ABSTRACT
This chapter is based on two concepts: The biorefineries and the application of reactive separation processes in biomass processing. Firstly the concept of biorefinery is developed in detail to introduce the readers to all processing lines and design strategies that finally could be improved in biorefineries, Then, the chapter discusses the concept of reactive separation as applied in biomass conversion through the biorefineries structures described using most of the reaction and separation theory already developed for chemical engineering. Then, the case study of extractive fermentation for a glucose-based biorefinery with a line producing ethanol is considered. The glucose is obtained from biomass, and the technological modification is done in the stage of fermentation, in which the process is changed to an extractive fermentation. This case study is based on the work developed by Serna et al. together with the authors of the present book and represents one of the most used applications together with reactive distillation (for example in biodiesel production) today in the industry.
