ABSTRACT
ABST R AC T The chemical industry experiences a steady growth in the use of renewables induced by the gradual depletion of oil, uncertainties in energy supplies and a commanding requirement to reduce GHG emissions and save the planet. Renewables introduce an impressive range of options with biorening at the centre of attention as an emerging industrial concept, uniquely attached to chemical engineering and aiming to transform plant-derived biomass into a variety of products including transport fuels, platform chemicals, polymers, and specialty chemicals. In competing with conventional processes, bioreneries should match maximum efciencies with better design and process integration. The paper highlights the pivotal role of systems technology to foster innovation, preview options, and support high-throughput computational experimentation, arguing that systemsenabled platforms could function as powerful environments to generate ideas for integrated designs and offer tremendous services to the complex
CONTENTS
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 108 Early Developments in the Production of Biofuels ....................................... 109 Second Generation Fuels and Multi-product Bioreneries ......................... 111
(i) Synthesis and Process Integration ..................................................... 112 (ii) ‘Retrotting’ the Petrochemical Reneries ....................................... 113 (iii) General Process Modelling and Flowsheeting ............................... 114
Challenges in the Design of Supply Chains ................................................... 115 A Total Systems Approach to the Emerging Developments ......................... 116 Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 119 References ............................................................................................................. 120
and large problems produced by the numerous portfolios of feedstocks, unknown portfolios of products, multiple chemistries, and multiple processing paths. Complexities certainly exceed capabilities of previous methodologies but established achievements and experience with similar problems are excellent starting points for future contributions. Besides a general discussion, the paper outlines opportunities for innovation in design, concept-level synthesis, process integration, and the development of supply chains.
