Biorefineries Overview

As a petroleum refinery uses petroleum as the major input and processes it into many different products, a biorefinery uses lignocellulosic biomass as the major input and processes it into many different products. Currently, wet-mill corn processing and pulp and paper mills can be categorized as biorefineries since they produce multiple products from biomass. Research is currently being conducted to foster new industries to convert biomass into a wide range of products, including ones that would otherwise be made from petrochemicals. The idea is for biorefineries to produce both high-volume liquid fuels and high-value chemicals or products in order to address national energy needs while enhancing operation economics.

Two of the most promising emerging biorefinery platforms are the sugar platform and the thermochemical platform (also known as the syngas platform). Sugar platform biorefineries would break biomass down into different types of component sugars for fermentation or other biological processing into various fuels and chemicals. Thermochemical biorefineries would convert biomass to synthesis gas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) or pyrolysis oil, the various components of which could be directly used as fuel.

The diagram below illustrates the biorefinery concept.

Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Biomass Program, June 2006. http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/biorefinery.html