polymers which have a wide range of applications. This new ability to convert SBP into a range of useful food, chemical and healthcare products is expected to bring significant social, economic and environmental benefits.In conducting this research we will adopt a holistic approach to the design of integrated biorefineries in which these new technologies will be implemented. Computer-based modelling tools will be used to assess the efficiency of raw material, water and energy utilisation. Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) approaches will be employed to identify the most cost-effective and environmentally benign product and process combinations for potential commercialisation. The results will be widely disseminated to facilitate public engagement with the research and ethical evaluation. In this way the work will support the UK in its transition to a low-carbon, bio-based circular economy.