Furfural is an important biorefinery platform chemical, derived from hemicelluloses which represent an import fraction of lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks and waste streams originating from them.
Different feedstocks (citrus waste and microalgae) were selected and a conceptual process design from limonene oxidation to polymer synthesis was completed.
However, the cost will be reduced potentially if cheap feedstocks or waste materials can be used.
Other potential feedstocks include waste from pulp and paper mills, construction debris, and animal manures [ 1].
These feedstocks include waste from agriculture, forest and paper industry where the hydrolytic step is a bottleneck.
Altogether, 7 different types of biomass feedstock (kitchen waste, vegetable waste, cow dung, pig droppings, goat droppings, poultry droppings and rice straw) are identified in the surrounding villages of the plant within optimum biomass supply radius.
These platforms will be capable of producing a vast number of sustainable industrial chemicals at scale from alternative renewable feedstocks or wastes (e.g., biomass residues, biogas methane, syngas, CO2) without harming the environment.
In this context, second-generation biofuels, which use, for example, biomass feedstocks, agricultural wastes and wood residue, represent an efficient and complementary approach to increase liquid biofuel production.
Other China-specific cost parameters (Table 3) involved in the analysis were included feedstock cost, waste disposal charges, electricity credit and income tax.
In particular, the process design components such as feedstock (solid wastes) recovery, feedstock preparation, composting, stabilization, curing, refining and storing are analysed.
