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

从废弃的生物质中开发生物燃料、化学品和材料是有希望的，但存在生产成本高、缺乏创新技术以及对生物质加工机制缺乏理性理解的问题。我之前的NSERC发现基金用于开发液体生物燃料，为生物质加工和工程方面的原始创新研究奠定了基础。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油厂，从废弃的生物质中生产一系列生物制品，以增加生物废物利用的经济和环境可行性。具体目标是：1)开发提取有价值的促进健康成分的工艺。这一目标将通过使用安全、绿色、新型深度共熔溶剂从生物质中分离出天然存在的生物活性化合物，如酚类和多糖来实现。将使用微波辐射强化提取过程；2)通过一种新兴的技术--水热液化(HTL)，从提取后的剩余生物质中生产生物原油(化石原油的一种绿色替代品)。对液化过程进行实验研究，并通过实验和计算研究液化机理；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-生物炭的农学效应和将生物炭的性质与土壤性质相关联来制定植物生物炭的选择方案；以及4)重复使用HTL的水相，以最大限度地减少废物处置对环境的影响。将水相循环用于HTL工艺，以减少淡水消耗，提高生物粗品产量。这项为期五年的计划将涵盖基础研究(基于密度泛函理论的分离/反应机理研究)和应用研究(试验性开发/优化生产工艺)。这些创新包括：i)采用节能和环保的工艺，如深度共熔溶剂提取、水热液化和微波辐射；ii)通过生产从高到低的一系列产品(生物活性、生物质、生物炭、鸟粪石)，实现零废物的生物精炼；iii)结合计算，对提取和液化机理有一个基本的了解；以及iv)将生物炭和鸟粪石(HTL的副产品)组合使用作为新型土壤改良剂。这项研究的成果包括分离/反应工程方面的先进基础知识和生物产品开发中的可行工艺/实际应用。在从石油经济向生物经济过渡时，这项研究开发的技术将使加拿大的多个工业部门(制造业、能源和农业食品)受益，并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.