About this Research Topic
Bio-energy derived from biomass is among the most important renewable energy options. It is obtained in three major types energy at different states: solid (briquette), liquid (biodiesel, bioethanol, bio-oil), and gaseous (biogas, syngas, biohydrogen). There are two conversion platforms for biomass: thermochemical conversion and biochemical conversion. In order to obtain more homogeneous raw materials, pretreatment is one of the necessary procedures. However, there are still many challenges in bioenergy available: biomass heterogeneity stems from the variation in biomass components as well as the structural variations in each constituent, complicated pretreatment process, low conversion efficiency, high cost of enzymatic hydrolysis, efficient engineering bacteria breeding, the application of its by-products (biochar for thermochemical route and lignin for biochemical route).
Bio-chemicals with excellent performance and high value-added can be produced from biomass through physical, chemical and biological high-tech methods. Similarly, the structure and properties of biomass limit the separation and effective utilization of their components. There are still many challenges in the preparation of bio-chemicals from biomass: the selection of chemical reaction paths derived from multiscale complexity, the high selectivity depolymerization, deoxygenation, polymerization inhibition, and repolymerization reaction of biomass components, especially the selective fracture of chemical bonds between cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.
This Research Topic aims to address the challenges and opportunities of the use of biomass for bioenergy and biochemicals. The potential topics of interest include but are not limited to:
• Genetic engineering of lignocellulosic feedstocks,
• Advanced pretreatment technologies, and green routes to lignocellulose deconstruction,
• Genetic engineering of microbial strains, and fermentation technologies,
• Enzymatic deconstruction of lignocellulose,
• Chemical deconstruction of lignocellulose, and fractionation technologies,
• Biotechnology for the preparation of platform chemicals,
• Issues related to the production of bioenergy through thermochemical or biochemical processes,
• Application of by-products such as biochar and lignin during bio-energy and bio-chemicals process,
• Biomass torrefaction and washing pretreatment,
• Biomass pyrolysis mechanism, including cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin,
• Biomass catalytic fast pyrolysis for bio-oil or bio-chemicals,
• Biomass gasification for production of syngas or hydrogen-rich gas,
• Biochar production from pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization or its application in energy and environmental industry.
Keywords: Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass, Lignocellulose fractionation, Enzymatic hydrolysis, Genetic engineering, Synthetic biology, Fermentation technologies, Lignocellulose deconstruction, Torrefaction, pyrolysis, and gasification, Bioapplication of lignin
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