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1 What is really the best source of C5/C6-sugars as raw material for biotechnological processes? Roland Essel Cologne, 21 st September 2012
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What is really the best source of C5/C6-sugars as raw material for
biotechnological processes?
Roland Essel
Cologne, 21st September 2012
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Background We are currently facing a global food crisis, particularly for
wheat and maize - where the prices are expected to spike in the next months
Biofuels are under strong criticism and the discussion is more heated than ever whether one should use food crops for biofuels at all
The same criticism that is being expressed in the “Food vs. Fuels debate” could sooner or later apply to the use of biomass as feedstock in the chemical industry
A crucial question has to be answered in the near future:
What is really the best source of C5/C6-sugars as raw material for biotechnological processes?
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Objectives 1. Show available data for the efficient production of
bio-based products in terms of land use and minimal environmental impacts
2. Compare the available data with industry expectations for different bio-routes
3. Introduce a proposal for a multi-client study
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1. What do recent studies tell us?
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Available data from a recent study
Key factors for decision making:
Agricultural production data from different sources (yields, residues, etc.)
Environmental impacts:
Non-renewable energy use (NREU)
Greenhouse gas emissions
Efficiency of the production of bio-based materials in terms of land use
Source: Bos et al. (2012): Accounting for the constrained availability of land: a comparison of bio-based ethanol, polyethylene, and PLA with regard to non-renewable energy use and land use. In: Biofuels, Bioprod. Bioref. 6: 146-158.
Agricultural production
Yield of fermentable C5/C6-sugars
Conversion rates for production process
Bio-based product
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Agricultural production data
Wheat Maize Sugarbeet Sugarcane Miscanthus Yield (fm) 8.4 10.6 74.0 75.0 14.7
Yield (dm) 7.1 7.4 17.0 20.0 12.5
Fermentable sugar yield
5.0
5.6
12.0
11.0
6.2
Residues yield (fm)
4.3 16.3 40.0 30.0 0.0
Residues yield (dm)
3.6 6.5 5.0 10.0 0.0
All values in tonnes ha-‐1 yr-‐1
Source: Bos et al. (2012)
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NREU for the production of 1 tonne of bio-based product: Production practice today
Source: Bos et al. (2012)
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NREU for the production of 1 tonne of bio-based product: Production practice tomorrow
Source: Bos et al. (2012)
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Land use for the production of bio-based products (PLA, bio-PE, bioethanol)
Source: Bos et al. (2012)
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Land use efficiency of bio-based products in comparison to their fossil counterparts
Source: Bos et al. (2012)
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Avoided GHG emissions of bio-based products in comparison to their fossil counterparts
Wheat Maize Sugar beet Sugar cane
Avoi
ded
GH
G E
mis
sion
per
ha
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2. What are the industry expectations?
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Industry expectations: Selecting the right feedstock
Source: PURAC (2012)
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Industry expectations: Comparing bio-routes for different products
Source: PURAC (2012)
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3. How could we further develop the methodology to gain more insights?
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Proposal for a multi-client study
Environmental impacts: Non-renewable energy use & greenhouse gas emissions
Extension of considered renewable resources, by-products and waste streams
Techno-economical analysis in terms of
efficiency of fermentation for each feedstock
price calculations for each feedstock
Source: nova-Institute (2012)
Concept based on Bos et al. (2012) but…
C5/C6-sugars
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LCA and techno-economic evaluation Feedstock Cellulose
(C6 source) Hemicellulose (C5-‐source)
Lignin (not fermentable)
Poplar from short rotaOon forestry
43 % 31 % 23 %
1 tonne poplar
430 kg cellulose
473 kg glucose
1 tonne poplar
310 kg hemicellulose
347 kg xylose
100% efficiency
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Techno-economic evaluation
Price for enzymatic saccharification
Raw material price + Market price of
sugar & starch
Price for 1 t glucose Price for 1 t glucose
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Final goal Systematic screening of the best possible feedstock for biotechnological processing: One substantial method for all possible raw materials!
Starch & sugar crops
Fermentable C5/C6-sugars
Cellulose & Hemicellulose
Lignocellulosic biomass
Solar energy
Energy for biotechnological processes
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Thank you for your attention!
nova-Institut GmbH, Chemiepark Knapsack, Industriestrasse, 50354 Huerth, Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 2233 – 48 14-40 (office), Fax: +49 (0) 2233 – 48 14-50 www.nova-institut.eu
Roland Essel, Environmental scientist Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and Environmental Resource Management Tel.: +49 (0) 2233 – 48 14 42 E-Mail: [email protected]
