As the fossil industry shifts to the bioeconomy, there is a growing demand for bio-based chemicals, materials and fuels for sustainable and renewable alternatives. Demand is directed at the fructose of wood for the production of bioplastics.
Lignocellulosic biomass is usually an inedible plant material, including wood and grass, as well as waste from agroforestry. It is also the most abundant single renewable resource on the planet. In addition, lignocellulosic biomass does not need to be occupied in the field. Valuable space, because it has no agricultural use or nutritional value. It is worth noting that forest certification allows for sustainable harvesting of timber. In the Nordic countries, more forests are planted per year than harvested forests.
Wood-based feedstocks for biorefining have the greatest potential to replace fossil-derived compounds in the chemical industry compared to other lignocellulosic feedstocks such as straw. Establishing a competitive value chain based on lignocellulosic feedstocks can not only provide a rich alternative Industrial raw materials, and can also enhance the competitive position of bio-based chemicals and materials compared to fossil-based chemicals.
The EU-funded Horizon 2020 ReTAPP project uses lignocellulosic biomass from hardwood and softwood to produce fructose. Project coordinator MattiHeikkil said: 'Researchers use wood-derived fructose to replace food/starch-based fructose and bring products to market Promote the development of the entire value chain. '
Higher conversion rate
The initiative operates in two main areas. The first involves testing, scaling up and demonstrating innovative technologies developed by project partners. The second is to develop the technology through business cases, potential customers and markets that make products, and business partners. Become a business.
Project partners from three European SMEs optimized and demonstrated the production process. These include SEKAB E-Technology, which specializes in wood and sugar technology, and Avantium, a global leader in the production of polyethylene furan dicarboxylate (PEF) resins. Chemicals. PEF is a revolutionary 100% biobased alternative for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common plastic used in bottles and packaging.
A third commercial partner, MetGen, has developed a new glucose isomerase that efficiently converts wood-based glucose to fructose. Heikkil explains: 'Our results are better than the enzymes traditionally used in commercial fructose production. The conversion rate in the test was over 50%.
Multiple benefits
The alliance promotes production to industrial scale. By producing a large number of chemicals from wood, fructose can be used as a possible non-food based renewable raw material for the production of PEF via the precursor furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA). 'This technology is in Sweden. Örnsköldsvik's biorefinery demonstration plant was tested. Other projects and customers who need industrial cellulose sugar can further use this technology for downstream biochemical product development. 'Heikkil pointed out.
A high-level economic study of the ReTAPP value chain demonstrates the economic viability of the initiative, while environmental life cycle analysis indicates a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional routes currently used for fructose production.
ReTAPP supports the introduction of economically viable alternatives that promote the conversion of fossil raw materials into sustainable wood-based chemicals, materials, fuels and energy. This will improve the environmental impact of society and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Heikkil points out: 'We show The bio-based value chain of 100% renewable packaging, which is cheaper and has better barrier properties than PET using the second generation of raw materials, ie wood. All new technologies developed and implemented in the project will utilize the rich European Continue resources and create new jobs in the biorefinery sector.'