6 - Perspectives and role of lignocellulosic biorefinery in strengthening a circular economy

Abstract

Industrial production of a wide range of fuel and value-added chemicals completely depends on fossil resources. For the past two decades, lignocellulosic biorefinery shows a tremendous potential for developing sustainable renewable resources. The upgradation of biomass in integrated biorefinery will be the best approach to compete with fossil-based refineries. The role of lignocellulosic biorefinery is not only to meet energy needs but also to reduce environmental problems by replacing conventional petroleum sources. For a large-scale biorefinery, an inexpensive, natural, and renewable resource like lignocellulosic feedstock is widely used for the production of biofuel/bioenergy and value-added chemicals/products that include 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(5-HMF), sugar alcohols, organic acids, such as levulinic acid, succinic acid, formic acid, and phenols. Further, these chemicals can be converted to a wide range of derivatives for various applications in polymers, biofuel, and solvent industries. For conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into value-added products, various efficient technologies are used where the waste is completely valorized through a process addressing the circular economy. This chapter provides an overview of the conversion of lignocellulosic feedstock into top value-added products in high yields through various technological conversion processes and the role of biorefinery for developing renewable fuel and chemicals toward a sustainable bioeconomy.