Biorefinery Design Research Articles

Integrating heterogenous robustness levels to the multi-objective target-oriented robust optimization of a microalgal biorefinery

Integrated biorefineries offer an efficient way to produce biofuels by enhancing profit through the generation of marketable by-products and by reducing environmental impact by reutilizing waste streams originating from different processes within the system. Employing a variety of conversion technologies, integrated biorefineries yield a wide range of products and byproducts, encompassing biofuels, biochemicals, and bioenergy, all derived from biomass feedstocks. Several mathematical methods have been developed in order to optimize the design of biorefineries with consideration for uncertainty, including the multi-objective target-oriented robust optimization (MOTORO) approach that enables target-seeking behavior while maximizing the tolerable deviation of parameters in the system. However, the phenomenon of heterogenous robustness levels that tradeoff risks with each other has not been investigated in both MOTORO and in wider robust optimization literature. The present study addresses this gap by applying multiple, potentially non-equal degrees of robustness to each customer's demand, allowing stakeholders to place unequal risks on each customer. As a result, limited resources may be more efficiently utilized in line with existing knowledge or preference regarding uncertainties. The proposed improvement was applied to an algal biorefinery system with two customers, where robustness successfully exhibited tradeoffs with each other while retaining inverse relationships with system underperformance and variation as evaluated from a Monte Carlo simulation.

An integrated biorefinery of Madhuca indica for co-production of biodiesel, bio-oil, and biochar: Towards a sustainable circular bioeconomy

The advancement of non-waste biorefinery technology has proved beneficial in effectively using waste biomass resources. The potential of various biorefinery designs to transform biomass into a range of commercially viable products and bioenergies has piqued attention worldwide among the several scenarios proposed to commercialize biofuels. This paper describes the biorefinery of Madhuca indica (M. indica) seeds to generate biochar, bio-oil, and biodiesel. Pyrolization was used on the de-oiled cake to produce charcoal and bio-oil. The M. indica seed's biochar was utilized as a useful supporting particle to immobilize the enzyme. Through transesterification, the immobilized enzyme transformed the oil extracted from the seed into biodiesel. Using an optimum methanol-to-oil ratio of 7.5:1, 3 % (w/w) of catalyst, and 16 % (v/v) of water content, the method yielded a maximum fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) conversion of 93.4 %. Diesel and 20 % biodiesel have been assessed in terms of performance and emissions analysis. Comparing a 20 % blend of biodiesel to commercial diesel at full load, the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) were reduced by 21.2 %, hydrocarbon (HC) emissions by 18.02 %, and nitric oxide (NO) emissions by 4.33 %. In addition, the capital flow of the suggested biorefinery was assessed using a techno-economic analysis. The biorefinery process payback period for the biodiesel, bio-oil, and charcoal made from M. indica was determined to be 3.1358 years using the Aspen Plus Economic Analyzer. Techno-economic studies reveal that the biorefinery process is highly lucrative and practical. The current study therefore shows methods to use the Madhuca indica seed biorefinery to produce sustainable energy and byproducts with no net emissions of carbon.

Design of a sustainable biorefinery for the valorization of waste from the baker’s yeast industry through process simulation: A case study for the production of animal feed, fertilizers, and biofuels from vinasse

The present work deals with the biotechnological valorization of the vinasse through a sustainable biorefinery. The aim was to design and analyze, through process simulation, a biorefinery for the valorization of vinasse in products such as organo-mineral fertilizers, supplements for animal feed, and biogas. For this purpose, the SuperPro Designer software was used, and a modified hierarchical decomposition method was applied. One base case and three scenarios were techno-economically assessed, and the net present value was used as a selection criterion. The technological configuration with the best techno-economic criterion was analyzed socially and environmentally. The results suggest that the best configuration of the biorefinery corresponded to scenario 3, with a net present value of USD$73,364,000, a number of direct employees of 38, and a blue water footprint of 16.16 m3/h. These findings highlight the potential of the design of biorefineries to address the valorization of vinasses in Colombia and worldwide.

Advancing biorefinery design through the integration of metabolic models

This study introduces an innovative methodology for early-stage biorefinery design and analysis through the integration of metabolic models into superstructure optimization. The focus is on two types of metabolic models: i) those where ideal growth conditions are assumed, and ii) those where growth is dependent on environmental variables. Metabolic models offer a comprehensive and dynamic representation of the bioreactor system, unbound by the limitations of traditional kinetic models or the need of extensive experimental data. The integration of these models involves a curation and validation process, ensuring that the metabolic capabilities of the microorganisms are accurately represented. Once validated, the models are plugged into the superstructure in the form of surrogate equations that can be handled by the optimization problem for the superstructure. The effectiveness of this methodology is then tested and critically analyzed with the help of two case studies. The primary contribution of this work lies in its effective identification of the most favorable combinations of substrates and microorganisms. The outcome establishes the feasibility of utilizing different substrates and microorganisms in a biorefinery context, thereby highlighting the value of metabolic models in a superstructure optimization framework for exploring early-stage biorefinery schemes. This approach holds significant promise in enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of future biorefinery systems.

Large-scale spatially explicit analysis of carbon capture at cellulosic biorefineries

The large-scale production of cellulosic biofuels would involve spatially distributed systems including biomass fields, logistics networks and biorefineries. Better understanding of the interactions between landscape-related decisions and the design of biorefineries with carbon capture and storage (CCS) in a supply chain context is needed to enable efficient systems. Here we analyse the cost and greenhouse gas mitigation potential for cellulosic biofuel supply chains in the US Midwest using realistic spatially explicit land availability and crop productivity data and consider fuel conversion technologies with detailed CCS design for their associated CO2 streams. Optimization methods identify trade-offs and design strategies leading to systems with attractive environmental and economic performance. Strategic and operational decisions depend on underlying spatial features and are sensitive to biofuel demand and CCS incentives. US CCS incentives neglect to motivate greenhouse gas mitigation from all supply chain emission sources, which leverage spatial interactions between CCS, electricity prices and the biomass landscape.

A thermo-economic analysis of a circular economy model for biomass in South America producing biofertilizers and biogas from municipal solid waste

The linear economy model has caused many impacts associated with increased urban population and municipal solid waste generation worldwide. Through anaerobic digestion, the circular bioeconomy of biomass (methanogenic) provides a fuel (biogas) and an environmentally sustainable biofertilizer. This theoretical-descriptive research proposes a circular economic model based on the design of biorefineries using recycled biomass in urban areas. The model considers a minimum of 1.8 million people to generate approximately 650 tons/day for its application. The biorefinery configuration of the model consists of 12 biodigesters of 5400 m3 unit capacity and a spark ignition engine of 2 MW. The model is validated by employing a case study in the main urban cities of South America. Brazil with about 161,000 m3/day of biogas and 3100 tons/day of biofertilizer, and Paraguay, with 10,000 m3/day of biogas and 500 tons/day of biofertilizer, are the ones with the highest and lowest energy potential, respectively. The internal rate of return on investment in the case study is around 69%. The proposed circular economy model reduces greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts of municipal solid waste; Also, the environmental impact was estimated using different equivalence indicators between green electricity energy and carbon footprint avoided.

Biorefinery design with combined deacetylation and microwave pretreatment for enhanced production of polyhydroxyalkanoates and efficient carbon utilization from lignocellulose

Lignocellulosic biomass has emerged as a sustainable and economically viable feedstock for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production. However, it has seldom been used as part of an integrated process for effective carbon utilization. An innovative combined deacetylation and microwave pretreatment strategy (DEA-MW) and a wild-type Cupriavidus necator strain with the potential to utilize a lignocellulose-based carbon source and PHA biosynthesis were selected to set up the module needed to enable a new sustainable platform for biomass pretreatment and waste carbon valorization. DEA-MW pretreatment was introduced to mitigate the concentration of inhibitory acetic acid and phenolic compounds in the biomass hydrolysate. This pretreatment enhanced deacetylation and delignification, resulting in 95.50 % deacetylation and 45.30 % delignification. When DEA-MW pretreated rice husk biomass was coupled with microbial fermentation, C. necator promoted the fermentability of the rice husk hydrolysate. With a 3 g/L of levulinic acid from hydrolysis, as the sole carbon source, we achieved a concentration of PHA 440 mg/L with a content of 65 %. We also successfully recovered 72.22 % of lignin using a combined DEA-MW pretreatment. A detailed structural analysis showed that β-O-4, β–β, and β-5 linkages had been preserved in the recovered lignin. This study has shown that DEA-MW pretreatment plays a role in promoting biomass conversion and enhancing PHA production and opens up new possibilities for efficient and cost-effective lignocellulose-based biorefinery processes.

A plant-wide modelling framework to describe microalgae growth on liquid digestate in agro-zootechnical biomethane plants

Microalgae cultivation on liquid digestate from the anaerobic co-digestion of agricultural feedstocks is an interesting option for digestate nutrient removal and resource recovery coupled to biomass generation. Both the reactors considered in such a biorefinery system involve complex bioprocesses. Although different pilot-scale systems coupling anaerobic digestion and algae-based bioremediation processes have been described, no previous attempts to model the entire system are available to date. In this work, a plant-wide model, named ADAB (anaerobic digestion algae-bacteria), is presented, coupling two well-established models for anaerobic digestion (IWA – ADM1) and algae-based bioremediation processes (ALBA). The models were modified with necessary equations and extensions to develop a dedicated model interface. Phosphorous dynamics were integrated, including activity corrections and precipitation processes. The ALBA model was also integrated with thermal modelling to simulate outdoor raceway ponds and greenhouse-covered systems. Solid/liquid separation units for digestate pre-treatment were also included. The prediction consistency of the adopted physicochemical sub-model (PCM) was verified with results from both reference literature and Visual MINTEQ. The reduced complexity of the PCM limits the model field of application, but it results in better computational performance and seems to be particularly suitable to simulate agro-zootechnical digesters. A scenario analysis including different co-digester design and operating conditions was carried out to assess the impacts on microalgae cultivation. It highlighted the importance of a proper biorefinery design and yet a noteworthy robustness of the system performance. The use of the ADAB model can facilitate a more realistic assessment of the technical, environmental, and economic feasibility of full-scale microalgal biorefineries based on digestate.

Valorization of lignocellulosic platform products based on biorefinery schemes through sequential pretreatments

AbstractPretreatments have been identified as the core of lignocellulosic biorefinery design due to biomass fractionation and the influence on subsequent reaction and downstream processes. However, most pretreatments are described as single-step, maximizing the valorization of a side stream. Therefore, sequential pretreatments could better describe the integral valorization of lignocellulosic biomass to obtain platform products that can be further used for value-added products. This work experimentally analyzed the sequential pretreatments for the fractionation of rice husks to obtain individual lignocellulosic fractions. It was demonstrated that the dilute acid-wet air oxidation (DA-WAO) sequence is suitable for biorefinery designs since it is possible to solubilize up to 80% of hemicellulose during the first stage and subsequently fractionate almost 90% of lignin after the second stage, obtaining a pretreated solid with high cellulose content. The isolated lignocellulosic fractions were used as platform products to obtain furfural, levulinic acid, and phenolic compounds. As a main result, yields and conversions were improved when valorizing the cellulose platform based on sequential pretreatment. In contrast, valorizing the black liquor after a combination scheme decreased aldehyde yields such as vanillin and syringaldehyde by 4.8–11.9%. The findings indicate that from the biorefinery approach, sequential pretreatments improve the yield of platform products. Despite the decrease of phenolic compounds, levulinic acid and furfural production is significantly enhanced.

Atom economy or product yield to determine optimal gasification conditions in biomass-to-olefins biorefinery

Biorefinery design uses various metrics for achieving biomass conversion with process efficiency and biochemical selectivity. A common optimization strategy targets the product yield expecting favorable waste reductions. As a green-chemistry metric, atom economy offers a novel approach to achieving mass efficiency by simultaneously computing products and waste. A comparison between the product yield and atom economy presumes different optimal operating conditions. This study applied atom economy to a biomass-to-olefins process to elucidate metric differences. An initial revision of the stoichiometric conditions determined the ideal product and waste generations. A realistic simulation predicted the mass flows to olefins via gasification, methanol synthesis, and methanol-to-olefins conversion. The gasifier operating conditions were modified to clarify interactions among the atom economy, reaction temperature, and steam-to-biomass mass ratio (S/B). The optimal atom-economic and product-yield conditions differed; a lower gasification temperature and atom-economic (S/B) ratio enhanced the olefins-to-waste ratio. The atom economy indicated that CO2 and H2O are inefficient transport molecules for releasing oxygen in biomass. Both wastes consume at best 33% g/g of feedstock carbon or hydrogen, complying to olefin and intermediate H/C ratios. A comprehensive revision of the energy performance is required to complement the atom economy as a performance indicator.

Superstructure optimization of a microalgal biorefinery design with life cycle assessment‐based and economic objectives

AbstractWe present a multi‐objective optimization framework for the design of an algal biorefinery with multiple target products. Four environmental endpoint indicators and the economic performance are used as objective functions following the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The process alternatives are modeled as a superstructure covering a total of 720 feasible routes. The proposed method optimizes not only the superstructure route but simultaeously discrete and continuous parameters within the process units. A multi‐objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) is used to solve this nonlinear mixed‐integer optimization problem to design the extraction procedures for all macromolecular fractions. For the extractions, liquid–liquid equilibria (LLE) are predicted with quantum chemical calculations. A microalgae biorefinery for the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum is considered as case study, including the cultivation and extraction‐supported fractionation of the wet algal biomass to harvest the target products eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), laminarin and fucoxanthin. 2‐Butanol proved to be the preferred solvent for the initial extraction step of wet biomass. Nutrients and solvent production cause most of the environmental impact of the overall process. A Python package for integrating LCA with multi‐objective superstructure optimization is provided as open source software. It is applicable to any process system design task involving environmental objectives.

Cultivation of Chlorella sp. HS2 using wastewater from soy sauce factory

Incorporation of wastewater from industrial sectors into the design of microalgal biorefineries has significant potential for advancing the practical application of this emerging industry. This study tested various food industrial wastewaters to assess their suitability for microalgal cultivation. Among these wastewaters, defective soy sauce (DSS) and soy sauce wastewater (SWW) were chosen but DSS exhibited the highest nutrient content with 13,500 ppm total nitrogen and 3051 ppm total phosphorus. After diluting DSS by a factor of 50, small-scale cultivation of microalgae was conducted to optimize culture conditions. SWW exhibited optimal growth at 25–30 °C and 300–500 μE m−2 s−1, while DSS showed optimal growth at 30–35 °C. Based on a 100-mL lab-scale and 3-L outdoor cultivation with an extended cultivation period, DSS outperformed SWW, exhibiting higher final biomass productivity. Additionally, nutrient-concentrated nature of DSS is advantageous for transportation at an industrial scale, leading us to select it as the most promising feedstock for microalgal cultivation. With further optimization, DSS has the potential to serve as an effective microalgal cultivation feedstock for large-scale biomass production.

Pursuing single or combined wheat straw based poly(butylene succinate) production routes: A life cycle approach of first- and second-generation feedstocks

The depletion of fossil resources and the climate change crisis call for an urgent shift to production pathways based on renewable and low-carbon sources. In addition, plastic pollution worldwide motivates the identification of new sources for their bio-based counterparts, which have an increasing demand. This research aims to evaluate the environmental feasibility of different cereal-based feedstocks for the production of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), which is obtained from the polymerisation of succinic acid (SA) and 1,4 butanediol (BDO) monomers. The baseline scenario analysed corresponds to the use of wheat straw as a source of the fermentable sugars. Furthermore, five other cereal-based production routes combining first-generation (1G) feedstocks such as wheat and maize grain, and second-generation (2G) feedstocks, such as sorghum, barley straw, and maize stover, combined with wheat straw, were evaluated. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used to identify the main hotspots of these valorisation routes at the early stage of the biorefinery design, considering all the burden categories provided by the ReCiPe impact method. The results showed that the straw-based PBS profile reached a Global Warming Potential of 3.43 kg CO2eq, whereas a range value from 2.34 to 7.27 kg CO2eq was estimated when wheat straw is combined with sorghum and barley straw, respectively. The pre-treatment stage represents a substantial impact on the strategy considered to produce fermentable sugars, particularly, for barley straw. Therefore, improvements are still required to reduce the energy demand and increase the sugar yield.

Integrated Biorefinery Design with Techno‐Economic and Life Cycle Assessment Tools in Polyhydroxyalkanoates Processing

AbstractTo support and move toward a sustainable bioeconomy, the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) using renewable biomass has acquired more attention. However, expensive biomass pretreatment and low yield of PHAs pose significant disadvantages in its large‐scale production. To overcome such limitations, the most recent advances in metabolic engineering strategies used to develop high‐performance strains that are leading to a new manufacturing concept converting biomass to PHAs with co‐products such as amino acids, proteins, biohydrogen, biosurfactants, and various fine chemicals are critically summarized. This review article presents a comprehensive roadmap that highlights the integrated biorefinery strategies, lifecycle analysis, and techno‐economic assessment for sustainable and economic PHAs production. Finally, current and future challenges that must be addressed to transfer this technology to real‐world applications are reviewed.

Sustainability Assessment of Food Waste Biorefineries as the Base of the Entrepreneurship in Rural Zones of Colombia

The sustainability of food value chains is affected by the large amounts of waste produced with a high environmental impact. Food waste valorization applying the biorefinery concept has emerged as an alternative to reduce the generation of greenhouse gases and to promote the socio-economic development of value chains at local, regional, and national levels. This paper analyzes the sustainability of food waste biorefineries designed for boosting rural economic development in Colombia. These biorefineries were designed following a strategy based on a portfolio of bioprocesses involving fractions based on the composition of the raw materials. The valorization of six food residues produced in three representative rural areas of Colombia (i.e., Chocó, Caldas, and Sucre) was analyzed. Acai, annatto, sugarcane bagasse, rejected plantain and avocado, and organic kitchen food waste (OKFW) were selected as food wastes for upgrading. The biorefinery design strategy comprised five steps for filtering the most promising bioprocesses to be implemented. The OKFW was analyzed in detail, applying the design strategy to provide a step-by-step guide involving a portfolio of bioproducts, the technological maturity index, and the socio-economic context. This strategy implementation for OKFW valorization resulted in a scenario where biorefineries with levulinic acid production were the most feasible and sustainable, with high techno-economic performances and low environmental impacts. For the valorization of the other food residues, the processes with the greatest feasibility of being implemented in rural areas were bioactive compounds, oil, flour, and biogas production.

A framework for the design of sustainable multi-input second-generation biorefineries through process simulation: A case study for the valorization of lignocellulosic and starchy waste from the plantain agro-industry

The plantain agro-industry generates different residues in the harvest and post-harvest stages. Therefore, new processes for its valorization are required. The aim of this research was to propose a general methodological framework for the design and analysis of multi-input biorefineries for the valorization of residues with a high content of lignocellulosic and starchy materials. This approach was based on the independent processing of the starchy and lignocellulosic materials in the first steps of the biorefinery and relies on process simulation and hierarchic process design procedures. A case study for the design of a multi-input biorefinery for the valorization of residues from the plantain agro-industry was performed by applying the framework proposed. The biorefinery was simulated using SuperPro Designer software. The results obtained suggest that the best alternative for the valorization of plantain residues under Colombian conditions corresponded to the following distribution of key residues: 100% leaf sheaths processed into the natural fiber production section, and 25% peels and 25% rachis processed into the starch extraction and liquefaction section; with this distribution, an NPV of $21,348,000 can be achieved. This work shows that waste from the plantain agro-industry exhibits high potential as a feedstock for the production of value-added products.

Analysis of Sequential Pretreatments to Enhance the Early-Stage Biorefinery Designs

Pretreatment technologies are proposed to break the crosslinked biomass matrix and facilitate bioconversion processes or chemical agent attacks in reaction schemes. However, most of the pretreatments are studied in single-step schemes, limiting the integral valorization of the feedstock composition. Therefore, sequential pretreatments could maximize this valorization by isolating more biomass fractions or removing unwanted compounds. This work focuses on proposing and assessing different sequential pretreatments for the isolation of lignocellulosic fractions. After a pretreatment screening, ten technical and economic indicators were assessed through a heuristic analysis. Data from the literature were used to evaluate five operational indicators and as the specification of processing units in simulation schemes to also evaluate five techno-energetic and economic indicators. As a main result, it was concluded that the sequential pretreatments of dilute acid (DA) with wet air oxidation (WAO) could be the most optimal for cellulose isolation, steam explosion (SE) with DA for hemicellulose fractionation, and DA with kraft process for lignin solubilization. Additionally, the DA and WAO sequence may be the most efficient in biorefinery designs since it maximizes biomass fractionation, producing two hydrolyzed liquors, one rich in sugars and the other in soluble lignin, as well as a cellulose-rich solid.

Yeasts Have Evolved Divergent Enzyme Strategies To Deconstruct and Metabolize Xylan.

Together with bacteria and filamentous fungi, yeasts actively take part in the global carbon cycle. Over 100 yeast species have been shown to grow on the major plant polysaccharide xylan, which requires an arsenal of carbohydrate active enzymes. However, which enzymatic strategies yeasts use to deconstruct xylan and what specific biological roles they play in its conversion remain unclear. In fact, genome analyses reveal that many xylan-metabolizing yeasts lack expected xylanolytic enzymes. Guided by bioinformatics, we have here selected three xylan-metabolizing ascomycetous yeasts for in-depth characterization of growth behavior and xylanolytic enzymes. The savanna soil yeast Blastobotrys mokoenaii displays superior growth on xylan thanks to an efficient secreted glycoside hydrolase family 11 (GH11) xylanase; solving its crystal structure revealed a high similarity to xylanases from filamentous fungi. The termite gut-associated Scheffersomyces lignosus, in contrast grows more slowly, and its xylanase activity was found to be mainly cell surface-associated. The wood-isolated Wickerhamomyces canadensis, surprisingly, could not utilize xylan as the sole carbon source without the addition of xylooligosaccharides or exogenous xylanases or even co-culturing with B. mokoenaii, suggesting that W. canadensis relies on initial xylan hydrolysis by neighboring cells. Furthermore, our characterization of a novel W. canadensis GH5 subfamily 49 (GH5_49) xylanase represents the first demonstrated activity in this subfamily. Our collective results provide new information on the variable xylanolytic systems evolved by yeasts and their potential roles in natural carbohydrate conversion. IMPORTANCE Microbes that take part in the degradation of the polysaccharide xylan, the major hemicellulose component in plant biomass, are equipped with specialized enzyme machineries to hydrolyze the polymer into monosaccharides for further metabolism. However, despite being found in virtually every habitat, little is known of how yeasts break down and metabolize xylan and what biological role they may play in its turnover in nature. Here, we have explored the enzymatic xylan deconstruction strategies of three underexplored yeasts from diverse environments, Blastobotrys mokoenaii from soil, Scheffersomyces lignosus from insect guts, and Wickerhamomyces canadensis from trees, and we show that each species has a distinct behavior regarding xylan conversion. These findings may be of high relevance for future design and development of microbial cell factories and biorefineries utilizing renewable plant biomass.

A robust optimization framework for forest biorefineries design considering uncertainties on biomass growth and product selling prices

The dependence of biomass growth on uncontrolled environmental factors and the lack of confidence in product selling price estimation imposes challenges for the efficient design of biorefineries, especially for forest systems, which present complex and long-termed growth behavior. The present work proposes the expansion of an optimization framework for forest biorefineries design to handle uncertainties on both biomass productivity and product selling prices. A robust formulation is proposed under a box and polyhedral uncertainty set formulation allowing its conservatism degree to be controlled. A case study of a eucalyptus biorefinery in Brazil illustrates the model's capabilities. The canonical worst-case approach to uncertainties on selling prices leads to a null optimal Net Present Value (NPV) and, on biomass growth, leads to a design that uses a 70% excess of lands. Scenarios of a controlled degree of conservatism lead to designs closer to the uncertainty-free optimal NPV of 136 bi BRL.

Catalytic hydrothermal deoxygenation of sugarcane bagasse for energy dense bio-oil and aqueous fraction acidogenesis for biohydrogen production

The study focuses on the effective conversion of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) by catalytic deoxygenation using various alkali and metal-based catalysts under N2 pressure employing water as solvent. The specific influence of catalyst over bio-crude yields (bio-oil and aqueous fraction) including energy recovery ratio was explored. The optimum catalytic condition (Ru/C) resulted in ∼ 70% of bio-crude and 28% of bio-oil with an improved HHV (31.6 MJ/kg) having 11.6% of aliphatic/aromatic hydrocarbons (C10–C20) which can be further upgraded to drop-in fuels. The biocrude composed of 44% of aqueous soluble organic fraction (HTL-AF). Further, the carbon-rich HTL-AF was valorized through acidogenic fermentation to yield biohydrogen (Bio-H2). The maximum bio-H2 production of 201 mL/g of TOC conversion (K2CO3 catalyst) was observed with 7.7 g/L of VFA. The SCB was valorized in a biorefinery design with the production of fuels and chemical intermediates in a circular chemistry approach.