Biorefinery development integrated to a bioethanol sugar cane plant with zero CO2 emission: routes to convert renewable resources to bio-products and bio-electricity

Abstract

An integrated process is proposed in this project, so as to maximize the productivity of biofuels and high added value chemicals from sugarcane molasses and bagasse and straw. The conceptual idea is to use the first generation bioethanol plant as the basis, for new processes development, since in such plants many facilities are already available as it is with electricity, steam, water and bagasse surplus, if the plant is optimized. The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), generated in the production of biofuels, is proposed to be used in the production of ethanol, from algal biomass and catalytic transformation or biological fermentation of synthesis gas (syngas) as well as use this renewable carbon as molecule to obtain chemicals via chemical synthesis and fermentation; the use of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) has attracted much interest in order to facilitate various chemical processes and it will be considered as part of the some chemical route. This challenging integrated process has the major appeal of not emitting carbon dioxide and makes the best of the renewable carbon for producing biofuels and chemicals, turning it, when technically and economically feasible, a milestone to progress of Brazilian biorefinery. Worldwide, analyses reveal that a biorefinery integrating biofuels and chemicals offers potentially a much higher return on investment and meets its energy and economic goals simultaneously. (AU)