Innovative Biorefinery Processes for Agri-Food Value Chains

Section 1. Definitions and fundamental information of agri-food biorefinery

1 Introduction to agri-food biorefinery and agri-food value chains
• Scope, definition and types of biorefinery
• Background, benefits and opportunities of biorefinery in agri-food value chains
• Availability of biomass and problems of biomass valorisation
• Process configurations, upstream/downstream processing


2 Overview of the agri-food industry and its challenges
• Introduction to the agri-food industry - Food and non-food value chains and key stakeholders
• Environmental impact of conventional agri-food practices
• Sustainability challenges and the need for innovation
• Role of biorefinery in addressing agri-food challenges


3 Global perspective of biorefinery - Historical development and evolution of biorefinery concepts
• Biorefinery: Current status and development trends
• Technology readiness levels of different biorefinery concepts
• Perspective on biorefinery value chains: Economic hurdles and market opportunities
• Overview of the American, EU and Australian agri-food sector
• Comparative analysis of biorefinery models: American, EU and Australian perspectives

Section 2. Biomass for agri-food biorefinery

4 Sugar/starch rich biomass
• The overview of sugar crops and biomass thereof (e.g. sugarcane, sugar beet)
• The overview of starch crops and biomass thereof (e.g. sweet sorghum, maize, wheat and barley)


5 Fibre-rich biomass
• The overview of agricultural fibre-rich biomass (e.g. wood chips, straw, corn stover, wheat stubble)
• The overview of food industry fibre-rich biomass (e.g. brans, hulls, sugarcane bagasse)


6 Lipid-rich biomass
• The overview of plant-based lipid-rich biomass (e.g. soyabean, rapeseed, sunflower)
• The overview of aquatic-based lipid-rich biomass (e.g. micro- and macroalgae)
• The overview of animal-based lipid-rich biomass (e.g. animal and insect fats)


7 Protein-rich biomass
• The overview of plant-based protein-rich biomass (e.g. soyabean, spent grains, rice/wheat brans)
• The overview of aquatic-based protein-rich biomass (e.g. micro- and macroalgae)
• The overview of animal-based protein-rich biomass (e.g. animal and insect protein)

Section 3. Technological aspects of biorefinery

8 Pretreatments for biorefineries
• Stabilization of biomass – physical (e.g. drying, pelletization, briquetting), chemical (e.g. use of preservatives and antioxidants) and biological (e.g. use of microorganisms)
• Common chemical pre-treatment methods (acid and alkaline methods)
• Common physical pre-treatment methods (size reduction, steam explosion, extrusion)
• Advanced pre-treatment methods (e.g. US, PEF, HPP, MW, ozonolysis, ionic liquids)


9 Physico-chemical conversion systems
• Physical conversion systems (e.g. fractionation, separation)
• Chemical conversion systems (e.g. hydrolysis, pyrolysis, torrefaction, solvolysis)


10 Biological processes for biorefinery
• Fermentation
• Anaerobic digestion
• Enzymatic hydrolysis
• Biocatalysis
• Algae cultivation


11 Separation and purification processes for biorefinery
• Distillation
• Extraction
• Membrane separation
• Crystallization
• Ion exchange

Section 4. Novel value chains using renewable biomass for food biorefinery and bioproducts

12 Design of value chains for agricultural residues and waste biorefinery
• Availability of biomass
• Single vs multi product value chains
• Process design and optimization
• Techno-economic analysis and market potential


13 Design of value chains for by- and secondary products biorefinery
• Availability of biomass (e.g. from edible oil processing industry, bakery industry, alcoholic beverage industry)
• Single vs multi product value chains
• Process design and optimization
• Techno-economic analysis and market potential


14 Design of value chains for aquatic plants biorefinery
• Availability of biomass (e.g. algae, duckweed, etc.)
• Single vs multi product value chains
• Process design and optimization
• Techno-economic analysis and market potential


15 Design of value chains for fishery industry side streams biorefinery
• Availability of biomass
• Single vs multi product value chains
• Process design and optimization
• Techno-economic analysis


16 Design of value chains for insect processing biorefinery
• Availability of biomass
• Single vs multi product value chains
• Process design and optimization
• Techno-economic analysis

Section 5. Environmental and social aspects of biorefinery

17 Sustainability assessment/LCA approaches for biorefinery
• Environmental aspects of biorefinery
• Sustainable circular bioeconomy
• Life cycle assessment in food biorefinery
• Zero-waste design and management in food industry


18 Social and ethical impact of biorefinery
• Social implications of biorefinery in agri-food value chains (employment opportunities, rural development, job creation, improved livelihood)
• Ethical considerations of biorefinery practices (ethical feedstock selection, land use, environmental impact)
• Public perception, communication and public engagement
• Education and awareness programs for public acceptance and trust-building
• Regulatory and policy considerations