| 1. |
- Alvfors, Per, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
-
Research and development challenges for Swedish biofuel actors – three illustrative examples : Improvement potential discussed in the context of Well-to-Tank analyses
- 2010
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Currently biofuels have strong political support, both in the EU and Sweden. The EU has, for example, set a target for the use of renewable fuels in the transportation sector stating that all EU member states should use 10% renewable fuels for transport by 2020. Fulfilling this ambition will lead to an enormous market for biofuels during the coming decade. To avoid increasing production of biofuels based on agriculture crops that require considerable use of arable area, focus is now to move towards more advanced second generation (2G) biofuels that can be produced from biomass feedstocks associated with a more efficient land use. Climate benefits and greenhouse gas (GHG) balances are aspects often discussed in conjunction with sustainability and biofuels. The total GHG emissions associated with production and usage of biofuels depend on the entire fuel production chain, mainly the agriculture or forestry feedstock systems and the manufacturing process. To compare different biofuel production pathways it is essential to conduct an environmental assessment using the well-to-tank (WTT) analysis methodology. In Sweden the conditions for biomass production are favourable and we have promising second generation biofuels technologies that are currently in the demonstration phase. In this study we have chosen to focus on cellulose based ethanol, methane from gasification of solid wood as well as DME from gasification of black liquor, with the purpose of identifying research and development potentials that may result in improvements in the WTT emission values. The main objective of this study is thus to identify research and development challenges for Swedish biofuel actors based on literature studies as well as discussions with the the researchers themselves. We have also discussed improvement potentials for the agriculture and forestry part of the WTT chain. The aim of this study is to, in the context of WTT analyses, (i) increase knowledge about the complexity of biofuel production, (ii) identify and discuss improvement potentials, regarding energy efficiency and GHG emissions, for three biofuel production cases, as well as (iii) identify and discuss improvement potentials regarding biomass supply, including agriculture/forestry. The scope of the study is limited to discussing the technologies, system aspects and climate impacts associated with the production stage. Aspects such as the influence on biodiversity and other environmental and social parameters fall beyond the scope of this study. We find that improvement potentials for emissions reductions within the agriculture/forestry part of the WTT chain include changing the use of diesel to low-CO2-emitting fuels, changing to more fuel-efficient tractors, more efficient cultivation and manufacture of fertilizers (commercial nitrogen fertilizer can be produced in plants which have nitrous oxide gas cleaning) as well as improved fertilization strategies (more precise nitrogen application during the cropping season). Furthermore, the cultivation of annual feedstock crops could be avoided on land rich in carbon, such as peat soils and new agriculture systems could be introduced that lower the demand for ploughing and harrowing. Other options for improving the WTT emission values includes introducing new types of crops, such as wheat with higher content of starch or willow with a higher content of cellulose. From the case study on lignocellulosic ethanol we find that 2G ethanol, with co-production of biogas, electricity, heat and/or wood pellet, has a promising role to play in the development of sustainable biofuel production systems. Depending on available raw materials, heat sinks, demand for biogas as vehicle fuel and existing 1G ethanol plants suitable for integration, 2G ethanol production systems may be designed differently to optimize the economic conditions and maximize profitability. However, the complexity connected to the development of the most optimal production systems require improved knowledge and involvement of several actors from different competence areas, such as chemical and biochemical engineering, process design and integration and energy and environmental systems analysis, which may be a potential barrier.
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| 2. |
- Koppram, Rakesh, 1986, et al.
(författare)
-
Simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation for bioethanol production using corncobs at lab, PDU and demo scales
- 2015
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Ingår i: Fuel production from non-food biomass: Corn stover. - : Apple Academic Press. - 9781498728430 - 9781771881234 ; , s. 155-179
-
Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The global CO2 emissions in 2010 from fossil energy use grew at the fastest rate since 1969. The year 2010 also witnessed that the global oil production did not match the rapid growth in consumption [1]. These recent data further intensify worldwide concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and energy security for a sustained economic development. For a reduced dependence on oil from fossil reserves, use of biofuels such as bioethanol from abundantly available lignocellulosic biomass is of great interest nowadays because they will count towards meeting the mandate of 10% binding target for biofuels from renewable sources in the transport for all European member states by 2020 [2]. Along with this interest comes increased interest in commercializing ethanol production technology from inexpensive lignocellulosic feedstocks which includes wood biomass, agricultural and forestry residues, biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal wastes. Irrespective of type, the basic structural composition of lignocellulosic biomass consists of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The cellulose and hemicellulose that form the polysaccharide fraction are embedded in a recalcitrant and inaccessible arrangement [3] and therefore requires a pretreatment step to disrupt the structure and make it accessible for subsequent steps. Since lignocellulosic materials are very complex, not one pretreatment method can apply for all the materials. Several methods that are classified in to physical, physico-chemical, chemical and biological pretreatment have been investigated and an elaborate review on each of these methods has been presented by Taherzadeh and Karimi [4]. One of the most commonly used pretreatment methods is steam explosion, with the addition of H2SO4 or SO2, which removes most of the hemicellulose, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis to convert cellulose to glucose [5,6].
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| 3. |
- Akerberg, C, et al.
(författare)
-
A kinetic model for enzymatic wheat starch saccharification
- 2000
-
Ingår i: Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology. - 0268-2575. ; 75:4, s. 306-314
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A kinetic model describing the enzymatic saccharification of wheat starch by a mixture of ol-amylase and amyloglucosidase has been developed. The model describes the influence of pH, glucose inhibition and starch and enzyme concentration, The results of experimental saccharification under different physical conditions, eg pH and temperature, were used to determine the parameters in the model. The dominant enzyme in the mixture was amyloglucosidase and the maximum rate of saccharification due to this enzyme was found to be optimal at pH 5, and increased Five-Fold when the temperature was increased from 30 to 55 degrees C, Saccharification due to the action of amyloglucosidase was inhibited by the glucose produced and simulation showed that the maximum rate of saccharification decreased by 58% at a starch concentration of 140gdm(-3) compared with a starch concentration much less than 110 gdm(-3) where the effect of glucose inhibition was negligible, (C) 2000 society of Chemical Industry.
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| 4. |
- Akerberg, C, et al.
(författare)
-
An economic evaluation of the fermentative production of lactic acid from wheat flour
- 2000
-
Ingår i: Bioresource Technology. - 1873-2976. ; 75:2, s. 119-126
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A process for the fermentative production of lactic acid from whole-wheat flour consisting of starch and bran containing nutrients is presented and an economical evaluation of the lactic acid production cost performed. Bottlenecks were identified and alternative processes were evaluated and compared. The costs of raw material, the sodium hydroxide in the fermentation step, and the conversion of lactate to lactic acid using electrodialysis were found to contribute considerably to the total production cost. Performing the fermentation step as a batchwise step was economically better than continuous fermentation. The lactic acid production cost can be reduced by lowering the pH and/or by recycling the sodium hydroxide produced by electrodialysis to the fermentor. Using higher wheat flour concentrations reduced the lactic acid production cost and numerical optimisation of the process, with respect to the wheat flour concentration, showed that the optimal concentration corresponded to 116 g glucose/l, which resulted in a production cost of 0.833 US$/kg product. A Monte Carlo simulation of the total production cost for this concentration when the investment and operational cost and the price of the raw material were varied showed that the probability that the production cost could be lower than 0.90 or 1.0 US$/kg was 61% or 91%, respectively. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
- Akerberg, C, et al.
(författare)
-
Modelling the influence of pH, temperature, glucose and lactic acid concentrations on the kinetics of lactic acid production by Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis ATCC 19435 in whole-wheat flour
- 1998
-
Ingår i: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-0614 .- 0175-7598. ; 49:6, s. 682-690
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A kinetic model of the fermentative production of lactic acid from glucose by Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis ATCC 19435 in whole-wheat flour has been developed. The model consists of terms for substrate and product inhibition as well as for the influence of pH and temperature. Experimental data from fermentation experiments under different physical conditions were used to fit and verify the model. Temperatures above 30 degrees C and pH levels below 6 enhanced the formation of byproducts and D-lactic acid. By-products were formed in the presence of maltose only, whereas D-lactic acid was formed independently of the presence of maltose although the amount formed was greater when maltose was present. The lactic acid productivity was highest between 33 degrees C and 35 degrees C and at pH 6. In the concentration interval studied (up to 180 g l(-1) glucose and 89 g l(-1) lactic acid) simulations showed that both substances were inhibiting. Glucose inhibition was small compared with the inhibition due to lactic acid.
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| 6. |
- Alkasrawi, Malek, et al.
(författare)
-
Influence of strain and cultivation procedure on the performance of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of steam pretreated spruce
- 2006
-
Ingår i: Enzyme and Microbial Technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0141-0229. ; 38:1-2, s. 279-286
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Yeast to be used in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of lignocelluloses materials has to be prepared in a separate cultivation step. The effects of the cultivation procedure on the performance of SSF of steam pretreated softwood were studied in the current work. The yeast used in the SSF was either directly commercially available Baker's yeast (as packaged yeast) or the same strain of yeast produced from the hydrolysate obtained in the pretreatment of the softwood material. A second strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae TMB3000. isolated from spent sulphite liquor, was also compared with the commercial Baker's yeast. The strains were tested in SSF at substrate loads of 3, 5 and 8% dry weight of water insoluble material. Final ethanol yields were above 85% of the theoretical (based on the available hexoses) in all cases, except for the package yeast for the 8% substrate load, in which case the final yield was less than 65%. The cultivation procedure was found to have a significant impact on the performance during SSF, as well as in small-scale fermentations of hydrolysate liquor without solid material. The Baker's yeast cultivated on the hydrolysate from the steam pretreatment had in all cases a higher productivity, in particular at the highest substrate load. Cultivated Baker's yeast had a slightly higher productivity than TMB3000. The results suggest that the adaptation of the yeast to the inhibitors present in the medium is an important factor that must be considered in the design of SSF processes.
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| 7. |
- Alkasrawi, Malek, et al.
(författare)
-
The effect of Tween-20 on simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of softwood to ethanol
- 2003
-
Ingår i: Enzyme and Microbial Technology. - 0141-0229. ; 33:1, s. 71-78
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Simultaneous sacchatification and fermentation (SSF) of steam-pretreated wood constitutes an attractive process configuration for ethanol production from biomass. However, the high enzyme addition in SSF contributes to a high process cost. In this study we explore the effect of the non-ionic surfactant Tween-20 as an additive in SSE Tween-20 addition at 2.5 g/l had several positive effects on SSF: (i) the ethanol yield was increased by 8%; (ii) the amount of enzyme loading could be reduced by 50%, while maintaining a constant yield; (iii) the enzyme activity increased in the liquid fraction at the end of SSF, probably by preventing unproductive binding of the cellulases to lignin, which could facilitate enzyme recovery; (iv) the time required to attain maximum ethanol concentration was reduced. Surfactants as an additive in SSF can significantly lower the operational cost of the process. However, less expensive surfactants must be investigated. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 8. |
- Alvors, Per, et al.
(författare)
-
Research and development challenges for Swedish biofuel actors – three illustrative examples : Improvement potential discussed in the context of Well-to-Tank analyses
- 2010
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Currently biofuels have strong political support, both in the EU and Sweden. The EU has, for example, set a target for the use of renewable fuels in the transportation sector stating that all EU member states should use 10% renewable fuels for transport by 2020. Fulfilling this ambition will lead to an enormous market for biofuels during the coming decade. To avoid increasing production of biofuels based on agriculture crops that require considerable use of arable area, focus is now to move towards more advanced second generation (2G) biofuels that can be produced from biomass feedstocks associated with a more efficient land use.Climate benefits and greenhouse gas (GHG) balances are aspects often discussed in conjunction with sustainability and biofuels. The total GHG emissions associated with production and usage of biofuels depend on the entire fuel production chain, mainly the agriculture or forestry feedstock systems and the manufacturing process. To compare different biofuel production pathways it is essential to conduct an environmental assessment using the well-to-tank (WTT) analysis methodology.In Sweden the conditions for biomass production are favourable and we have promising second generation biofuels technologies that are currently in the demonstration phase. In this study we have chosen to focus on cellulose based ethanol, methane from gasification of solid wood as well as DME from gasification of black liquor, with the purpose of identifying research and development potentials that may result in improvements in the WTT emission values. The main objective of this study is thus to identify research and development challenges for Swedish biofuel actors based on literature studies as well as discussions with the the researchers themselves. We have also discussed improvement potentials for the agriculture and forestry part of the WTT chain. The aim of this study is to, in the context of WTT analyses, (i) increase knowledge about the complexity of biofuel production, (ii) identify and discuss improvement potentials, regarding energy efficiency and GHG emissions, for three biofuel production cases, as well as (iii) identify and discuss improvement potentials regarding biomass supply, including agriculture/forestry. The scope of the study is limited to discussing the technologies, system aspects and climate impacts associated with the production stage. Aspects such as the influence on biodiversity and other environmental and social parameters fall beyond the scope of this study.We find that improvement potentials for emissions reductions within the agriculture/forestry part of the WTT chain include changing the use of diesel to low-CO2-emitting fuels, changing to more fuel-efficient tractors, more efficient cultivation and manufacture of fertilizers (commercial nitrogen fertilizer can be produced in plants which have nitrous oxide gas cleaning) as well as improved fertilization strategies (more precise nitrogen application during the cropping season). Furthermore, the cultivation of annual feedstock crops could be avoided on land rich in carbon, such as peat soils and new agriculture systems could be introduced that lower the demand for ploughing and harrowing. Other options for improving the WTT emission values includes introducing new types of crops, such as wheat with higher content of starch or willow with a higher content of cellulose.From the case study on lignocellulosic ethanol we find that 2G ethanol, with co-production of biogas, electricity, heat and/or wood pellet, has a promising role to play in the development of sustainable biofuel production systems. Depending on available raw materials, heat sinks, demand for biogas as vehicle fuel and existing 1G ethanol plants suitable for integration, 2G ethanol production systems may be designed differently to optimize the economic conditions and maximize profitability. However, the complexity connected to the development of the most optimal production systems require improved knowledge and involvement of several actors from different competence areas, such as chemical and biochemical engineering, process design and integration and energy and environmental systems analysis, which may be a potential barrier.Three important results from the lignocellulosic ethanol study are: (i) the production systems could be far more complex and intelligently designed than previous studies show, (ii) the potential improvements consist of a large number of combinations of process integration options wich partly depends on specific local conditions, (iii) the environmental performance of individual systems may vary significantly due to systems design and local conditons.From the case study on gasification of solid biomass for the production of biomethane we find that one of the main advantages of this technology is its high efficiency in respect to converting biomass into fuels for transport. For future research we see a need for improvements within the gas up-grading section, including gas cleaning and gas conditioning, to obtain a more efficient process. A major challenge is to remove the tar before the methanation reaction.Three important results from the biomethane study are: (i) it is important not to crack the methane already produced in the syngas, which indicates a need for improved catalysts for selective tar cracking, (ii) there is a need for new gas separation techniques to facilitate the use of air oxidation agent instead of oxygen in the gasifier, and (iii) there is a need for testing the integrated process under realistic conditions, both at atmospheric and pressurized conditions.From the case study on black liquor gasification for the production of DME we find that the process has many advantages compared to other biofuel production options, such as the fact that black liquor is already partially processed and exists in a pumpable, liquid form, and that the process is pressurised and tightly integrated with the pulp mill, which enhances fuel production efficiency. However, to achieve commercial status, some challenges still remain, such as demonstrating that materials and plant equipment meet the high availability required when scaling up to industrial size in the pulp mill, and also proving that the plant can operate according to calculated heat and material balances. Three important results from the DME study are: (i) that modern chemical pulp mills, having a potential surplus of energy, could become important suppliers of renewable fuels for transport, (ii) there is a need to demonstrate that renewable DME/methanol will be proven to function in large scale, and (iii) there is still potential for technology improvements and enhanced energy integration.Although quantitative improvement potentials are given in the three biofuel production cases, it is not obvious how these potentials would affect WTT values, since the biofuel production processes are complex and changing one parameter impacts other parameters. The improvement potentials are therefore discussed qualitatively. From the entire study we have come to agree on the following common conclusions: (i) research and development in Sweden within the three studied 2G biofuel production technologies is extensive, (ii) in general, the processes, within the three cases, work well at pilot and demonstration scale and are now in a phase to be proven in large scale, (iii) there is still room for improvement although some processes have been known for decades, (iv) the biofuel production processes are complex and site specific and process improvements need to be seen and judged from a broad systems perspective (both within the production plant as well as in the entire well-to-tank perspective), and (v) the three studied biofuel production systems are complementary technologies. Futher, the process of conducting this study is worth mentioning as a result itself, i.e. that many different actors within the field have proven their ability and willingness to contribute to a common report, and that the cooperation climate was very positive and bodes well for possible future collaboration within the framework of the f3 center.Finally, judging from the political ambitions it is clear that the demand for renewable fuels will significantly increase during the coming decade. This will most likely result in opportunities for a range of biofuel options. The studied biofuel options all represent 2G biofuels and they can all be part of the solution to meet the increased renewable fuel demand.
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| 9. |
- Aly, Gharib, et al.
(författare)
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Simulation and design of distillation units for treatment of sulphite pulping condensates to recover methanol and furfural. Part II: Applicability of multi-effect distillation using live steam
- 1979
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Ingår i: Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering. - : Wiley. - 0008-4034 .- 1939-019X. ; 57:3, s. 316-320
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A distillation unit has been designed for a capacity of 73 t/h of condensate and for at least 90% recovery of the contaminating organics. This unit consists of three columns: a primary stripper to remove volatile organics and two upgrading columns to purify the methanol and furfural byproducts. Three different energy-saving alternatives for satisfying the energy requirements have been studied: utilisation of secondary steam from the evaporation plant, and application of the principle of multi-effect distillation in one-stripper and in two-stripper configurations. Investment cost needed in all alternatives amounts to 5.5–6.0 MCr (millions of Swedish Crowns) while operating cost varies between 0.8–3.1 MCr. The first design alternative has a payoff period of 2.3 years while the two multi-effect distillation alternatives have a payoff period of about 3 years.
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| 10. |
- Andersson, M, et al.
(författare)
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Determination of the pore-size distribution in gels
- 1995
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Ingår i: Bioseparation. - 1573-8272. ; 5:2, s. 65-72
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A method for determination of the accessible volume fraction in gels as function of the molecular weight of the solutes is presented. The pore-size distribution is determined by measuring the rate of diffusion of a mixture of solutes into a gel using gel filtration for separation. The solutes, of various sizes, are detected by refractive index measurements. Two marker molecules (blue dextran and glucose) were used to determine the gel void and the amount of liquid adhering to the surface. The technique is simple and can easily be adapted to other systems of a porous nature (membranes, catalyst pellets etc.). The method is applied to an N-isopropylacrylamide gel. This gel is sensitive to temperature changes. A considerable increase in volume is obtained when the temperature is decreased. This makes it suitable for use as a separation agent in gel extraction. In order to assess the performance of this unit operation the pore size distribution for the N-isopropylacrylamide gel was determined at 10 degrees C, 20 degrees C and 30 degrees C, using mixtures of different dextrans as well as different polyethylene glycols.
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