IMPROVED UTILIZATION OF CO-PRODUCTS FROM BIOFUEL INDUSTRIES IN NEW BIOMATERIALS USES: A MOVE TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE BIOREFINERY

摘要

Ever increasing energy demand, definite source of fossil fuel and concern over global climate change have motivated the resurgence of renewable resource based alternative technology for transportation fuel, chemicals and materials. Biomass conversion into biofuels, results a huge amount of residues or downstream products called as co-products such as distillers' dried grains with solubles (DDGS), protein meals, crude glycerol, hemicellulose and lignin. As the production of biofuel continues to grow, surplus amounts of co-products become a critical issue for their disposal or effective utilization. A successful biorefinery begins with the productive usage of every component of biological feedstocks at various stages for fuels, chemicals or materials that parallel to the traditional approach used in "petro-refineries". Still biorefienry is risky investment, with respect to commercial benefits and finding value added uses for their co-products is one solution, which can create economic returns and lead to their sustainability. Thus present article summaries the prospects of improved utilization of co-products from biofuel industries for new industrial applications.