Lignocellulosic materials provide a raw material source for biofuel conversion and offer several advantages over fossil fuels- usage of a renewable resource, reduced greenhouse emissions, a decreased dependence on foreign oil, and stimulation of the agricultural sector. However, a primary technological challenge in converting lignocellulosic biomass into fuel is overcoming the recalcitrance of its matrix to enzymatic hydrolysis. To overcome these problems for chemical processing, naturally occurring cellulose biomass must be pretreated before it can be further processed using enzymatic hydrolysis or bioconversion.
The purpose of this course is to provide a comprehensive overview of biomass energy crops, conventional and emerging pretreatment technologies, their effectiveness, models for prediction, scale-up opportunities, economics, and outlook for the future.
After completing Biomass Treatment Technologies students will be equipped with a basic understanding of the following:
- lignocellulosic biomass
- energy potential
- pretreatment technologies
- conversion cost and scale up
- outlook for the future
A general understanding of chemistry and/or biology is recommended
Students will be assigned 5 homework assignments, and 1 final exam for each course.
Module 1: Lignocellulose
- Cellulose
- Hemicellulose
- Lignin
Module 2: Energy crops
- Agricultural residues
- Perennial grasses
- Wood residues
- Algae
Module 3: Pretreatment technologies
- Mechanical technologies
- Chemical technologies
- Gaseous technologies
- Biological technologies
Module 4: Heating mechanisms
- Conduction heating
- Convection heating
- Microwave heating
Module 5: Measuring pretreatment effectiveness
- Sugar yield
- Fuel yield
- Degradation and byproduct yield
Module 6: Models for prediction
- Combined severity factor (CSF)
- Reactor kinetics
- Other
Module 7: Scale up
- Batch processes
- Continuous processes
- Simultaneous Saccharification (SSF) processes
Module 8: Economics
Module 9: Outlook
Research Efforts
Commercial Outlook
This course is Instructor-led and delivered through our award-winning online Learning Management System.