(669e) Advanced Biorefinery Towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy: Value-Added Biobased Materials

In both the biochemical and thermo-chemical bioconversion process we generate a considerable amount of downstream products. The value-added uses of co-products and bio-products from biofuel industries are termed as “Advanced Biorefinery” in this presentation. Dry milling corn ethanol industries produce distillers’ grains and carbon dioxide whereas lingo-cellulosic ethanol industries produce lignin and carbon dioxide as their downstream products. The thermo-chemical conversion of biomass produces bio-oil, syngas and bio-chars. The value-added  biobased materials from co-products/byproducts will not only help in enhancing the profitable return of the related renewable biofuel industries but also can help in substituting certain petroleum-based products in the manufacturing sectors. These new biobased materials can be cost-competitive with added advantages of eco-friendliness. The recent developments of such biobased materials for potential uses in consumer products, packaging and interior automotive parts will be discussed.

Acknowledgement: The financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Canada for the Discovery Grant; NSERC NCE AUTO21; the Ontario Research Fund (ORF) Research Excellence (RE) Round-4 from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation (MEDI); the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) and Ministry of Rural Affairs (MRA) - University of Guelph Bioeconomy-industrial uses research program; and OMAF-MRA New Directions Research Program to carry out this research is gratefully acknowledged