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Biorefinery Modeling and Optimization

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Biorefineries

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Energy ((LNEN,volume 57))

Abstract

Most biorefinery processes are still in an early stage of development. Some pilot and demonstration plants exist, but little or no information is available from real installations at commercial scale, which is needed to determine their economic and environmental feasibility. Process simulation is a powerful tool to address this issue, since it is possible to determine mass and energy balances without the necessity of those industrial facilities. From this information, consumption of biomass and other chemicals or auxiliary services can be estimated, and plant equipment can be sized, allowing the identification of the main drawbacks and bottlenecks, the necessity of layouts modification and their optimization. This chapter reviews the different stages to carry process simulation out. As well, the main thermochemical (combustion, pyrolysis, and gasification), biochemical (fermentation) and chemical (fractionation, lignin depolymerization, and platform molecules obtaining) processes for biomass processing are discussed in terms of best approaches to simulate them. Finally, some common aspects like pinch analysis, process optimization, and upscaling are studied.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Aspen Technology—Aspentech [Internet]. Available from: http://www.aspentech.com/products/aspen-plus.aspx.

  2. 2.

    ProSim [Internet]. Available from: http://www.prosim.net/.

  3. 3.

    CHEMCAD [Internet]. Available from: http://www.chemstations.com/.

  4. 4.

    TRNSYS [Internet]. Available from: http://www.trnsys.com/.

  5. 5.

    Merichem Company. LO-CAT process for cost-effective desulfurization of all types of gas streams.

  6. 6.

    ExPE software. Exergy Performance Evaluation. Systems Analysis Unit, IMDEA Energy Institute.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Systems Analysis Unit, IMDEA Energy Institute, 28935, Móstoles, Spain

    Abel Sanz, Ana Susmozas, Jens Peters & Javier Dufour

  2. Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76133, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Jens Peters

  3. Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group, Rey Juan Carlos University, 28935, Móstoles, Spain

    Javier Dufour

Authors
  1. Abel Sanz
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  2. Ana Susmozas
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  3. Jens Peters
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  4. Javier Dufour
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Javier Dufour .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

    Miriam Rabaçal

  2. Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

    Ana F. Ferreira

  3. Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

    Carla A. M. Silva

  4. Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

    Mário Costa

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Sanz, A., Susmozas, A., Peters, J., Dufour, J. (2017). Biorefinery Modeling and Optimization. In: Rabaçal, M., Ferreira, A., Silva, C., Costa, M. (eds) Biorefineries. Lecture Notes in Energy, vol 57. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48288-0_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48288-0_6

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-48288-0

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