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

化工和制药行业目前依赖石化衍生中间体来合成各种有价值的化学品、材料和药物。不断减少的石化储量，以及对不断增加的成本和温室气体排放的担忧，现在正在推动对这些迫切需要的化合物的可再生和环境友好来源的寻找。该项目旨在建立一系列新的制造技术，将农业废弃物中的生物质有效地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)强调了高效利用农业生物质在应对气候变化中的重要性。该项目所做的工作将有助于这一努力，并帮助英国政府实现到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。在英国，集中在东英吉利和东米德兰兹郡的3500多个农场每年种植超过800万吨甜菜。收获后，甜菜被运送到少数先进的生物精炼厂，以提取主要产品；我们在食糖中找到的蔗糖。SBP是蔗糖提取后剩下的木质纤维物质。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主要由两种天然生物聚合物组成：纤维素和果胶。要有效地利用这种生物质废物流，就需要找到这两种废物的应用。这项工作将确定将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)。果胶将被分解成两个主要成分：L-阿拉伯糖和D-半乳糖醛酸。L阿拉伯糖可以直接用作低卡路里甜味剂，以对抗日益严重的肥胖问题。将对D-半乳糖醛酸进行修饰，以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、化学和保健产品的新能力预计将带来显著的社会、经济和环境效益。在进行这项研究时，我们将采用整体方法来设计集成的生物精炼厂，在其中实施这些新技术。将使用基于计算机的建模工具来评估原材料、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环境友好的产品和工艺组合，以实现潜在的商业化。结果将被广泛传播，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、基于生物的循环经济转型。

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.