Platform Chemical Biorefinery

Future Green Chemistry

Satinder Kaur Brar, Saurabh Jyoti Sarma, Kannan Pakshirajan

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780128029800
• eBook ISBN: 9780128030042
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Biotechnology
• Index: Biological Sciences

Platform Chemical Biorefinery: Future Green Chemistry provides information on three different aspects of platform chemical biorefinery. The book first presents a basic introduction to the industry beneficial for university students, then provides engineering details of existing or potential platform chemical biorefinery processes helpful to technical staff of biorefineries. Finally, the book presents a critical review of the entire platform chemical biorefinery process, including extensive global biorefinery practices and their potential environmental and market-related consequences. Platform chemicals are building blocks of different valuable chemicals. The book evaluates the possibility of renewable feedstock-based platform chemical production and the fundamental challenges associated with this objective. Thus, the book is a useful reference for both academic readers and industry technical workers. The book guides the research community working in the field of platform chemical biorefinery to develop new pathways and technologies in combination with their market value and desirability. - Offers comprehensive coverage of platform chemicals biorefineries, recent advances and technology developments, potential issues for preventing commercialization, and solutions - Discusses existing technologies for platform chemicals production, highlighting benefits as well their possible adverse effects on the environment and food security - Includes a global market analysis of platform chemicals and outlines industry opportunities - Serves as a useful reference for both academic readers and industry technical workers

Chapter 1

Platform Chemicals

Significance and Need

V.L. Pachapur, S.J. Sarma, S.K. Brar, and E. Chaabouni Institut national de la recherche scientifique Centre - Eau Terre Environnement (INRS-ETE), Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Since the world is actively looking for clean energy and efficient alternatives to petrol-based products for its current global crises of fossil depletion, biological feedstock exploitation with bioprocess technology improvements is attracting increasing attention. This chapter intends to overview a range of bio-based platform chemicals with a special focus on organic acids and alcohols that might be used for large-scale industrial applications. The possible approaches that have already been applied to manufacturing production and those that are under active investigation will be discussed. For each chemical, the output of various producing microorganisms using different substrates as well as the efficiency of different fermentation strategies will be compared. Moreover, recent progress to overcome some barriers through physiological manipulation and metabolic engineering will also be addressed. We review the bio-based platforms to achieve a sustainable technology development for platform chemicals from renewable resources to meet the industrial demand.

Keywords

Alcohols; Bio-based platform chemical; Biomass; Metabolic engineering; Microbial fermentation; Organic acids

Outline

1.1 Introduction 2

1.2 Commercially Important Platform Chemicals: Organic Acids 8

1.2.1 3-Hydroxy-propionic Acid 8

1.2.2 Lactic Acid 8

1.2.3 Fumaric Acid 9

1.2.4 Butyric Acid 9

1.3 Commercially Important Platform Chemicals: Alcohols 9

1.3.1 Xylitol 9

1.3.2 Butanol 10

1.4 Advances in Platform Chemical Process Engineering: Natural Microbial Synthesis 10

1.4.1 3-Hydroxy-propionic Acid 10

1.4.2 Lactic Acid 11

1.4.3 Fumaric Acid 12

1.4.4 Butyric Acid 13

1.4.5 Xylitol 14

1.4.6 Butanol 15

1.5 Challenges and Future of the Industry 16

1.5.1 3-Hydroxy-propionic 16

1.5.2 Lactic Acid 16

1.5.3 Fumaric Acid 16

1.5.4 Butyric Acid 16

1.5.5 Xylitol 17

1.5.6 Butanol 17

1.6 Conclusion 17

Acknowledgments 18

References 18

Abbreviations

FBB Fibrous bed bioreactor

SSF Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation

1.1. Introduction

Global petrochemical production of platform chemicals derived from fossil-based feedstocks (oil, coal, gas) is estimated to be around 330 million tons. The initial output is dominated by building blocks and converted into a staggering number of different fine and specialty chemicals with specific functions (Jong et al., 2012). The US Department of Energy listed out chemicals such as 3-Hydroxy-propionic (3-HP) acid and xylitol, to name just two, which are the potential building blocks for the future (Jong et al., 2012).

The chemical way of synthesizing these chemicals amplifies concerns over global warming, the depletion of fossil fuels, increased environmental pollution, and higher energy inputs (Wee et al., 2004) in the presence of toxic catalysts and several treatment steps during production (Pérez-Bibbins et al., 2013). Due to increases in oil prices, the population, and consumer demand for environmentally friendly products and the scarcity of nonrenewable resources (Jong et al., 2012), the focus of interest has been on the microbial-based generation of chemical commodities from waste resources (Cooksley et al., 2012).

The production of platform chemicals through biotechnological fermentation has gained significant attention because it is a better alternative to chemical synthesis, avoids depletion of petrochemical resources, and decreases environmental pollution by utilizing renewable biomass wastes (Wee et al., 2004). Under favorable market conditions, the production of chemicals from renewable resources can reach 113 million tons by 2050, which is 38% of the total organic chemical production. With biorenewable chemicals such as lactic acid and glycerin accounting for 79.2% of the market in 2010, the projected biorenewable chemicals market will be around 6.8 billion in 2015 (Jong et al., 2012).

The best method of biorenewable synthesis of chemicals is the fermentation process, which requires milder conditions of pressure and temperature, utilizing low-cost renewable resources such as industrial wastes, municipal waste, or sludge from treatment processes. Another benefit is the low costs of downstream with the production of lower amounts of by-products (Pérez-Bibbins et al., 2013). A very important advantage of microbial fermentation is the production of optically pure compounds in comparison to chemical synthesis, resulting in racemic mixtures (Wang et al., 2010a).

The production of bio-based chemicals has focused on the use of pure or easily fermentable substrates to decrease the process economics; low-cost organic waste materials are considered to enhance productivity (Wang et al., 2010a,b). A further increase in production can be achieved by using engineered microo...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Contributors
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Platform Chemicals: Significance and Need
• Chapter 2. Biorefinery: General Overview
• Chapter 3. Petroleum Versus Biorefinery-Based Platform Chemicals
• Chapter 4. Life Cycle Analysis of Potential Substrates of Sustainable Biorefinery
• Chapter 5. Propylene Glycol: An Industrially Important C3 Platform Chemical
• Chapter 6. 3-Hydroxy-propionic Acid
• Chapter 7. Butyric Acid: A Platform Chemical for Biofuel and High-Value Biochemicals
• Chapter 8. Fumaric Acid: Production and Application Aspects
• Chapter 9. Malic and Succinic Acid: Potential C4 Platform Chemicals for Polymer and Biodegradable Plastic Production
• Chapter 10. Potential Applications of Renewable Itaconic Acid for the Synthesis of 3-Methyltetrahydrofuran
• Chapter 11. Production of Renewable C5 Platform Chemicals and Potential Applications
• Chapter 12. Sorbitol Production From Biomass and Its Global Market
• Chapter 13. Sugar-Derived Industrially Important C6 Platform Chemicals
• Chapter 14. Production of Drop-In and Novel Bio-Based Platform Chemicals
• Chapter 15. Platform Chemicals and Pharmaceutical Industries
• Chapter 16. Biorefinery and Possible Deforestation
• Chapter 17. Biorefinery and Possible Negative Impacts on the Food Market
• Chapter 18. Algal Biorefinery for High-Value Platform Chemicals
• Chapter 19. Animal Fat- and Vegetable Oil-Based Platform Chemical Biorefinery
• Chapter 20. Platform Chemical Biorefinery and Agroindustrial Waste Management
• Chapter 21. Integrated Biorefinery for Food, Feed, and Platform Chemicals
• Chapter 22. Integrated Biorefinery for Bioenergy and Platform Chemicals
• Chapter 23. Microbiology of Platform Chemical Biorefinery and Metabolic Engineering
• Chapter 24. Enzymes in Platform Chemical Biorefinery
• Chapter 25. Process Design and Optimization for Platform Chemical Biorefinery
• Chapter 26. Case Studies on the Industrial Production of Renewable Platform Chemicals
• Index