Biorefinery of low value/waste biomass to produce bio-products and process intensification

从废弃生物质中开发生物基燃料、化学品和材料是有希望的，但生产成本高，缺乏创新技术，也缺乏对生物质加工机制的合理理解。我以前的NSERC发现基金用于开发液体生物燃料，为生物质加工和工程的原始创新研究提供了基础。在过去研究工作的基础上，拟议的计划旨在开发一个综合生物炼制厂，从废弃生物质中生产一系列生物产品，以提高生物废物利用的经济和环境可行性。 具体目标是：1）开发提取有价值的健康促进成分的工艺。这一目标将通过使用安全、绿色、新型的低共熔溶剂从生物质中分离天然存在的生物活性化合物如酚类和多糖来实现。微波辐射将用于强化提取过程; 2）通过新兴技术-水热液化（HTL），从提取后的剩余生物质中生产生物原油（化石原油的绿色替代品）。试验研究了液化过程，并通过试验和计算对液化机理进行了研究; 3）将HTL固体残渣、生物炭作为新型有机土壤改良剂。将通过评估HTL-生物炭的农艺效应并将生物炭性质与土壤性质相关联来开发用于植物的生物炭选择方案;以及4）再利用HTL的水相以最大限度地减少废物处置对环境的影响。水相将再循环至HTL工艺，以减少淡水消耗并提高生物原油产量。 该计划为期五年，将涵盖基础（基于密度泛函理论的分离/反应机制研究）和应用研究（实验开发/优化生产工艺）。创新之处包括i）采用高能效和环保的工艺，如低共熔溶剂萃取、水热液化和微波辐射; ii）通过生产从高价值到低价值的一系列产品，实现零废物生物精炼（生物活性、生物原油、生物炭、鸟粪石）; iii）结合计算计算以获得对提取和液化机理的基本理解;以及iv）生物炭和鸟粪石（HTL的副产物）的组合使用作为新型土壤改良剂。 这项研究的成果包括先进的分离/反应工程和可行的工艺/生物产品开发的实际应用的基础知识。从石油经济向生物经济过渡后，本研究开发的技术将使加拿大多个工业部门（制造业、能源和农业食品）受益，并将使加拿大在全球发展生物经济方面处于竞争地位。

Developing bio-based fuels, chemicals and materials from waste biomass holds promise but suffers high production costs and a lack of innovative technologies as well as a rational understanding of mechanism governing biomass processing. My previous NSERC Discovery Grant for developing liquid biofuels has provided the foundation for the original innovative research in biomass processing and engineering. Building on the strengths of past research efforts, the proposed program aims to develop an integrated biorefinery to produce an array of bioproducts from waste biomass to increase both economic and environmental feasibility of bio-waste utilizaiton. The specific objectives are to 1) develop processes for extracting valuable health-promoting ingredients. The objective will be achieved by using safe, green, novel deep eutectic solvents to isolate naturally existing bioactive compounds such as phenolics and polysaccharides from biomass. Microwave irradiation will be used to intensify the extraction process; 2) produce biocrude (a green alternative to fossil crude) from the remaining biomass after extraction via an emerging technology, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). The liquefaction process will be developed experimentally and the liquefaction mechanism will be studied by experimentation and computation; 3) apply the solid residue from HTL, biochar as novel organic soil amendments. Protocols for the biochar selection for plants will be developed by evaluating agronomic effect of HTL-biochar and correlating biochar properties to soil properties; and 4) reuse the aqueous phase from HTL to minimize the impact of waste disposal on the environment. The aqueous phase will be recirculated to  HTL process to reduce the freshwater consumption and enhance the biocrude yield. The five-year program will cover both fundamental (Density Functional Theory-based studies on separation/reaction mechanisms) and applied research (experimentally develop/optimize production processes). The novelties include i) employing energy-efficient and environmentally friendly processes such as deep eutectic solvent extraction, hydrothermal liquefaction and microwave irradiation; ii) achieving a zero-waste biorefinery through producing a range of products from high to low value (bioactive, biocrude, biochar, struvite); iii) incorporating computational calculation to gain a fundamental understanding of extraction and liquefaction mechanism; and iv) combined use of biochar and struvite (by-products from HTL) as novel soil amendments. The outcomes of this research include advanced fundamental knowledge in separation/reaction engineering and feasible processes/practical applications in bioproduct developments. Upon a transition from a petro-economy to a bioeconomy, the technologies developed in this research will benefit multiple Canadian industrial sectors (manufacturing, energy and agri-food) and will put Canada in a competitive position in developing bioeconomy worldwide.