We have in the previous chapters identified different types of the raw materials and products that can ensure a transformation from a petroleum-based to a bio-based society. We have discussed how raw materials can be converted to the required end-products. Before we end up with the final purified product, we still need a number of separation and purification steps. We need to select proper separation methods to reduce the cost of the process and ensure the required quality of our product. In this chapter, we will define the key parameters that are necessary to know to identify the relevant processes. This includes feed concentration, particle characteristics, and solvent properties. The chapter will introduce the existing methods for product purification and introduce guidelines for the selection of the best technologies for the separation and purification processes.

This chapter will give you a fundamental understanding of microbial metabolism and the chemical and biochemical reactions associated with industrial biomass refining. After going through this chapter and solving the assignments, the reader will be able to describe biomass processing and perform the stoichiometric and kinetic calculations needed to solve given biomass processing challenges.

Perhaps paradoxically, it is vital for any newly founded company or established business not to focus exclusively on technology development, technology maturation, and product design. Of course, having a product that performs according to specification is critical, but if the market is not well understood, you have a flawed business model, or your manufacturing costs far exceed what customers are willing to pay for your product, then even if the technology is excellent the business might fail. This chapter is devoted to basic business concepts and fundamental principles in cost accounting, analysis, and market research. Topics include an introduction to value chains, calculating capital costs of building new plants or acquiring new units for production (CapEx), operational expenditures (OpEx), learning curve analysis, and assessment of profitability. The chapter will also introduce basic tools and methods for market research, which will provide the necessary insights to position your technology in a constantly evolving market.

The introduction of bioprocessing in industry will increase the demand for biomass from agricultural fields, forests, and the marine environment (see Chapter 2). Chapter 3 will give you an understanding of the challenges related to extraction and production of biomass, which have spatial effects on land and marine use, ecosystems, and biodiversity. The collection and production of biomass must be sustainable, and contribute to biodiversity and an ethical environment as described in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 15 Life on land, SDG 14 Life below water, SDG 13 Climate action, and SDG 11 Methods. You will be introduced to life cycle analysis (LCA), which is a tool designed for broader analyses of products or whole production systems as well as analyses of the categories of policies societies implement in order to guide and regulate the production and processing of biomass.

A central part at biorefinery plants is the conversion of raw materials to the product of interest. The conversion process can be chemical or biological. The chemical conversion will be explained in this chapter and the biological conversion in Chapter 9. The basic principle for the chemical reaction process will be explained, including catalytic reactions, reaction kinetics, and mass transport

This chapter delves into the crucial step of biomass pretreatment and its significance in a biorefinery. It begins by introducing a comprehensive definition of a biorefinery and the importance of pretreatment in biorefining. Various pretreatment methods, their advantages, disadvantages, and accompanying structural modifications to the biomass are explained. The general focus is on the impact of pretreatment on enzyme hydrolysis, an essential step in biomass conversion to renewable sugars for producing various bioproducts, including biofuels and biopolymers such as bioplastics. The chapter further discusses how pretreatments, if not balanced, could also contribute to downstream processing challenges, such as the generation of inhibitors. The chapter provides a comprehensive guide to grasping the necessity of pretreatment in biomass utilization for sustainable biorefining.

Our infrastructure and production is based on fossilized carbon feedstock. This fossil carbon used was once biogenic carbon that has undergone a natural thermochemical conversion and very similar products can be produced from biomass via thermochemical processing; enabling the utilization of the existing infrastructure. The thermochemical processes; pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion, are commercially available for coal but their adaption to biomass is lagging. Understanding both the chemical and physical differences and considering the process chemistry can, however, mitigate this. This chapter talks the reader though the carbon and process chemistry in the thermal and hydrothermal processing of biomass.