Shell biorefinery: A comprehensive introduction

Abstract

Biomass refinery is considered to be a key technology in the 21st century due to the importance of the sustainable production of various bio-derived fuels and fine chemicals. Besides the synthesis of oxygen-containing chemicals mainly from lignocellulosic biomass, nitrogen-containing chemicals belong to some of the most important commodity and fine chemicals. In this introductory short review, the main similarities and difficulties between petroleum oil- and biorefinery will be discussed and future challenges will be highlighted. As a particular example, recent developments in the shell biorefinery - the utilization of shell waste - will be reviewed. Particular emphasis will be placed on the structure of shell biomass, the current and emerging fractionation methods and the conversion of chitin and chitosan to various heteroatom-containing chemicals. This review is meant to provide an introduction to beginners in the field of biorefinery as well as a comprehensive discussion of recent proceedings in the field of shell biorefinery. An outlook on the future potential and challenges will be given. © 2018 Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences