Strategy to Achieve Sustainability of Green Integrated Biorefineries

A biorefinery is a facility to produce bio-based products and bioenergy.   

The PSE, Process Integration, LCA, exergy and economic analysis tools were applied at all steps of integrated biorefinery design, integration and evaluation for selected case study and allowing significant reductions of emissions and improve global energy balance. This strategy permit to achieve sustainability of green integrated biorefinery based on optimal design of multicomponent feedstock and biorefinery topology.

With energy and material integration of Sugarcane and Multi Species Algae biorefineries, it is possible to approach a zero emission system due to CO2 sequestration in phototrophic algae cultivation systems, and vinasse utilization in algal mixotrophic systems, and a positive energy balance due to utilization of energy stored in sugarcane bagasse or lignin in an integrated topology, numerous components in multicomponent feedstock, producing several low-volume, but high-value, chemical biochemical or biological products, increasing the general profitability and assuring the economic sustainability.