Bioenergy

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a routine method in the analysis of degradation products in the prehydrolysate or the hydrolysis liquor of lignocellulosic biomass. Cation exchange column chromatography with a metal counter ion has been used for the quantitative analysis of...

Background: Biodiesel, monoalkyl esters of long-chain fatty acids attached to short-chain alcohols derived from triacylglycerols (TAGs), can be produced from renewable biomass sources. There has been interest in producing TAGs from oleaginous microorganisms. As published recently (J Biotechnol...

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...

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...

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, 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...