Development of Novel Microwave Biorefinery

到2015年，新兴绿色化学品和木质纤维素基材料生产的化学品的全球市场规模预计将分别达到700亿加元（年增长率为5%）和50亿加元（年增长率为12.5%）。生物炼制将在满足未来对生物制品的需求方面发挥重要作用。然而，基于木质纤维素的生物精炼厂必须以综合的方式设计和评估从原料到最终产品的整个过程。许多技术、战略和经济挑战阻碍了全面商业化。最重要的是，生物精炼厂仍然需要采用最好的预处理、转化和产品升级技术。加拿大已经提出和/或开发了许多基于卡夫纸浆厂、从黑液中回收木质素和淀粉的生物精炼厂。然而，在加拿大，基于微波技术的生物炼制在很大程度上仍未被开发。传统的热化学系统面临着两大挑战：高资金成本和产品质量差导致产品升级时间长且成本高。***为了解决上述挑战，拟议研究计划的长期目标是开发一种基于木质纤维素原料的新型集成微波生物精炼厂，这种精炼厂不仅节能，而且可以生产高质量的生物产品。首先，将开发一个实验规模的微波生物精炼厂进行示范和进一步扩大规模。具体的短期目标包括：a)表征和开发不同木质纤维素材料的预处理方法，b)设计和开发用于木质纤维素生物炼制的新型微波反应器系统，c)开发关于产品表征和产品升级的新知识，d)评估原型微波生物炼制的能源，排放和经济性能。这些长期和短期目标将通过改进工程解决方案和推进生物炼制领域的科学知识来解决障碍。关键的好处不仅在于生产可持续的生物燃料和生物产品，作为石油基产品的替代方案，而且加拿大将率先引领新型微波生物炼制技术的发展。该技术的成功实现将在加拿大国内外得到广泛应用，并将推动加拿大的生物经济。它最终将有助于为加拿大生物质生产商创造就业机会和收入。推动农林资源新用途转化为高附加值产品。该研究项目还将有助于为加拿大未来的生物炼制和生物经济发展技能和培养高素质人才

The global market size for emerging green chemicals and chemicals produced from lignocellulosic based materials is expected to reach about CAD $70 billion (annual growth of 5 %) and $5 billion (annual growth of 12.5 %), respectively by 2015. Biorefinery will play an important role in fulfilling this future demand for bioproducts. However, a lignocellulosic based biorefinery must be designed and assessed all the way from feedstock to end product in an integrated manner. Numerous technical, strategic and economic challenges are in the way to full-scale commercialization. Most importantly, biorefineries need to be still employed with the best pre-treatment, conversion and product upgrading technologies. There have been a number of biorefineries proposed and/or developed in Canada that are based on Kraft pulp mills, lignin recovery from black liquor, and starch. However, microwave technology based biorefinery is still largely unexplored in Canada. The conventional thermo-chemical system is facing two major challenges: high capital costs and poor product quality leading to long and expensive product upgrading. ***To address the challenges above, the long-term objective of the proposed research program is to develop a novel integrated microwave biorefinery based on lignocellulosic feedstock which will not only be energy efficient but will produce high quality bio-products. At first, a bench-scale microwave biorefinery will be developed for demonstration and for further scale-up. The specific short-term objectives include: a) To characterize and develop a pre-treatment method for different lignocellulosic materials, b) To design and develop a novel microwave reactor system for lignocellulosic biorefinery, c) To develop new knowledge on products characterization and product upgrading, and d) To evaluate energy, emissions and economic performance of the prototype microwave biorefinery. These long-term and short-term objectives will address the barriers with improved engineering solutions and advance scientific knowledge in biorefinery field. ***The key benefits lie not only in producing sustainable biofuels and bioproducts as an alternative solution to petroleum based products, but Canada will be the first in leading the development of novel microwave biorefinery technology. The successful realization of proposed technology will find wide applications throughout Canada and abroad, and will advance Canada's bioeconomy. It will eventually help create jobs and income to Canadian biomass producers. It will promote new uses of agricultural and forestry resources into high value-added products. The research program will also help develop skills and train highly qualified personnel for Canada's future biorefineries and bioeconomy.**