Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 15.1 Differences between oil refineries and biorefineries
Oil refinery
Biorefinery
Feedstock
sourcing
Oil wells, sedimentary rocks or
shale
Agriculture, also organic waste
collection
Feedstock
type
Alkanes, cycloalkanes, (poly)
aromatic hydrocarbons;
smaller amounts of S,
N organic species
Mainly carbohydrates, but also lignin,
terpenes, vegetable oils and fats, and
other living matter-derived molecules
Functionality
of feedstock
Largely oxygen-free, lacking
functional groups
Abundant in oxygen, overfunctionalized
(e.g., OH groups)
Processing
Primarily via distillation and
subsequently (catalytic)
upgrading to end products
Primarily via widely differing processes,
ranging from (dry) thermochemical to
aqueous (bio)chemical
Main
(current)
products
Diesel, gasoline, aviation fuel,
olefins, aromatics, lubricants,
tar, monomers, polymers,
solvents
Ethanol, biodiesel, diverse, mainly
oxygenated organic chemicals
Scale
Mostly huge
Small to medium, adapted often to local
biomass economic availability
Status
Mature
Upcoming, some concepts up and
running
15.2 TYPES OF BIOREFINERIES
Several attempts have been made to name and classify biorefinery schemes (see, e.g.,
Kamm et al., 2006). Recently, IEA Task42
(tinyurl.com/pj2x3or) con-
structed a very comprehensive and useful classification diagram. It is based on the
following four main features:
“
Biorefineries
”
1. Feedstocks
Grasses
Lignocellulosic crops
Lignocellulosic residues
Marine biomass
Oil crops
Oil-based residues
Organic residues and others (including manure)
Starch crops
Sugar crops
2. Processing methods
Biochemical
Chemical
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