Dr. C. Zetzl

As the petrol era is facing its end, new resources for base chemicals, polymers and energy production need to be explored. Therefore, the conversion of biomass to high value products such as fine chemicals and biofuels has recently attracted the interest of scientists from academia and industry. Established processes are mainly based on the utilization of starchy substrates (1^st genereation biorefinery), which are in direct competition with the food producing agricultural industries, while (often) leaving the main constituent of biomass resources unused. Biomass consists mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin followed by proteins and lipids. The goal of the second generation biorefinery is to integrate all added value streams into one biorefinery concept using lignocellulosic plant residues from different industries. The fractionation of added value streams is exemplarily depicted for the model substrate wheat straw:

Our motivation is to isolate these compounds or compound mixtures with a process cascade, which exclusively utilizes CO₂, water and enzymes and to convert these into platform chemicals like glucose, xylanes and furfural. Currently, the use of lignin, as the second most abundant biopolymer and the main natural source of phenols, is gaining more attention.

These materials can be introduced into a sustainable production of scale for almost all needs in life science, energy and polymer producing technologies. These processes are contained in the term “biorefinery”. In analogy to an oil refinery, the biorefinery uses renewable sources as a feedstock and turns them into different product streams. Nevertheless, in order for this biorefinery to be economically viable, all its product streams should find use and application, exactly like in the oil refinery. Sequential isolation and possible use of the single fractions can be summarized as follows:

Find out about 10 years of lignocellulose biorefinery research at TVT

Summer School:

The TUHH-Institute for Thermal Separation Processes is taking active part in teaching at the annual European Summer School in High Pressure Technology, which has been held since 20 years by Prof. Thomas Gamse from the TU Graz.

Undergraduate / Grammar School:

TUHH Insitute for Thermal Separation Processes offers workshops with regional schools for the education of 2 G Biorefinery topics, namely the production and purification of Bioethanol.

Links/Cooperations:

• Bioraffinerie2021
• BioMP
• Nanohybrids/Aerogel-Gruppe
• Mothes Hochdruck-Technik GmbH, Berlin
• tesa SE
• Tecnaro
• Dräger
• Verbio
• Amandus Kahl Group 
• SPE (TUHH)
• Fraunhofer Zentrum für Chemisch-Biologische Prozesse, Leuna
• Thünen-Institut
• University of KwaZulu Natal (SA)
• University of Technology Durban (SA)
• Sugar Milling Research Institute (SA)
• University of Barth (GB)
• Tunesian Center of Biotechnology, Sfax (TN)
• University odf Natural resources and Life Sciences , Vienna (A)
• University of Valladolid (ES)
• Tutech Innovation GmbH
• Dr. Straetmans GmbH
• Industrielle Biotechnologie Nord (IBN) ,TuTech Innovation GmbH, Mrs. Karin Meyer-Pannwitt
• Loick Biowerkstoffe GmbH
• ZAE Bayern

Co-Workers:

• Dr. Carsten Zetzl (Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE): A Sustainable Thermal Separation Process)
• Marc Conrad (Entwicklung eines kontinuierlichen Prozesses der Heißwasserhydrolyse zur vollständigen Verwertung lignocellulosehaltiger Biomasse)
• Joana Gil (Development of a lignin recovery process targeting its formulation and application into consumer goods)
• Xihua Hu (Investigation of lignin's applicability for the production of polymer-blends)
• Wienke Reynolds (Thermal-enzymatic Hydrolysis of lignocellulosic Biomass for the Production of Platform Chemicals)
• Philip Sidney Pein

Alumni:

• Lisa Marie Schmidt (Konzeptionierung und Bewertung von Bioraffinerien zur Ligningewinnung basierend auf einem thermisch-enzymatischen Aufschluss)
• Dr. Robert Meyer (Ligninfunktionalisierung, Aerogele)
• Dr. Krishan Gairola (2013): Proteinhaltige Biomasse "Prozessintegrierte Wertstoffgewinnung aus protein- und lignocellulosereichen Reststoffen", Verteidigung: 15.11.2013, ISBN: 978-3-8440-2542-2
• Dr. Christian Kirsch (2016): Lignocellulose-Bioraffinerie, Enzyme unter Druck "Integrierte thermische und enzymatische Hydrolyse lignocellulosehaltiger Biomasse im Hochdruck-Festbett", Verteidigung: ISBN : 978-3-8439-2762-8
• Dr. Lilia Zenker (2016): Lignin-Aerogele, "Added-value for the 2nd Generation biorefinery: Isolation of lignin and its conversion into nanoporous materials", Verteidigung 29.9.2016

Concluded Projects:

Current Projects:

Bioraffinerie 2021 (http://www.bioraffinerie 2021), BMBF- Exzellenzcluster

• Phase I 2009 – 2012 : http://bioraffinerie2021.de/ziele/phase-i-2009-2012/
• Phase II 2012 – 2016 : http://bioraffinerie2021.de/ziele/phase-ii-2013-2015/
• Phase III 2016 – 2018 : http://bioraffinerie2021.de/ziele/phase-iii-2016-2017/

Förderprogramm „Nachwachsende Rohstoffe“ des BMELV

"Stoffliche Nutzung von Lignin: Nanoporöse Materialen", FNR 22018312, 2014 - 2017 - Dr. Robert Meyer

Wissenschaftlich- Technische Zusammenarbeit mit Südafrika , BMBF - NRA

"Sustainable Production of Levulinic Acid from Sugar Cane Bagasse", BMBF- 01 DG 15001, 2015- 2017 - Lisa Marie Schmidt

Materials, Services and Equipment:

• Bio MP- Lignin
• Bio MP (Engineering Consultation for High Pressure Biomass Treatment)
• Hot water hydrolysis (3 L und 40 L)
• Stirred reactors (2 x 220 L und 20 L)
• Decanter (Flottweg Z 18)
• Extruder (Leistritz, ZSE 27 Maxx)
• Batch SFE- equipment (40 mL bis 40 L)
• Download Tool Batch SFE ( http://www.tuhh.de/v8/links-downloads/batch-sfe.html)
• Soxhlet- Extraction