Technology Transfer Department

Application sectors

Problem to solve

Improvement of hydrolysis and fermentation processes for the production of biofuels and biochemicals. Biomass matrices have an internal structure that is very resistant to treatments for the extraction of its components lignin cellulose and hemicellulose. Therefore, fermentation or hydrolysis processes have very low yields. The destructuring carried out by the steam explosion process makes the components more easily available for subsequent treatments.

Description

The Steam Explosion (SE) process or "explosion by steam" is an innovative hydrothermal treatment that allows lignocellulosic biomass to be valorised, by the use of saturated water steam at high pressure (15-20 bar). The biomass is humidified and then exposed to steam for a predefined time, after which it is brought back to atmospheric pressure: the mechanical stress induced by the decompression cause a rapid destructuring of the matrix which is more intense, the more severe the treatment conditions are (temperature and residence time). The components produced are biopolymers based on specific productions of green chemistry: from hemicellulose, hydrolysed in aqueous solution, to xylitol, xylan, furfural and bioethanol; from lignin to copolymers, bioplastics, adhesives and phenol; from cellulose to paper and biofuel. The plant infrastructure offers two methods of application of the process: 1) Small-scale batch plant, in a batch reactor of approximately 10 L, which can load up to 0.5 kg of biomass per cycle. It allows to carry out a relatively rapid treatment screening with the production of small quantities of exploded useful to search the best conditions for the production of material with given characteristics. 2) A pilot plant "DIGESTER", with an average treatment capacity of 80-150 kg/h of biomass, depending on the matrix and the required operating conditions. The biomass in the form of chips or fine elements is loaded into a silo, from which it is pre-humidified and sent to the main reactor where it remains in contact with the pressurized saturated water vapor for a predetermined time. The opening of a valve at regular intervals instantly causes the charge to pass to atmospheric pressure (“explosion”). The material produced can also be used in the production of insulation panels or feed for animals. The experimental station provides laboratories for chemical analyses.

Research group involved