In this study, a Gluconobacter oxydans strain DSM 2003 was found to have the ability to transform 2,3-butanediol into acetoin, a high value feedstock that can be widely used in dairy and cosmetic products, and chemical synthesis.
The center has spun off several companies, most focused on producing high-value feedstocks for the chemical industry, sponsors an international student contest for synthetic biology, develops graduate and undergraduate curriculum, and studies the ethical, legal, and social implications of this new field.
In contrast, Arabidopsis thaliana stem biomass showed the lowest calorific value of 15.9 MJ/kg, documenting a variation of 4.6 MJ/kg between the lowest- and highest-value feedstocks (Table 1 and Figure 1D).
Due to their high energy density and inherent fatty acid diversity, plant storage oils not only are an important part of the human diet but also have attracted growing interest as a sustainable alternative for high value chemical feedstocks and fuels, currently derived from dwindling mineral oil reserves.
Table 3 The R G value of feedstock oils at thermal hydrocracking and catalytic hydrocracking R G Thermal hydrocracking Catalytic hydrocracking KLVGO 0.729 0.672 KLVR 0.844 0.765 V-AR 0.750 0.668.
Under these premises, it seems that low-temperature oxidation of asphaltenes might be possible and that at least part of the asphaltenes can be transformed from a low-value solid to a higher value petrochemical feedstock, before the asphaltenes is further upgraded using conventional technologies.
The quality of recovered oil was analyzed and compared with those of standard values of feedstock for biodiesel.
Conceptually, the reactions taking place during HTC increase the metabolic recalcitrance and the calorific value of carbonaceous feedstocks.
Lighter oil-soluble oxygenates, or water-soluble oxygenates, which would be rich in phenolic compounds when derived from asphaltenes oxidation, could have value as petrochemical feedstocks.
Second, what is the net energy value of potential feedstocks such as cereal straw; that is, the surplus energy potentially available for conversion to fuel after allowing for energy used in production of the feedstock?
Therefore, the EROIfossil values for biomass feedstocks may represent an upper bound, or maximum EROIfossil value, for fuels generated via these feedstocks.
