The Biorefinery Concept

A Biorefinery can in concept be considered equivalent to that of a petroleum/oil refinery, except that in this case it makes use of plant materials (renewable resources derived from photosynthesizing plants), whereas an oil refinery uses non-renewable fossil-derived petroleum.

In a world hungry for food (and fuel), it is a questionable practice to displace a foodstock resource (e.g., starch, sugar, seed oils) derived from agricultural crops such as cereals (wheat, rice), maize (corn), sugarcane, soybean, oil palm, vegetables (potato, cassava), and fruits (dates) for the production of energy and chemicals. Instead, a non-food material such as cellulose (the most abundant organic chemical on Earth) offers an alternative feedstock from which chemicals (bio-based products) can be derived, and this does not deprive a foodstock for the production of bioenergy.

The biorefining concept is now widely accepted throughout the world, and technology based upon this concept can provide a wide range of bio-based products that include: bio-fuels (bioethanol and biomethane), bio-materials (fibres, pulp for paper manufacture), and a host of bio-chemicals through downstream fermentation and refining processes.

In the past, these products were traditionally derived from petroleum feedstocks, but developed technology now allows them to be produced from renewable biological resources such as arising from agricultural processing wastes (cereal straws, sugarcane bagasse) and forestry (wood, wastes from processing lumbar such as bark, foliage, sawdust). Thus, cellulose can serve as a substitute feedstock for the conversion into bioproducts that adds value to plant biomass residues generated through processing agricultural crops for foods as well as forests.

Biorefining is still largely unexplored territory and presents many research and business opportunities for the production of bio-based products from agricultural and forest residues. What then constitutes BioRefining as a new science? Biorefining is an Interdisciplinary Science involving the interaction between Biology (microbiology), Chemistry (biochemistry), Botany (forestry), Engineering (bio/chemical & process), and Mathematics (physics). It is therefore much like Biotechnology, and in this respect applies the principles of the basic sciences and is heavily reliant upon Enzyme and Fermentation Technology.

The BRI supports research-based education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Faculty staff participating with the BRI will expand their expertise through research activity and interaction with commercial stakeholders that is fundamental to the research outcome of the BRI. Through BRI’s research and development activity, and outreach activities in the community, we expect to be able to bring new investment opportunities for business enterprises to the Thunder Bay region based on bio-products from the unique Boreal Forest of northern Ontario. Furthermore, the objectives of the BRI are to establish a network of multi-disciplinary researchers and business organizations to share the biorefining technology developed. This will identify business opportunities through research transfer and translation, and assist stakeholders to develop bio/technology strategies based upon bioenergy, bio/chemicals and biomaterials that will lead to commercial opportunities and advance the bioeconomy. The BRI will also incorporate its bio-based technology developments into the educational curriculum at Lakehead University to develop the skills and technical training necessary for a biorefining economy.

There are distinct advantages and benefits of a biorefinery using renewable feedstocks compared to chemical refining of petrochemical feedstocks. Foremost, plant biomass (agricultural and forestry residues) constitute a renewable resource, whereas crude fossil oil has a limited and finite supply, that could run dry during this century depending upon its increasing consumption as an energy source. Plant biomass will therefore reduce the dependency on crude oil (non-renewable), and will create new businesses that will lead to new jobs, and generate wealth for the Thunder Bay region, the province of Ontario, and Canada in general. A forest-based bioproducts industry will therefore promote new markets that use the unexploited products from the Boreal Forest. It should also reduce waste streams and minimize pollution, and globally, assist against climate change by reducing CO2 build up in the atmosphere.

The BRI theme embraces three streams of research activity: (i) Biological conversion, (ii) Chemical conversion, and (iii) Natural Bioproducts from the Boreal Forest biome such as the microbiota.

The research initiatives of Biorefining are not limited to value-adding of low-value forest biomass, but will also consider the economic benefits derived from the forest microbiota that includes bacteria, actinomycetes, yeasts and fungi. These microorganisms colonise and inhabit the forest soil, the decomposing forest litter, and the phytophyllosphere comprising epiphytes, endophytes and phytopathogens. The forest microbiota therefore comprises a rich diverse ecosystem that can specifically produce high-valued products, e.g., enzymes, antibiotics and pharmacologically-active compounds in combating human and animal diseases including cancer, and species that can serve as agents to resolve environmental problems (bioremediation of pollution sites).