Process energy flow and overall energy balance in biofuels production have received very little attention. Such information is fundamental in the design and optimization of commercial scale biorefinery processes. The present study investigates experimental approaches to measure a wide range of the energy density value of liquid and solid fractions in ionic liquid (IL) pretreated biomass. The method development employed a precision bomb calorimetry along with several solid and liquid sample preparation techniques. A case study of defining the process energy flow of ionic liquid biomass pretreatment of biomass types at process demonstration scale (6 kg slurry with a solid loading of 15 wt.%) was conducted. Feedstocks used in the ionic liquid pretreatment included switchgrass, eucalyptus, and corn stover. Process energy flow map was identified for each feedstock. The scale up impact on process energy flow, and process optimization potentials will be discussed from the viewpoint of energy efficiency.

Calorimetry study of the process energy flow in ionic liquid pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass

244th National Meeting (2012)

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