Work package 1 considers the development of an ECRIA defining principles and identify research priorities for a sustainable and cost-efficient production of advanced biofuels. The structure of the ECRIA is developed and the technical work packages 2 to 5 will deliver individual white papers. Further, work is ongoing to identify relevant national research agendas and priorities to align and integrated these. Networking and workshops within the technical topics are performed, both between partners and involving stakeholders. A researcher exchange between partners is well underway, very much to improve the common understanding of the entire value chain.
WP2 aims to develop novel, ground-breaking, energetically and economically efficient biomass pre-treatment processes for the selective fractionation from biomass and selective recovery. The consortium has worked on the optimization of biomass pre-treatments at laboratory scale using wheat straw and eucalyptus wood. Currently, the fractionation of lignocellulosics is under verification.
WP3 aims to develop gasification technology to convert biorefinery residues in producer gas, sub-sequent used as feed to syngas fermentation. Therefore, gas cleaning and tuning of the syngas composition is vital. Initially, the focus was on the conversion of lignin into raw syngas. Three different gasification and gas cleaning technologies were used for gasification of two different types of lignin feedstocks. Gasification experiments are performed and optimized to achieve the proper syngas composition for the syngas fermentation. Flue gas analysis show that the gases are applicable for fermentation after cleaning, though the addition of hydrogen is essential to improve overall yields from biomass to final product.
The aim of work package 4 is to engineer thermophilic acetogens enabling production of 1-butanol and using mesophilic carboxydotrophs for producing butyric acid, for further enzymatic esterification of both syngas-derived bio-products to butyl butyrate. The work focused on engineering the thermophilic acetogen (Moorella thermoacetica) and optimizing the various steps in the transformation protocol, including markers and DNA protection. At the same time tests of the wildtype strain were carried out to prepare it for use in the bioreactor systems. Activities concerning butyric acid production included selection of suitable bacterial strains, culture media composition, and the fermentation conditions that support the highest production ratio of butyric/acetic acid. A toolbox for engineering of anaerobic and thermophilic bacteria is developed and utilized to improve the microbial strains towards production of butanol and butyric acid.
In work package 5, the individual process steps are integrated into a process flow sheet for technical, economically and environmental evaluation. Performed are a creation of mass and energy balances of the individual process steps; integration of the process steps and optimization of the overall process scheme to maximize process efficiency. Evaluation of renewable hydrogen integration and a comparative techno-economic assessment and life cycle assessment are on-going. The TEE will be performed at a system level with carbon efficiency and cost minimization as optimization criteria.
Dissemination activities include generation of a logo and website, as well as a range of branded templates for partners to use, alongside a partner eRoom for project documents. Available results are featured in 3 AMBITION newsletters. AMBITION has been promoted by the project partners at a range of conferences and exhibitions since project commencement, including EUBCE 2017, EUBCE, 2018, IEA Workshop on Gasification 2018, SHAPE Energy Sandpits, Data Driven Biotechnology Conference and others.
