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

DMT Bioproducts是由位于安大略省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创建了创业公司DMT Bioproducts，以开发和商业化一种创新的高效生物精炼工艺，从芒草生物质中生产糠醛。糠醛通常是从玉米残渣中生产出来的，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过程的影响。然而，芒草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，芒草可以生长在贫瘠的土壤和其他粮食作物无法生长的短季节。该项目将与兰姆顿学院生物工业过程研究中心（BPRC）合作，重点开发一种从芒草生产糠醛的生物精制工艺。一旦这个过程在iscanthus上得到优化，计划就会探索其他作物，比如柳枝稷（Panicum Virgatum），一种常见的路边天然草。该项目的成功将为生物加工技术提供重大进展。如果产量能够从目前10%的工业标准提高，这将使加拿大的糠醛生产具有竞争力，并且可能证明建立一个可持续的生物精炼厂是必要的，而且是蓬勃发展的。

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.