What
Is A Biorefinery?
"a biorefinery"
is an overall concept of a processing plant where biomass feedstock is
converted and extracted into a spectrum of valuable products. Based on
the petrochemical refinery
“biorefining”
is to transfer the efficiency and logic of the fossil-based chemistry
and material converting industry onto the biomass industry.
Biorefineries
are based on
petrochemical refinery technology and their development represents a
potential key for the integrated production of energy in the form of
bio-gas (for the production of electricity) and bio-ethanol (for
transportation), plant based protein for food and feed; and high value
bio chemicals including bio-based products which are both photo and
biodegradable.
In essence, a green biorefinery is a processing plant in which
herbaceous biomass feedstock is converted (through a biorefining
process) into a spectrum of valuable products with near zero CO2
emissions
By focussing on fresh
grass and grass
silage, this technology will change the current perception of grass as
a feed for animals to viewing it as a feedstock for the production of energy and non-food products.
In
this regard the utilisation of grass in a biorefinery will reduce CO2
emissions as the grass used would otherwise be used as animal feed and
in the process lead to the production of
green house gases (eg.CO2 and Methane). Accordingly green biorefineries
will help to reduce CO2 levels in the environment.
Similarly, the
realisation of green
biorefineries in tillage areas in Ireland can provide a valuable market
for the grass grown (and cut to waste) on set-a-side land in these
areas. The grass cut on this
set-a-side land is currently cut to waste with the consequent release
of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Biorefinery
Systems
The
Two-Platform concept (the production of syngas
and/or sugar as platforms for bio-based products and fuel.
The three types of biorefineries are Green Biorefineries
(GBR),
Whole Crop
Biorefineries (WCB) and
Lignocellulosic
Feedstock Biorefineries (LCF).
