About the project

Today there are a number of renewable chemicals under development, both biofuels and platform chemicals. Several studies have shown advantages of these compared to their fossil based counterparts. To achieve the most efficient production the concept of biorefineries has been brought forward, optimizing the use of the raw material when several products are produced in parallel and the integration of processes leading to energy savings. The number of studies investigating the environmental impact of the production of these products in biorefineries are however, very limited.

The project consists of a case study investigating the environmental performance of an extended biorefinery concept that consists of several industries integrated in a symbiotic system located in Kristianstad producing RME, ethanol, propionic acid, and biogas. The results highlight general critical issues for biorefineries, e.g. important environmental hot spots for biorefinery production, and can increase the understanding of how to maximize the positive environmental effects of production in biorefineries. In cooperation with involved companies, the technical feasibility of the biorefinery is  investigated. This aims at showing industry and policy makers how an efficient and economically viable biorefinery concept based on the use of residues from agriculture and industry can be designed.

Facts

Manager
Pål Börjesson, Lund University

Contact
pal.borjesson@miljo.lth.se

Participants
Linda Tufvesson, Lund University // Serina Ahlgren, SLU // Stefan Lundmark, Perstorp // Anna Ekman, Lund University/SIK (SP)

Time plan
October 2013 - December 2013

Total project cost
650 000 SEK

Funding
The f3 partners, Lund University, SLU, Perstorp and SIK (SP)