INTEGRATED GREEN TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM
FOR PRODUCING ADVANCED BIOFUELS
Project acronym: ADVBIOFUELS
Competition/Project ID: PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-1006
Contract No.:
Partners:
- Universitatea Babes-Bolyai, Cluj Napoca
- Institutul de Cercetari Produse Auxiliare Organice, ICPAO Medias
- Institutul de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Chimie si Petrochimie, ICECHIM Bucuresti
Project Coordinator: Universitatea Babes-Bolyai, Cluj Napoca
Project responsible from ICPAO: ing. Olimpiu Blajan
The project aim:
Valorization of the industrial wastes, molasses and glycerin, through an ecological system . The conversion to advanced biofuel or biofuel additives, performed by chemical/ enzymatic catalysis system will be via two important intermediates:5-(hydroxymethyl) furfural and pyruvic acid.
AdvBioFuels is an innovative approach to biofuel production. The project aims to achieve a biodiesel type fuel, which uses both molasses obtained in sugar industry, and aqueous glycerin resulting from conventional biodiesel technology in a highly efficient, integrated chemo-biocatalytic process.
Transformation of these industrial by-products into biodiesel fuels has several undisputable advantages compared to conversion to bioethanol: higher energy density, lower volatility etc. Also the biodiesel type fuels has superior characteristics compared and diesel fuel : more complete burning, because oxygen present in the molecule , level of NO2 gas emissions reduced , lower pour point . The use of biofuels as components in diesel fuel will reduce vehicle emissions, for example carbon monoxide, particulate matter and unburned hydrocarbons.
Furthermore the raw materials are industrial by-products, and renewable source of biofuels help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy dependence.
In this way AdvBioFuels project notion is consistent with current European directives, and will be developing new technologies for production of high performance biofuels by a multi-disciplinary team composed of three partners
OBJECTIVES:
The project aims the achievement of five objectives, successively developed at laboratory scale and at scale-up level:
1. A chemo-catalytic methodology for obtaining 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from molasses. Here we will develop a selective catalyst and a way of purifying and stabilizing the product.
2. A methodology of assisted bio-catalysis using baker's yeast grown on molasses, to condense the pyruvic acid produced in the metabolism, with 5-hydroxy-methylfurfural.
3. A methodology for the acetalization of hydroxymethylfurfural with glycerol, and of the aldose obtained in the previous step with different aldehydes to obtain hydroxyl-acetals with furanic structure.
4. A methodology for enzymatic and chemical acylation of the hydroxy acetals obtained in the previous step, with acyl groups from natural sources, to increase the reduction grade of the derivatized furanic core.
5. The development of a feasibility study for the obtaining of the advanced biofuel by exploiting the molasses and glycerol resulted as industrial byproducts.
POTENTIAL APLICATIONS / BENEFITS:
Besides the actual state of the art, the project as a whole will ensure:
- A better valorization of the molasses and glycerol (both industrial byproducts)
- The reduction of the fossil fuel dependency, by replacing it with advanced biofuels,
- Biofuels with improved properties (freezing point, viscosity, volatility, CFPP, solubility in water etc.),
- Promoting new, cheaper technologies to obtain advanced biofuels,
- A reduction of the negative impact of the carting (transportation) field on the environment, by using a renewable source of energy, produced in greenway.
Site: ADVBIOFUELS