Ethanol production from microalgae and lignocellulosic biomass.

Descrizione del progetto

Microalghe e residui agricoli forniscono materie prime di fermentazione per i biocarburanti

La transizione verso forme di energia più pulite sta diventando sempre più urgente e numerose tecnologie sono in grado di dare un contributo importante a questo obiettivo. L’etanolo è un alcol e un combustibile pulito e rinnovabile che può essere prodotto dalla biomassa. Esso viene comunemente prodotto da piante amidacee, quali mais, canna da zucchero e barbabietole da zucchero. Il progetto ProEMiBiL, finanziato dall’UE, esplorerà l’uso della biomassa da canna da zucchero con la biomassa residua di microalghe ad alto contenuto di nutrienti.

Obiettivo

The European Union (EU) set-out an ambitious but achievable plan that by 2030 up to one-quarter of the total transport fuel demand should be met by clean and CO2-efficient biofuels to curb greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from fossil fuels and its impact on global climate change. The EU 2006 Biofuel policy has clearly stated that the search for alternative pathways for renewable energy sources will result in considerable growth in biofuel technologies and industry sectors in the coming years. Therefore, sustainable, energy efficient and innovative technologies are needed to produce biofuels from a wide range of raw materials feedstocks while adhering to the societal, economic and environmental norms of the EU. As an alternative to this conflict, the exploitation of new materials, such as residual biomass of lignocellulosic nature and aquatic (microalgae), can be an important strategy for the reconciliation of economic growth and environmental sustainability in the long term. Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) produced from agricultural and forestry residues including, among others, sugarcane bagasse have been considered as a generous source, which does not compete with food requirements and is one of the most abundant and promising biomass sources in the world, obtained from the processing of sugarcane. Microalgae are primitive plant organisms with no roots, stems or leaves, that can be found in all terrestrial ecosystems. Microalgal biomass is frequently rich in fatty acids, of which polyunsaturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, proteins, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins such as riboflavin, thiamine, carotene and folic acid, among others are of high value. From the above, this project proposes the bioethanol production from a biomass mixture of the microalgae Chlorella zofingiensis and lignocellulosic hydrolysate sugarcane bagasse, focusing on the development of a fermentation technology to convert the pentoses and hexoses present in the biomass to bioethanol.