Process Design, Economics and Policies for Biorefineries

Abstract

The opportunity to study a biorefinery concept under high stress operating conditions (scarce fresh water and salt tolerant biomass) finds its applicability relevant to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Biomass from date palm fronds, bermuda grass, jasmine hedges, Avicennia marina, Moringa peregrine, and municipal solid waste can be utilized within the biorefinery approach for extracting bio based chemicals and fertilizers along with fuels and/or energy. As part of the collaborative flagship project between Masdar Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, various biomass feedstocks were studied for their utilization to produce a wide variety of products. A supply and demand side approach ensured biomass-derived intermediates were studied for their feasibility to produce biofuels, value-added chemicals and polymerization feedstocks for the manufacture of novel bio-materials. Collaborative efforts resulted in the development of several individual process flow diagrams (PFDs) of conceptual engineering designs, and their economic evaluations. The fractionation of date palms into sugars via hydrothermal pretreatment, and utilization of residual municipal solid waste to produce sugars, VFAs, or biogas was studied in more detail. Policies for waste biorefineries in the UAE were evaluated and best practices for waste collection and management were recommended. These recommendations will ideally lead to a well-regulated waste management sector and attract investment for the utilization of other available biomasses in the regionز

Date of Award	Aug 2017
Original language	American English
Supervisor	Jens Schmidt (Supervisor)