Ahring Birgitte K, Westermann Peter
Bioscience and Technology, BioCentrum-DTU, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark.
Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol. 2007;108:289-302. doi: 10.1007/10_2007_067.
Large scale transformation of biomass to more versatile energy carriers has most commonly been focused on one product such as ethanol or methane. Due to the nature of the biomass and thermodynamic and biological constraints, this approach is not optimal if the energy content of the biomass is supposed to be exploited maximally. In natural ecosystems, biomass is degraded to numerous intermediary compounds, and we suggest that this principle is utilized in biorefinery concepts, which could provide different fuels with different end use possibilities. In this chapter we describe one of the first pilot-scale biorefineries for multiple fuel production and also discuss perspectives for further enhancement of biofuel yields from biomass. The major fuels produced in this refinery are ethanol, hydrogen, and methane. We also discuss the applicability of our biorefinery concept as a bolt-on plant on conventional corn- or grain-based bioethanol plants, and suggest that petroleum-base refineries and biorefineries appropriately can be coupled during the transition period from a fossil fuel to a renewable fuel economy.
将生物质大规模转化为更通用的能源载体，通常主要集中于单一产品，如乙醇或甲烷。由于生物质的性质以及热力学和生物学限制，如果要最大限度地利用生物质的能量含量，这种方法并非最佳选择。在自然生态系统中，生物质会降解为众多中间化合物，我们建议在生物精炼概念中运用这一原理，这可以提供具有不同最终用途可能性的不同燃料。在本章中，我们描述了首个用于多种燃料生产的中试规模生物精炼厂之一，并讨论了进一步提高生物质生物燃料产量的前景。该精炼厂生产的主要燃料是乙醇、氢气和甲烷。我们还讨论了我们的生物精炼概念作为传统玉米或谷物基生物乙醇工厂的附加装置的适用性，并建议在从化石燃料向可再生燃料经济的过渡时期，石油精炼厂和生物精炼厂可以适当地联合起来。
