Bio-based Industry Research Articles

Advancing the Circular Economy Through Organic by-Product Valorisation: A Multi-criteria Assessment of a Wheat-Based Biorefinery

The transition toward a circular and biobased economy requires the biorefineries and bio-based industries to become more resource efficient with regards to their waste and by-product management. Organic by-products and waste streams can be an important source of value if used in feasible pathways that not only have a low environmental impact but also preserve or recover their energy, nutrients, and other potentially valuable components. Through development of a multi-criteria assessment framework and its application on a real case, this article provides methodological and practical insights on decision making for enhanced by-product management. Our framework includes 8 key areas and 18 well-defined indicators for assessing the environmental performance, feasibility, and long-term risk of each alternative. We studied six different management options for the stillage by-product of a Swedish wheat-based biorefinery and our results shows that the most suitable options for this biorefinery are to use the stillage either as animal fodder or as feedstock for local biogas production for vehicle fuel. This multi-criteria approach can be used by bio-based industrial actors to systematically investigate options for by-product management and valorisation for a circular and bio-based economy.Graphic

Pulse Electric Field Technology for Wastewater and Biomass Residues’ Improved Valorization

Development and adoption of more efficient and robust technologies for reuse of wastewater embedded resources, in particular materials and energy, is becoming an unavoidable necessity. Among many emerging technologies in the sector of wastewater treatment residuals valorization, Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) processes have shown interesting potential, although they have not yet entered the sector’s mainstream as a consolidated commercial technology, as in other industrial applications, such as the food, medical, and bio-based industries. PEF is a non-thermal technology suitable to biological applications, involving gentle cell disintegration and enhanced cell membrane permeability and as such applicable to disinfection, sterilization, and to those processes that benefit from an enhanced extraction of organic compounds from biological matter, such as anaerobic digestion, biological processes for recovery of nutrients, and biorefinery of cell-embedded compounds. PEF technology applications in wastewater/biomass residues management are reported and advantages, drawbacks, and barriers of the technology are discussed in this paper.

New partnership between EU and Bio-based Industries Consortium

New partnership between EU and Bio-based Industries Consortium

Industrial Biotechnology is Firing on All Cylinders

Industrial Biotechnology is Firing on All Cylinders

Two-step functional screen on multiple proteinaceous substrates reveals temperature-robust proteases with a broad-substrate range

To support the bio-based industry in development of environment-friendly processes and products, an optimal toolbox of biocatalysts is key. Although functional screen of (meta)genomic libraries may potentially contribute to identifying new enzymes, the discovery of new enzymes meeting industry compliance demands is still challenging. This is particularly noticeable in the case of proteases, for which the reports of metagenome-derived proteases with industrial applicability are surprisingly limited. Indeed, proteolytic clones have been typically assessed by its sole activity on casein or skim milk and limited to mild screening conditions. Here, we demonstrate the use of six industry-relevant animal and plant by-products, namely bone, feather, blood meals, gelatin, gluten, and zein, as complementary substrates in functional screens and show the utility of temperature as a screening parameter to potentially discover new broad-substrate range and robust proteases for the biorefinery industry. By targeting 340,000 clones from two libraries of pooled isolates of mesophilic and thermophilic marine bacteria and two libraries of microbial communities inhabiting marine environments, we identified proteases in four of eleven selected clones that showed activity against all substrates herein tested after prolonged incubation at 55 °C. Following sequencing, in silico analysis and recombinant expression in Escherichia coli, one functional protease, 58% identical at sequence level to previously reported homologs, was found to readily hydrolyze highly insoluble zein at temperatures up to 50 °C and pH 9–11. It is derived from a bacterial group whose ability to degrade zein was unknown. This study reports a two-step screen resulting in identification of a new marine metagenome-derived protease with zein-hydrolytic properties at common biomass processing temperatures that could be useful for the modern biorefinery industry.Key points• A two-step multi-substrate strategy for discovery of robust proteases.• Feasible approach for shortening enzyme optimization to industrial demands.• A new temperature-tolerant protease efficiently hydrolyzes insoluble zein.

Progress on Biobased Industrial Carbons as Thermochemical Biorefinery Coproducts

Industrial carbons are a category of high purity carbon (>95 wt %) materials that are solid at room temperature, produced in bulk as refinery byproducts, and subsequently used in a wide variety of ...

Sustainable Cereal Straw Management: Use as Feedstock for Emerging Biobased Industries or Cropland Soil Incorporation?

Sustainability goals regarding biobased chemicals and fuels can lead to increased demand for cereal straw, which could lead to undesirable effects on soil organic matter (SOM) content. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of removing straw on SOM, using a life cycle approach based on agricultural statistics and soil carbon modelling. This regional evaluation in southern Sweden showed that the general restrictions on straw removal recommended in many European studies, with demands on the incorporation of at least half of the aboveground straw, is not an efficient means of SOM preservation. Unrestricted straw removal in combination with the cultivation of intermediate crops leads to a much higher SOM build-up. Such measures will increase the availability of removable straw 2.5 times, at little extra cost. The findings of this study demonstrate the necessity of regional evaluation, taking new findings on the impact of straw incorporation on SOM into consideration. This is important for both regional emerging biobased industries, where unnecessary restrictions on straw removal might hamper the development of new production pathways, and for future sustainability in agriculture, where well-intended but inefficient SOM preservation strategies might hinder the implementation of more efficient measures.Graphic

Near‐term practical strategies to improve the life cycle techno‐economics, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of corn stover supply system for biobased industries

AbstractCorn stover is predominantly used as the feedstock in the cellulosic biorefineries of the Midwestern USA; however, there are several opportunities to improve the performance of its supply chain. Thus, there is a need to optimize the corn stover supply system for the overall sustainability of the corn stover‐based industries. This paper presents three practical strategies that could be implemented in the near term to improve the performance of the corn stover supply chain. The first strategy involves reducing the corn stover collection area, which entails improving producers’ participation through enhanced knowledge transfer related to this industry, improving harvest ratio of biomass, and reducing dry matter loss during biomass handling and storage. The second strategy involves reducing the overall bale supply quantity, which primarily entails increasing bale density. The final suggested strategy involves reducing quantities of in‐field machinery, which is possible through improving the efficiency of field machinery, including windrowers, balers, and stackers, and increasing their harvest durations. By successfully implementing these strategies, the overall cost associated with the supply of corn stover, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced, on an average, by 34–35% from the current average benchmarks of $95.9/metric ton (t), 11% and greenhouse gas emissions is 58.4 kg CO2e/t, respectively. This can contribute toward creating a cost‐effective logistics system that is also environmentally sustainable. This will be critical for the long‐term success of the biorefineries using corn stover as the primary feedstock. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Optimization of Light and Nutrients Supply to Stabilize Long-Term Industrial Cultivation of Metabolically Engineered Cyanobacteria: A Model-Based Analysis

Metabolically engineered cyanobacteria are promising photosynthetic cell factories to produce valuable compounds in view of a bio-based industry. However, when the producer population is affected by a production burden, it usually experiences genetic instability leading to cells that lose the production capability, here defined as retro-mutants, which in the long-term take over the culture. Here we show that by exploitation of differences in nutrient and light use between these two phenotypes, in a continuous culture the operative conditions can be set to specifically select the producers. A mathematical model-based analysis used to investigate the effect of kinetic parameters shows that in specific combinations of their values, a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) can be operated to favor the producer’s growth. The feasibility of the approach proposed is discussed in the context of literature data. On the basis of overall mass and energy balance analysis, a new approach to stabilize the producer phenotype in long-term industrial cultivation is proposed.

Bioleaching of metals from secondary materials using glycolipid biosurfactants

With the global demand for economically important metals increasing, compounded by the depletion of readily accessible ores, secondary resources and low-grade ores are being targeted to meet growing demands. Novel technologies developed within biobased industries, such as microbial biosurfactants, could be implemented to improve the sustainability of traditional hydrometallurgy techniques. This study investigates newly developed microbial biosurfactants (acidic- and bolaform glycolipids) for the leaching of metals (particularly Cu and Zn) from a suite of mine tailings, metallurgical sludges and automotive shredder residues. Generally, acidic sophorolipids were the most performant, and optimal Cu leaching was observed from a fayalite slag (27%) and a copper sulfide mine tailing (53%). Further investigation of the leached fayalite material showed that leaching was occurring from small metallic Cu droplets in this material via a corrosion-based mechanism, and/or from Cu-Pb sulfides, selective against the dominant Fe-silicate matrix. This study highlights that acidic sophorolipid microbial biosurfactants have the potential to leach Cu and Zn from low-grade secondary materials. It also provides important fundamental insights into biosurfactant-metal and mineral interactions that are currently unexplored. Together, the convergence of leaching and mining industries with bio-industries can improve material recovery and will positively impact the bio- and circular economies and the environment.

Biomass Waste as Sustainable Raw Material for Energy and Fuels

Sustainable development is the common goal of the current concepts of bioeconomy and circular economy. In this sense, the biorefineries platforms are a strategic factor to increase the bioeconomy in the economic balance. The incorporation of renewable sources to produce fuels, chemicals, and energy, includes sustainability, reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG), and creating more manufacturing jobs fostering the advancement of regional and social systems by implementing the comprehensive use of available biomass, due to its low costs and high availability. This paper describes the emerging biorefinery strategies to produce fuels (bio-ethanol and γ-valerolactone) and energy (pellets and steam), compared with the currently established biorefineries designed for fuels, pellets, and steam. The focus is on the state of the art of biofuels and energy production and environmental factors, as well as a discussion about the main conversion technologies, production strategies, and barriers. Through the implementation of biorefineries platforms and the evaluation of low environmental impact technologies and processes, new sustainable production strategies for biofuels and energy can be established, making these biobased industries into more competitive alternatives, and improving the economy of the current value chains.

Hallmarks of Basidiomycete Soft- and White-Rot in Wood-Decay -Omics Data of Two Armillaria Species.

Wood-decaying Basidiomycetes are among the most efficient degraders of plant cell walls, making them key players in forest ecosystems, global carbon cycle, and in bio-based industries. Recent insights from -omics data revealed a high functional diversity of wood-decay strategies, especially among the traditional white-rot and brown-rot dichotomy. We examined the mechanistic bases of wood-decay in the conifer-specialists Armillaria ostoyae and Armillaria cepistipes using transcriptomic and proteomic approaches. Armillaria spp. (Fungi, Basidiomycota) include devastating pathogens of temperate forests and saprotrophs that decay wood. They have been discussed as white-rot species, though their response to wood deviates from typical white-rotters. While we observed an upregulation of a diverse suite of plant cell wall degrading enzymes, unlike white-rotters, they possess and express an atypical wood-decay repertoire in which pectinases and expansins are enriched, whereas lignin-decaying enzymes (LDEs) are generally downregulated. This combination of wood decay genes resembles the soft-rot of Ascomycota and appears widespread among Basidiomycota that produce a superficial white rot-like decay. These observations are consistent with ancestral soft-rot decay machinery conserved across asco- and Basidiomycota, a gain of efficient lignin-degrading ability in white-rot fungi and repeated, complete, or partial losses of LDE encoding gene repertoires in brown- and secondarily soft-rot fungi.

Industrial Perspectives for (Microbial) Biosurfactants.

Within the bio-economy, more specifically within the bio-based industries, biomass feedstock - in contrast to fossil feedstocks in the fossil-based economy - is converted into the so-called bio-based products such as biosurfactants, bioplastics, pharmaceuticals, paper, textiles, and biofuels using either chemical or biological production methods or a combination thereof. In Europe a turnover of 60 billion EUR is associated with bio-based plastics and chemicals such as biosurfactants, and 40% of the global biosurfactant market turnover is associated with the European market. The growing use of bio-based surfactants in detergents, personal care products, and oilfield chemicals is fueling the growth of this market, which is driven, in many applications, by more stringent regulations and by an increasing consumer demand for "green and sustainable" products. Microbial biosurfactants are a biologically produced type of bio-based surfactants which are quickly evolving from a scientific curiosity to an industrial reality.

OF SOME SPECIFICS IN IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERNATIONAL PRACTICES FOR TECH TRANSFERS OF BIOTECH INNOVATIONS / THE CASE OF THE BULGARIAN UNIVERSITY PLATFORM “VITA PLUS”/

The first-of-its-kind University of Plovdiv transdisciplinary project “Vita Plus” is deemed to adopt some positive international practices to initiate and announce that there are researchers at the University of Plovdiv, interested in realizing tech transfers in the field of biotech innovations. Thus, the goal of the present paper is to explain what factors might be crucial to both characterize technological transfer of biotech innovations as successful from University researchers’ viewpoint, and present them to business ventures for commercial purposes. Research methods of the study include data of the most recent thematic study of the World Bank on Bulgaria and analytical reviews of contemporary scientific literature to establish a modern Bulgarian platform for transfer of biotechnological know-hows to bio-based industries in the forthcoming era of bioeconomy. The results of the research are aimed at formation of comparative-analytical parameters and benchmark indicators for economic valuation of implementation of biotechnological solutions in the emerging Bulgarian circular economy, based on observations at the “Vita Plus” project. Conclusions relate to derivation of a set of recommendations for formation of a new integrated approach for creating a working model for technological transfer of University researches and solutions in real bio-based industrial production through the University platform “Vita Plus”.

Social sustainability of treatment technologies for bioenergy generation from the municipal solid waste using best worst method

Despite the fundamental role of the social aspect in the implementation of sustainability in the bio-based industries, most of the sustainability assessments research have addressed the environmental and economic dimensions. However, the social dimension has been neglected and it can cause an irreparable outcome in the biotechnology industries. Following this issue, this study propounds a modified systemic approach for a social sustainability impact assessment of the treatment technologies for converting waste into bioenergy, based on a review on the common social assessment methods. As it is known, the guideline presented by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (2009) due to considering social life cycle assessment has a comprehensive look at the stakeholders. Therefore, in this paper, UNEP method was selected. However, it needs to be modified based on the bio-energy supply chain derived from municipal solid waste. For this purpose, the bioenergy value chain derived from municipal solid waste was designed and combined with UNEP guideline, to complete the level of stakeholder subgroups and the levels of the indicators. The final method of the social assessment system was presented to the board of experts and finalized. In order to design the measurement part of the social assessment system, because of a multi criteria decision making nature of the social sustainability evaluation of the conversion technologies of municipal solid waste to bio-energies, a recent developed multi-criteria decision making method so-called Best Worst Method (BWM) was used in two stages. The criteria are ranked according to their average weight obtained through Best Worst method. One of the major novelties in this research is the way of application of the best worst technique in the second stage. The model was implemented in the case of Tehran as one of the pioneering Iranian municipalities with high potential to produce bioenergy. The results of this study help decision makers to decide where to concentrate their attention during the implementation stage, and to increase social sustainability in their bioenergy supply chains derived waste.

Modelling Bioeconomy Scenario Pathways for the Forest Products Markets with Emerging Lignocellulosic Products

The forest-based sector plays diverse roles among the emerging bio-based industries. The goal of this study is to examine how forest product markets could develop in the face of a growing bioeconomy and which interdependencies occur between traditional and emerging forest-based sectors. Therefore, we analyze the development of dissolving pulp together with lignocellulose-based textile fibres and chemical derivatives in a partial equilibrium model. For this purpose, we extend the product structure of the Global Forest Products Model (GFPM) and analyze three different bioeconomy scenarios from 2015 to 2050. The simulation results show that, in a scenario where the world is changing toward a sustainable bio-economy, wood consumption patterns shift away from fuelwood (−30% by 2050) and classical paper products (−32% by 2050) towards emerging wood-based products. In this context, the dissolving pulp subsector could outpace the continuously shrinking paper pulp subsector by 2050. To develop in this way, the dissolving pulp subsector mainly uses released resources from the decreasing paper pulp production. Simultaneously, wood-based panels are finding increasing application (+196% by 2050) and thus are taking over potential markets for sawn wood, for which production growth remains limited. Our results also show that, until 2050, the production of many wood-based products will take place mainly in Asia instead of North America and Europe.

Design of nano and micro fibrillated cellulose production processes from forest industrial wastes in a multiproduct biorefinery

The need to develop biobased materials from renewable feedstocks requires the previous design and assessment of the production processes of these promising new value-added products. Nano and micro- fibrillated cellulose (NFC and MFC, respectively) are two of these new products that could revolutionize the biobased industry. In the present work, the production of NFC and CMF was analyzed in a multiproduct biorefinery from eucalyptus sawdust. It was determined that it is possible to obtain 308 kg of NFC or MFC, 169 kg of xylose syrup, and about 220 kg of lignin per ton of dry sawdust. The investment required for the analyzed alternatives of NFC and MFC is between 40–44 million USD and the NPV values are between 30 and 60 million USD. The most attractive alternative is the production of NFC, xylose syrup, and lignin (alternative III of NFC). The most important production costs correspond to enzymes and energy (for NFC and MFC, respectively). Besides, it was determined that with the proposed schemes for a sawdust availability of < 20,000 dry ton per year, it is possible to obtain NPV values ˃ 0.

The governance of genome editing techniques for the European bio-based industry

ABSTRACT Genome editing techniques (GETs) could support the transition towards a circular bio-based economy. This would require a regulatory framework that enables technical and scientific progress while ensuring safety for humans and environment. In this context, there is a debate among stakeholders in Europe whether products resulting from GETs should be subject to the GMO legislation. This paper analyses different stakeholder positions and underlying arguments on this question based on the Politically Inherent Dynamics Approach (PIDA). This takes into consideration the role of actor interests, the problem structure, institutions and alternative instruments. The analysis, based on a series of expert interviews and a Delphi survey, reveals that differing stakeholder positions are strongly shaped by differing beliefs and interests. This leads to a divergence in the definition of the problem structure, and the related solutions, in terms of the institutional set-up and alternative instruments considered. It highlights the need to reach a shared vision among actors of the problems that need to be solved, in order to understand if GETs can be considered as one potential ‘solution’, embracing the precautionary and innovation principles. Alternative instruments are proposed, including a call for higher stakeholder engagement and diverse regulatory instruments.

A biorefinery approach for the production of bioethanol from alkaline-pretreated, enzymatically hydrolyzed Nicotiana tabacum stalks as feedstock for the bio-based industry

In this study, an attempt was made to investigate bioethanol production using low-cost feedstock, namely, tobacco wastes obtained after the leaves harvesting. Tobacco stalks, an abundant biomass source of the leftover agricultural crop field, are a promising feedstock for bioethanol production. Traditional Thai tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is known as non-Virginia type tobacco stalks and was used as biomass feedstock for ethanol production by separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) with a computerized fermenter. Tobacco stalks were efficiently hydrolyzed after a mild physical-chemical pretreatment. The economically cheapest alkaline chemical (2% CaO) was used for pretreatment. The robust yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was utilized, and it is suitable for industrial ethanol production. These data suggest that tobacco stalks are potential candidates for ethanol production from physical alkali-pretreated biomass with enzymatic hydrolysis on the SHF system.

Risk analysis, practice, and considerations in capital budgeting: Evidence from the field for the bio-based industry

This study aims to examine how organizations in the bio-based industry perceive risks and perform risk analysis within the capital investment decision-making process. More specifically, this study aims to assess sources of uncertainty commonly considered, identify tools and methods used for risk assessment, and understand how risk analysis is considered in capital budgeting. Eighty-six respondents were electronically surveyed on practices for capital investment risk analysis, including C-suite and upper management from different organization sizes and segments in the bio-based industry. It was found that some forms of risk analysis are utilized either in project assessment and/or for decision making by most respondents; however, qualitative and deterministic assessment practices dominate over probabilistic methods. In addition, risk assessment is most commonly performed in the later stages of a project, with less than 50% of adoption at the earlier stages. Overall, the main sources of uncertainties considered when performing risk assessment are financial, market and sales, and technology, with competition being considered mostly by upper management levels. Additionally, consistent with previous studies in other industry sectors, Internal Rate of Return, Return on Investment, and Net Present Value are the preferred financial indicators used to evaluate capital investments.