Biorefinery: A Concept for Co-producing Biofuel with Value-Added Products

Abstract

Although biofuels are projected as promising alternative for non-renewable sources, the current cost of producing fuel from biomass is higher than crude oil. The biorefinery, co-production of value-added products along with biofuel, is suggested to overcome this drawback. The biomass is majorly utilized for biofuel production, while the residual biomass could be valorized for production of pigments, organic acids, amino acids, renewable chemicals, pharmaceuticals, enzymes, animal feed, etc. In the midst of wide array of biorefinery technologies, feedstocks and bioproduct availability, the main challenge remains in proper selection of these factors that can lead to both economical and environmental sustainability. In this chapter, the concept of biorefinery along with the role of economic and environmental assessment tools in determining the viability of biorefinery process is discussed. Various feedstocks available for energy generation and the role of chemical composition of feedstock in obtaining the end products of biorefinery are discussed. The processing technologies based on chemical, biochemical, thermochemical and mechanical methods for biorefinery-related production are also discussed. Value-added products generated from different feedstocks along with their application and market status are summarized. The final section discusses about the future perspectives of biorefinery.