Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BioSPRINT (Improve biorefinery operations through process intensification and new end products)
Reporting period: 2021-12-01 to 2023-05-31
BioSPRINT aims to improve the efficiency of the purification and conversion of sugars in a biorefinery concept.
Lignocellulose is the biomass with the highest availability in the world, being of particular importance for the bioeconomy regarding production of bio-based chemicals and materials. Currently, process inefficiencies result in high cost regarding energy and resource use.
BioSPRINT brings together 13 key players who will focus on four activity areas: upstream purification, catalytic conversion, downstream purification, and polymerisation.
The EU-funded project aims to develop, test, and validate process intensification methods (up to TRL 4-5) to improve purification and conversion of the hemicelluloses fraction of lignocellulosic biomass such as hardwood and straw. Thus, the transformation into new bio-renewable and furan-based resins is enabled for novel polymeric applications and fossil-based polymers can be substituted.
The ultimate objective of BioSPRINT is to lead to a reduction in operation costs, feedstock, and energy resources, GHG emissions and higher yields, while increasing operation safety by concentrating on PI technologies which can intensify biorefining processing methods and create an integrated biorefinery concept.
Lignocellulose is the biomass with the highest availability in the world, being of particular importance for the bioeconomy regarding production of bio-based chemicals and materials. Currently, process inefficiencies result in high cost regarding energy and resource use.
BioSPRINT brings together 13 key players who will focus on four activity areas: upstream purification, catalytic conversion, downstream purification, and polymerisation.
The EU-funded project aims to develop, test, and validate process intensification methods (up to TRL 4-5) to improve purification and conversion of the hemicelluloses fraction of lignocellulosic biomass such as hardwood and straw. Thus, the transformation into new bio-renewable and furan-based resins is enabled for novel polymeric applications and fossil-based polymers can be substituted.
The ultimate objective of BioSPRINT is to lead to a reduction in operation costs, feedstock, and energy resources, GHG emissions and higher yields, while increasing operation safety by concentrating on PI technologies which can intensify biorefining processing methods and create an integrated biorefinery concept.
BioSPRINT work is divided into 8 work packages. The main activities and results focusing on RP2 are described in the following.
In the beginning of the project the industrially relevant HMC streams were analysed regarding their composition and variability. Main focus was to quantify the monomeric and oligomeric sugar content and determine the degradation products present in each stream. PI methods for precipitation, solids handling, and membrane purification screened at the beginning of the project have been further studied and the optimised results obtained with real streams in a laboratory scale were reported. Solvent reuse and water purification strategies have been addressed.
Using HTP and Machine learning (ML) methods, catalyst were developed in RP1 and subjected to further analysis of performance and optimisation of operating conditions. Reaction kinetics models were developed for homogenously and heterogeneously catalysed reactions for sugar mixtures. Solvent screening and selection were carried out, and the operating conditions were optimised. Benzyl alcohol and tetrahydrofuran (THF) as promising solvents for extraction of 5HMF or furfural with very good separation performance was observed. Hydrodynamics, mixing, residence time and heat transfer studies of PI methods were performed.
A key challenge of intensifying downstream purification is to achieve the separation of the furans (furfural, 5-HMF) from the used extraction solvent and other by-products. Additional information on partitioning experiments and data for the extraction was measured for extraction and further simulation studies. Downstream scale-up challenges were studied with CFD (Computational fluid dynamics) tools.
Work for a new generation of polymers was carried out at the beginning of the project as the starting point for the substitution of petrol-based standard chemicals in synthesis of phenolic resins and polyols of the resole-, novolac- and Mannich-types. Synthesis of a 5-HMF and a furfural-based phenolic resin was achieved. Experiments to evaluate the polymerisation process using process intensification methods were conducted. Furthermore, analyses with CFD modelling were carried out to evaluate the performance of materials.
Simulation models of the existing biorefineries were developed with data and feedback gathered from partners, advisory board, and literature at the beginning of the project. In the second reporting period, simulation models of the intensified biorefineries, i.e. the BioSPRINT biorefinery concepts were developed based on PI methods. Results were transferred to tasks performing Life Cycle Assessment and Techno-Economic Analysis. A robust methodological framework for the BioSPRINT Integrated Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (ILCSA) was fully set up by finalising the definitions, settings, and system descriptions. First results of the environmental LCA were already be presented.
Communication, dissemination and exploitation activities were continued and intensified with a strong focus on implementation of the TECBP (Training, education and capacity building programme) plan. The BioSPRINT partners attended 38 scientific events (18 conferences) and finalised 19 scientific publications (four peer-reviewed journal articles). Moreover, three further TECBP webinars took place in March, June as well as July 2022 with overall 70 participants. Project, technical, quality, risk, IPR and data management procedures are actively managed. Project communication has been successful and continues to be successful and the project is on schedule.
In the beginning of the project the industrially relevant HMC streams were analysed regarding their composition and variability. Main focus was to quantify the monomeric and oligomeric sugar content and determine the degradation products present in each stream. PI methods for precipitation, solids handling, and membrane purification screened at the beginning of the project have been further studied and the optimised results obtained with real streams in a laboratory scale were reported. Solvent reuse and water purification strategies have been addressed.
Using HTP and Machine learning (ML) methods, catalyst were developed in RP1 and subjected to further analysis of performance and optimisation of operating conditions. Reaction kinetics models were developed for homogenously and heterogeneously catalysed reactions for sugar mixtures. Solvent screening and selection were carried out, and the operating conditions were optimised. Benzyl alcohol and tetrahydrofuran (THF) as promising solvents for extraction of 5HMF or furfural with very good separation performance was observed. Hydrodynamics, mixing, residence time and heat transfer studies of PI methods were performed.
A key challenge of intensifying downstream purification is to achieve the separation of the furans (furfural, 5-HMF) from the used extraction solvent and other by-products. Additional information on partitioning experiments and data for the extraction was measured for extraction and further simulation studies. Downstream scale-up challenges were studied with CFD (Computational fluid dynamics) tools.
Work for a new generation of polymers was carried out at the beginning of the project as the starting point for the substitution of petrol-based standard chemicals in synthesis of phenolic resins and polyols of the resole-, novolac- and Mannich-types. Synthesis of a 5-HMF and a furfural-based phenolic resin was achieved. Experiments to evaluate the polymerisation process using process intensification methods were conducted. Furthermore, analyses with CFD modelling were carried out to evaluate the performance of materials.
Simulation models of the existing biorefineries were developed with data and feedback gathered from partners, advisory board, and literature at the beginning of the project. In the second reporting period, simulation models of the intensified biorefineries, i.e. the BioSPRINT biorefinery concepts were developed based on PI methods. Results were transferred to tasks performing Life Cycle Assessment and Techno-Economic Analysis. A robust methodological framework for the BioSPRINT Integrated Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (ILCSA) was fully set up by finalising the definitions, settings, and system descriptions. First results of the environmental LCA were already be presented.
Communication, dissemination and exploitation activities were continued and intensified with a strong focus on implementation of the TECBP (Training, education and capacity building programme) plan. The BioSPRINT partners attended 38 scientific events (18 conferences) and finalised 19 scientific publications (four peer-reviewed journal articles). Moreover, three further TECBP webinars took place in March, June as well as July 2022 with overall 70 participants. Project, technical, quality, risk, IPR and data management procedures are actively managed. Project communication has been successful and continues to be successful and the project is on schedule.
BioSPRINT develops integrated and intensified biorefining technologies and processes and validates the flexibility and modularity of the BioSPRINT concept for industrially relevant streams. One goal is to maximise the impact, while facilitating the integration and scale up into existing processes.
BioSPRINT furthermore aims to reduce the feedstock-to-waste and waste-to-energy flows in the biorefinery context. In particular, BioSPRINT will investigate, develop and facilitate several processing technologies such as upstream purification, catalytic conversion, downstream purification, and polymerisation.
Main impact and expected results until the end of the project include:
• An intensified and integrated purification strategy leveraging innovative anti-solvent precipitation and membrane separation methods to enhance the purification and concentration of the C5 and C6 sugars, increase the selectivity of the process, minimise the amount of solvent used, and intensify the material and energy efficiency.
• Intensified dehydration of sugars into 5-HMF and furfural, to minimize further downstream purification needs.
• Novel, intensified and integrated catalytic processes for dehydration of C5 and C6 HMC sugars into monomers for bio-based polymers by the development and formulation of catalysts with maximum conversion and selectivity.
• Process intensification and recovery of reactive intermediate furans through extractive-reaction methods to isolate the reaction products from the reaction medium in situ.
• Integration of intensified reactor and downstream purification to create a continuous processing cascade.
• Intensified polymerisation of furan-based derivatives into resins and polyols to minimise further downstream purification needs.
• New end-products, derived from the HMC-stream sugar fractions into 5-HMF and furfural polymers for several applications such as composite wood boards and foams.
• Validation of the sensibility and transferability of developed intensification methods for multiple feedstocks.
• A CWA with CENELEC will be established based on the activities of BioSPRINT to provide guidance for stakeholders.
BioSPRINT furthermore aims to reduce the feedstock-to-waste and waste-to-energy flows in the biorefinery context. In particular, BioSPRINT will investigate, develop and facilitate several processing technologies such as upstream purification, catalytic conversion, downstream purification, and polymerisation.
Main impact and expected results until the end of the project include:
• An intensified and integrated purification strategy leveraging innovative anti-solvent precipitation and membrane separation methods to enhance the purification and concentration of the C5 and C6 sugars, increase the selectivity of the process, minimise the amount of solvent used, and intensify the material and energy efficiency.
• Intensified dehydration of sugars into 5-HMF and furfural, to minimize further downstream purification needs.
• Novel, intensified and integrated catalytic processes for dehydration of C5 and C6 HMC sugars into monomers for bio-based polymers by the development and formulation of catalysts with maximum conversion and selectivity.
• Process intensification and recovery of reactive intermediate furans through extractive-reaction methods to isolate the reaction products from the reaction medium in situ.
• Integration of intensified reactor and downstream purification to create a continuous processing cascade.
• Intensified polymerisation of furan-based derivatives into resins and polyols to minimise further downstream purification needs.
• New end-products, derived from the HMC-stream sugar fractions into 5-HMF and furfural polymers for several applications such as composite wood boards and foams.
• Validation of the sensibility and transferability of developed intensification methods for multiple feedstocks.
• A CWA with CENELEC will be established based on the activities of BioSPRINT to provide guidance for stakeholders.