(99c) Applying Refining Fractionation Knowledge in Biomass Processing

It can be beneficial to separate complex mixtures into different fractions prior to further thermochemical processing. For example, significant advantages are obtained by separate processing of each fraction, obtained from the distillation of crude petroleum, through appropriate process such as Distillate Hydroprocessing, Fluidized Catalytic Cracking, Residue Hydrocracking, Visbreaking and Coking. Unlike the situation in refining, fractionation has still not found extensive application in biomass processing commercial technologies. In this presentation, challenges and potentials of using various fractionation techniques such as distillation, extraction, reactive extraction and leaching in processing biomass feedstocks and biomass derived intermediates will be addressed leveraging related knowledge from the refining industry. In addition, directional guidelines for future research for applying these technologies in biomass processing will also be discussed.