Abstract
Biomass valorization plays a significant role in the production of biofuels and various value-added biochemicals, in addition to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. In terms of biorefining methods, hydrothermal (HT) and biological techniques have demonstrated the capability of valorizing biomass raw materials to yield value added end-products. An inter-disciplinary bio-economical approach is capable of optimizing biomass’s total potential in terms of environmental perspective and circular bioeconomy standpoint. The aim of this review is to provide an in-depth overview of combinatorial HT and biological techniques to maximize biomass value, which includes biological valorization following HT pretreatment and HT valorization of lignocellulosic substrates emanating from biocatalytic hydrolysis/anaerobic digestion and/or pretreated food waste for the ultimate yield of biogas/biochar and biocrude. In this study, we discuss recent advances regarding HT and biological treatment conditions, synergies between the two technologies, and optimal performance. Additionally, energy balances and economic feasibility assessments of alternative integrated solutions reported in previous studies are compared. Furthermore, we conclude by discussing the challenges and opportunities involved in integrating HT and biologicals methods toward complete biomass utilization.
Highlights
To attain a low-carbon society, people are trying to develop feasible processes in order to utilize renewable energy derived from biomass
Biofuels and chemicals can be manufactured from lignocellulosic and macroalgae, both of which are useful as biomass blueprints [7,8]
A survey based on the current results indicates that the combinatorial pretreatment methodologies and biocatalytic hydrolysis with subsequent conversion technologies will offer a win-win approach for RLB valorization
Summary
To attain a low-carbon society, people are trying to develop feasible processes in order to utilize renewable energy derived from biomass. A further consequence of this expansion is the increasing demand for biomass-based energy. As a biofuel and bioproduct producer, biomass has the biggest advantage of inheriting a vast array of energy-rich precursors. The demand for energy has increased significantly, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels. There will be different energy scenarios for industries in the future, since disruptive trends will emerge. With these new developments, technologies will shift to the biomass energy sector to optimize the possibilities [3,4]. Food and non-food biomass has been mainly used to produce biofuel and other biochemicals to meet energy demand [5]. Biofuels and chemicals can be manufactured from lignocellulosic (second-generation biomass) and macroalgae (third-generation biomass), both of which are useful as biomass blueprints [7,8]
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