Pilot Plant Design, Construction and Optimization for the Synthesis and Isolation of Furfural

DMT生物制品公司是由总部位于安大略Alymer的Creative Enterprises公司创建的，该公司专门从事建筑行业设备的设计、工程和制造。2014年，CreativeEnterprises创建了初创公司DMT Bioproducts，以开发和商业化一种创新的高效生物精炼工艺，从生物质芒草中生产糠醛。糠醛通常从玉米残渣中生产，被广泛认为是最丰富的呋喃，但目前运营的工厂仍然受到低产工艺的困扰。然而，芒草作物是一种快速生长的植物，每英亩可提供高达玉米7倍的生物量。此外，芒草可以在其他粮食作物不能生长的贫瘠土壤和短季节中生长。该项目将与兰顿学院的生物工业过程研究中心（BPRC）合作，重点开发一种从芒草中生产糠醛的生物精炼工艺。一旦对芒属植物的加工过程进行了优化，计划将开发其他作物，如柳枝稷（Panicum spanatum），一种常见于路边的本地草。如果该项目的成功，将为生物加工技术提供重大进步。如果产量可以从目前的工业标准10%提高，这将使加拿大的糠醛生产具有竞争力，并可能证明不仅是建立可持续的生物炼油厂，而且是一个繁荣的生物炼油厂。

DMT Bioproducts was created from the Alymer, Ontario based company Creative Enterprises, who specializesin the design, engineering, and fabrication of equipment for the construction industry. In 2014, CreativeEnterprises created the start-up company DMT Bioproducts to develop and commercialize an innovativehigh-efficiency bio-refining process to produce furfural from biomass Miscanthus grass.Furfural is typically produced from corn residues and is widely considered the most abundantly available furan,yet current operating plants still suffer from low-yielding processes. Miscanthus Giganteus grass crop,however, is a rapidly growing plant that can provide up to 7 times the biomass as corn per acre. In addition,Miscanthus can grow in poor soil and in short seasons where other food crops cannot grow. In collaborationwith Lambton College's Bio-industrial Process Research Centre (BPRC), this project will focus on developinga bio-refining process for furfural production from Miscanthus grass. Once the process is optimized forMiscanthus, plans are to explore other crops like switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum), a native grass commonalong roadsides.The success if this project will provide significant advancement to bio-processing technology. If the yield canbe increased from the current industrial standard of 10%, this will make furfural production in Canadacompetitive and may prove necessary to establish not only a sustainable bio-refinery, but a thriving one.