Abstract
Biomass refinery is considered to be a key technology in the 21st century due to the importance of the sustainable production of various bio-derived fuels and fine chemicals. Besides the synthesis of oxygen-containing chemicals mainly from lignocellulosic biomass, nitrogen-containing chemicals belong to some of the most important commodity and fine chemicals. In this introductory short review, the main similarities and difficulties between petroleum oil- and biorefinery will be discussed and future challenges will be highlighted. As a particular example, recent developments in the shell biorefinery – the utilization of shell waste – will be reviewed. Particular emphasis will be placed on the structure of shell biomass, the current and emerging fractionation methods and the conversion of chitin and chitosan to various heteroatom-containing chemicals. This review is meant to provide an introduction to beginners in the field of biorefinery as well as a comprehensive discussion of recent proceedings in the field of shell biorefinery. An outlook on the future potential and challenges will be given.
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