Biofuels (Energy)

Modified AnoporeTM Hybrid Membranes for the Microfiltration of Cellulose Acid Hydrolysis Mixtures

Oct 18, 2011

Yong-Hong Zhao

Three classes of nonfouling substances, poly[poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate] (POEM), poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA), and perfluoroalkyl tagged poly(ethylene glycol) surfactants (fPEG), were covalently tethered onto the surface of Anopore TM membranes (nominal pore size 0.2...

Improving Corn Stover Reactivity In Low Severity Pretreatment Through Deacetylation and Disc-Refining

Oct 18, 2011

Xiaowen Chen

The current “state-of-art” dilute acid pretreatment to produce bio-ethanol from corn stover requires severe conditions to overcome biomass recalcitrance, which, in turn, offers 70~80% xylose monomer yield and 5~7% furfural yield. However, high acid loadings and high reaction temperatures harm the...

Cellulase Inhibition by Pretreatment-Released Biomass Degradation Products

Oct 18, 2011

G. Peter van Walsum

The influence of pretreatment chemistry and the severity of dilute acid pretreatment on the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of soluble oligomer-derived and insoluble crystalline cellulose using a commercial enzyme preparation (Novozymes) was investigated. A dilute acid pretreatment was performed on...

Evaluation of Membrane Separations Opportunities within Lignocellulosic Biorefining Processes: Tailoring Membrane Properties

Oct 18, 2011

Jennifer M. Leberknight

Evaluation of Membrane Separations Opportunities within Lignocellulosic Biorefining Processes: Tailoring Membrane Properties Jennifer Leberknight, Amitkumar Gautam, and Todd J. Menkhaus South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering 501 East Saint...

The Role of Acidic Catalyst Support On the Catalytic Upgrading of Bio-Oils

Oct 18, 2011

Sunya Boonyasuwat

Catalytic conversion of bio-oil vapor has attracted considerable interest as a promising pathway for upgrading. In this work, the reaction of anisole and guaiacol, phenolic model compounds commonly existing in bio-oils, were studied over an acidic silica-alumina catalyst and at varying space times...

Lignin Depolymerization and Deoxygenation In Ionic Liquids

Oct 18, 2011

Blair J. Cox

Lignin, an amorphous aromatic biopolymer that comprises up to 30% of plant matter, was dissolved and depolymerized in ionic liquids under acidic conditions. The acidic ionic liquid 1-methylimidazolium chloride (HMIMCl) acts as a combination solvent and catalyst that facilitates degradation of...

Which Fractionation Process Can Overcome Techno-Economic Hurdles of a Lignocellulosic Biorefinery?

Oct 18, 2011

Adriaan van Heiningen

Lignocellulosics are considered as feed stock for transportation fuels and chemicals because they address two pressing global issues; climate change and “peak oil”. The collection and processing of wood at centralized facilities is already practiced by the forest products industry. Therefore, the...

Synthesis of Green Diesel Fuel From Fatty Acid Feedstocks Via Electrochemical Hofer-Moest Decarboxylation

Oct 18, 2011

Cody Wagner

Production of biodiesel by esterification or transesterification of long-chain fatty acids is a well known process, but the fuel product has characteristics making it not fully compatible with petroleum diesel engines. A better option is to convert fatty acid molecules to hydrocarbons by removing...

An Integrated Lipid-Based Platform for “Drop-In” Fuel Biorefinery

Oct 18, 2011

Shulin Chen

A major challenge in developing biorefinery is that the availability of biomass often limits the scale of the plant thus the feasibility of an operation. We proposed an integrated lipid-based platform as one technical option. According to this concept, different biomass resources will be first...

Heterogeneous Catalysts in the Dehydration of Fructose to HMF

Oct 18, 2011

Sylvia Reiche

Several crucial steps in the upgrading of biomass-derived raw materials involve acid catalyzed reactions, such as the hydrolysis of cellulose or the dehydration of sugars. Although heterogeneous catalysts are desired in large scale industrial processes, their application is limited by several...

Reducing Process Complexity for Cellulosic Ethanol

Oct 18, 2011

L.O. Ingram

Much of the process complexity and high capital costs associate with cellulosic ethanol (dilute acid hydrolysis as a pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification of cellulose) results from side products such as furfural, acetate, and soluble lignin compounds that inhibit the biocatalysts. Inhibitor...

Co-Utilization of Methane In Steam-Biomass Gasification Using Concentrated Solar Energy

Oct 18, 2011

Aaron W. Palumbo

Presented is a novel gasification application where biomass is steam-gasified and natural gas is steam-reformed simultaneously in a solar reactor. Solar-driven gasification is a proven technology, and can augment the biofuel industry as a domestic fuel source. Gasification performed in an...

Biomimicry of the Fungal Consolidation of Biomass Pretreatment with Saccharification

Oct 18, 2011

Justin T. Kaffenberger

Efficient breakdown of ligno-cellulosic material prior to fermentation for bio-fuel production is a key step in optimizing bio-fuel production. Current industrial practice involves chemical pretreatment and acid or enzymatic saccharification to prepare ligno-cellulosic biomass for fermentation. The...

The Role of Oxygen In the Stability of Biomass Pyrolysis Oils

Oct 18, 2011

Foster Agblevor

One of the major challenges in the conversion of biomass pyrolysis to high value products and fuels is the poor stability of the oils. Biomass pyrolysis oils have shown increases in viscosity during storage at ambient conditions and when heated above ambient temperature. The poor stability of the...

The Production of Fuel Grade Butanol From Algal Carbohydrates Utilizing a Hybrid Biological and Chemical Process

Oct 18, 2011

Thomas M. Potts

Butanol has the potential to become a superior renewable fuel, either as a mixture with petroleum derived gasoline or as a stand-alone, neat fuel. The promise of butanol is currently marred by the relatively high cost of production. This paper explores a new and novel approach to the production of...

Alkaline Deacylation of Corn Stover to Reduce Toxicity of Prehydrolyzates and Improve Enzymatic Hydrolysis

Oct 18, 2011

Urvi D. Kothari

Hydrolysates from dilute acid pretreatment of biomass contain various biomass degradation products which are inhibitory to enzymes and toxic to microorganisms. One of the main inhibitory compounds is acetic acid which is released from the lignin-hemicellulose matrix in the biomass. Acetic acid at...

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Biofuels (Energy)

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