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The pyrolytic sugar fraction, obtained by an aqueous extraction of pyrolysis oil, is an attractive source for sugar-derived platform chemicals. However, solids (humin) formation occurs to a significant extent during hydrolysis and subsequent acid-catalyzed conversion processes. In this study, we report investigations on possible conversion routes (pyrolysis, liquefaction) of such humin byproducts to biobased chemicals. Experiments were carried out with a model humin made from a representative technical pyrolytic sugar and the product was characterized by elemental analysis, GPC, TGA, HPLC, GC-MS, FT-IR and NMR. The obtained humin sample is soluble in organic solvents (dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), tetrahydrofuran (THF), and isopropanol (IPA)), in contrast to typical more condensed humins from glucose and fructose, allowing characterization using NMR and GPC. All analyses reveal that the humins are oligomeric in nature (M-w of about 900 g/mol) and consist of sugar and furanic fragments linked with among others (substituted) aliphatic, ester units and, in addition, phenolic fragments with methoxy groups. The humins were used as a feed for catalytic pyrolysis and catalytic liquefaction experiments. Catalytic pyrolysis experiments (mg scale, programmable temperature vaporizer (PTV)-GC-MS, 550 degrees C) with HZSM-5 50 as the catalyst gave benzene-toluene-xylene-naphthalene-ethylbenzene mixtures (BTXNE) in 5.1 wt% yield based on humin intake. Liquefaction experiments (batch reactor, 350 degrees C, 4 h, isopropanol as both the solvent and hydrogen donor and Pt/CeO2 (4.43 wt% Pt) catalyst) resulted in 80 wt% conversion of the humin feed to a product oil with considerable amounts of phenolics and aromatics (ca. 24.7 % based on GC detectables in the humin oil). These findings imply that the techno-economic viability of pyrolysis oil biorefineries can be improved by converting humin type byproducts to high value, low molecular weight biobased chemicals.

The conversion of lignin to biofuels and biobased chemicals is currently attracting a lot of attention. We here report on the valorization of Kraft lignin by a catalytic hydrotreatment using Ni, Mo, and W phosphide catalysts supported on activated carbon in the absence of an external solvent. Experiments were carried out in a batch setup in the temperature range of 400–500 °C and 100 bar initial H2 pressure. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, and transmission electron microscopy. The lignin oils were analyzed extensively by different techniques such as GPC, GC-MS-FID, 13C NMR, and elemental analysis. Two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC-FID) was applied to identify and quantify distinct groups of compounds (aromatics, alkylphenolics, alkanes, etc.). Mo-based catalysts displayed higher activity compared to the W-containing catalysts. The reaction parameters such as the effect of reaction temperature, reaction time, and catalyst loading were studied for two catalysts (15MoP/AC and 20NiMoP/AC), and optimized reaction conditions regarding yields of monomeric components were identified (400 °C, 100 bar H2 at RT, 10 wt % catalyst loading on lignin intake). The highest monomer yield (45.7 wt % on lignin) was obtained for the 20NiMoP/AC (Ni 5.6 wt %, Mo 9.1 wt %, P 5.9 wt %) catalyst, which includes 25% alkylphenolics, 8.7% aromatics, and 9.9% alkanes. Our results clearly reveal that the phosphide catalysts are highly efficient catalyst to depolymerize the Kraft lignin to valuable biobased chemicals and outperform sulfided NiMo catalysts (monomer yield on lignin < 30 wt %)., Depolymerization of Kraft lignin to high amounts (45.7 wt % on lignin) of low molecular biobased chemicals like alkylphenolics and aromatics has been achieved using a phosphided NiMo catalyst on activated carbon.

1,2,4-Benzenetriol (BTO), sourced from the carbohydrate-derived platform chemical 5-hydroxylmethylfurfural (HMF), is an interesting starting point for the synthesis of various biobased aromatic products. However, BTO readily undergoes dimerization and other reactions under mild conditions, making analysis and isolation challenging. To both control and utilize the reactivity of BTO to produce biobased building blocks, its reactivity needs to be better understood. Here it was found that specific BTO aromatic C-H bonds are reactive toward deuterium exchange with D2O, which appears pronounced under acidic conditions at room temperature and can lead to the selective formation of BTO with an aromatic ring that contains one or two deuterium atoms, the first at the five and the second at the three position. By exposure to air, it was shown that BTO forms a 5,5'-linked BTO dimer [1,1'-biphenyl]-2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexaol (1) and subsequently a hydroxyquinone containing dimeric structure 2',4,4',5'-tetrahydroxy-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2,5-dione (2). Additionally, condensed dimer dibenzo[b,d]furan-2,3,7,8-tetraol (3) can be relatively easily accessed. The controlled formation of these symmetric and asymmetric multifunctional dimers illustrates diverse possibilities for BTO to be converted to valuable biobased aromatic compounds. Deuterium exchange was attributed to electrophilic aromatic substitution because this reactivity was found to be independent of oxygen and acid mediated. On the contrary, the dimerization was dependent on the presence of oxygen and thus likely involves radical intermediates. Thus this report overall displays different accessible reaction pathways for BTO that can be exploited for the production of BTO-derived compounds.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a platform chemical that can be produced from renewable carbohydrate sources. HMF can be converted to 1,2,4-benzenetriol (BTO) which after catalytic hydrodeoxygenation provides a route to cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol. This mixture, known as KA oil, is an important feedstock for polymeric products such as nylons which use benzene as feedstock that is obtained from the BTX fraction produced in oil refineries. Therefore, the conversion of HMF to BTO provides a renewable, alternative route toward products such as nylons. However, BTO is usually considered an undesired byproduct in HMF synthesis and is only obtained in small amounts. Here, we show that Lewis acid catalysts can be utilized for the selective conversion of HMF to BTO in subsuper critical water. Overall, up to 54 mol % yield of BTO was achieved at 89% HMF conversion using ZnCl2. ZnCl2 and similarly effective Zn(OTf)2 and Fe(OTf)2 are known as relatively soft Lewis acids. Other Lewis acid like Hf(OTf)4 and Sc(OTf)3 gave increased selectivity toward levulinic acid (up to 33 mol %) instead of BTO, a well-known HMF derivative typically obtained by acid catalysis. Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of BTO toward cyclohexanone in water was achieved in up to 45% yield using 5 wt % Pd on Al2O3 combined with AlCl3 or Al(OTf)3 as catalysts. Additionally, a mild selective oxygen induced dimerization pathway of BTO to 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-hexahydroxybiphenyl (5,5′-BTO dimer) was identified., A Lewis acidic metal salt catalyzed pathway to 1,2,4-benzenetriol in water, a new catalytic route to access biobased C6-aromatics.

This paper evaluates possible impacts of a variable biofuel demand (VBD) policy, i.e. a policy that adjusts biofuel production to changes in biomass availability as determined by variations in crop yield. The aim is to stimulate investments and enhancing efficiency in crop production while limiting competition with food in years of reduced crop availability., Proceedings of the 27th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 27-30 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal, pp. 1528-1535

γ-Valerolactone (GVL) is a value-added renewable chemical with great potential and can be obtained from biomass by the hydrogenation of levulinic acid (LA) using metal-based catalysts, such as Ru/TiO2. We here report an in depth study of the effect of catalyst synthesis parameters on the performance of Ru/TiO2 (anatase), varying the nature of the Ru-precursor and the conditions of the calcination and/or reduction step. Catalyst performance was evaluated under batch conditions at a hydrogen pressure of 45 bar and using either water (90 °C) or dioxane (150 °C) as solvent. The experiments showed that catalyst activity depends greatly on the Ru precursor used (RuCl3, RuNO(NO3)3, Ru(NH3)6Cl3). Best results when considering the turn-over frequencies (TOF) of the catalysts were obtained using the RuNO(NO3)3 precursor, whereas RuCl3 performed better when considering the initial rate based on Ru intake. An intermediate calcination step and the use of a hydrogen-rich sweep gas during the final reduction step were shown to have a negative impact on catalyst activity. Characterization of the fresh catalysts by BET and TEM provided valuable insight in the relation between the catalyst structure and its activity.

The pretreatments of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) for the anaerobic digestion (AD) process are designed to address the limitations of substrate degradation related to the nature and composition of the raw material. In this view, they usually contribute to improve the AD process performances, enhancing the biomass conversion into both energy carriers and digestate. More recently, some studies have pointed out the possible use of OFMSW for the recovery of other bio-based products, which may have a high commercial value in the market, as Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA) or lignin. The main purpose of this research is in the study of the applicability of an organic solvent pretreatment to the OFMSW as a source of potential value-added chemicals. Differently composed organic samples were treated by formic acid under various operating condition. Chemical-physical characteristics, biodegradability and structural changes of the substrates were investigated to evaluate the pretreatment effects. The preliminary results highlight the effectiveness of the organic solvent pretreatment, which raises as an alternative process for the greatest valorization of organic solid waste., Proceedings of the 26th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 14-17 May 2018, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. 118-122

5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is an important biobased platform chemical obtainable in high selectivity by the hydrolysis of fructose (FRC). However, FRC is expensive, making the production of HMF at a competitive market price highly challenging. Here, it is shown that sugar beet thick juice, a crude, sucrose‐rich intermediate in sugar refining, is an excellent feedstock for HMF synthesis. Unprecedented high selectivities and yields of >90 % for HMF were achieved in a biphasic reactor setup at 150 °C using salted diluted thick juice with H2SO4 as catalyst and 2‐methyltetrahydrofuran as a bioderived extraction solvent. The conversion of glucose, obtained by sucrose inversion, could be limited to, Thick juice, a crude, high‐sucrose‐containing extract from sugar beets and an intermediate in sugar refining, is identified as an excellent feedstock for the synthesis of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural and glucose. High yields are obtained in batch and flow in a biphasic setup by using a salted aqueous phase and 2‐methyltetrahydrofuran as extraction solvent.

Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research is van plan een flinke stap te zetten in de productie van biobased itaconzuur en methacrylzuur. Deze zuren kunnen bouwstenen zijn voor hoogwaardige materialen, zoals biobased verf en drukinkt. De stoffen worden geproduceerd uit biomassa (glucose) en vormen alternatieven voor fossiele grondstoffen. Voor verdere ontwikkeling wordt samengewerkt met de Amerikaanse agrifoodproducent Archer Daniels Midland, leverancier voor de verfindustrie EOC Belgium en de Nederlandse verfproducent Van Wijhe Verf. Daan van Es, is senioronderzoeker bij Wageningen UR en treedt op als projectleider.

The availability of crude oil is finite. Therefore, an alternative feedstock has to be found for the production of fuels and plastics. Lignocellulose is such an alternative feedstock. It is present in large quantities in agricultural waste material such as sugarcane bagasse. In this PhD thesis, lignocellulose is chemically and enzymatically pretreated to depolymerise sugars present in this structure. The released sugar monomers are fermented by micro-organisms to lactic acid, which is a precursor for the bioplastic PLA. In this thesis, it is shown that it is possible to produce lactic acid from lignocellulosic biomass with high yields and high productivities.

The availability of crude oil is finite. Therefore, an alternative feedstock has to be found for the production of fuels and plastics. Lignocellulose is such an alternative feedstock. It is present in large quantities in agricultural waste material such as sugarcane bagasse. In this PhD thesis, lignocellulose is chemically and enzymatically pretreated to depolymerise sugars present in this structure. The released sugar monomers are fermented by micro-organisms to lactic acid, which is a precursor for the bioplastic PLA. In this thesis, it is shown that it is possible to produce lactic acid from lignocellulosic biomass with high yields and high productivities.

γ-Valerolactone (GVL) is an excellent reaction medium, derived from biomasses, which can replace classic dipolar aprotic media such as DMF or NMP. In this contribution, we have investigated the use of GVL in the palladium-catalyzed Heck reaction and accessed the clean synthesis of several small molecules. Furthermore, we optimized a GVL-based protocol to synthesize a poly(phenylenevinylene) (PPV) derivative in high yields and purity, and with very low Pd-content. Finally, we demonstrated that GVL is superior to conventional dipolar media in terms of controlling palladium impurities, which may influence the performance of certain optoelectronic devices such as organic solar cells and field-effect transistors.

γ-Valerolactone (GVL) can be used as an efficient and practical alternative to the banned and commonly used dipolar aprotic solvents. In this contribution GVL has been used as a non-toxic, biodegradable, biomass-derived medium, for the definition of a simple and general protocol for the Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction. The chemical efficiency of GVL as a medium is excellent and the best results have been obtained using DABCO as the base allowing the isolation of products 3a–q in 60–96% yields. These results represent an example which proves that biomass-derived safer solvents can be used efficiently in common transformations reaching higher greenness/sustainability as well as high chemical efficiency.

Levulinic acid (LA), which can be produced from the sugar fractions of lignocellulosic biomass, is a promising sustainable platform molecule that can play a major role in future biorefineries. The work described was aimed at the development of heterogeneous catalysts for the selective conversion of LA by hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reactions. In addition, the aim was to gain a better fundamental understanding of the relation between catalyst structure and performance. To this extent, we studied the influence of the support acidity on catalytic performance of supported Ru catalysts (i.e., supported on Nb2O5, TiO2, H-β and H-ZSM5) in the hydrodeoxygenation of levulinic acid (LA) in different solvents (i.e., dioxane, 2-ethylhexanoic acid (EHA) and neat LA). The Ru/TiO2 gave excellent selectivity to GVL (97.5%) at 100% conversion and was remarkably stable even under severe reaction conditions. Ru/H-ZSM5 showed a 45.8% yield of pentanoic acid (PA) and its esters in dioxane, which was the first example of this one-pot conversion directly from LA. Furthermore, a detailed study of the catalysts by 27Al 3Q MAS NMR and FT-IR shows that dealumination is the main reason of catalyst deactivation for two zeolite-supported ruthenium catalysts (Ru/H-β and Ru/H-ZSM5) in 2-ethylhexanoic acid. For Ru/H-ZSM5, the symmetric, tetrahedral framework aluminum species (FAL) are found to be mainly converted into distorted tetrahedral FAL species, with limited loss of aluminum to the solution. A severe loss of both FAL and extraframework aluminum (EFAL) species to the liquid phase was observed for Ru/H-β instead. The strong acid sites of Ru/H-ZSM5 are more stable than those of Ru/H-β, which explains the better catalytic performance in the hydrodeoxygenation of LA to PA of the former. The synthesis of Ru/H-ZSM5 was optimized for direct pentanoic acid production from LA. The influence of cation form of ZSM5, ruthenium precursor and Si/Al ratio) on metal dispersion and acidity could be related to catalytic performance in this reaction. A highly active bifunctional 1 wt% Ru/H-ZSM5 catalyst was developed by a simple approach to give an improved PA yield of 91.3% after 10 h reaction time and a PA productivity of 1.157 molPA gRu-1 h-1, which is the highest reported to date. A significant fraction of Ru was located inside the zeolite pores, providing the desired proximity between hydrogenation function and strong acid sites, which is essential for this reaction. Finally, nano-alloys proved to be highly active, selective and stable catalysts for the conversion of LA to GVL. The Au-Pd and Ru-Pd random alloys were prepared by a modified impregnation (MIm) method and characterized by a combination of advanced microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The Au-Pd/TiO2 (MIm) material showed a dramatic ~27-fold increase in activity (i.e., TOF 0.102 s-1) compared to its monometallic counterparts, which was attributed to an electronic modification of Pd. The 1% Ru-Pd/TiO2 (MIm) catalyst was not only exceptionally active (TOF 0.638 s-1), but also showed excellent, sustained selectivity to GVL (99%). The dilution and isolation of Ru active sites by Pd is thought to be responsible for this superior catalytic performance. Alloying furthermore greatly improved the stability of both bimetallic catalysts.

Levulinic acid (LA), which can be produced from the sugar fractions of lignocellulosic biomass, is a promising sustainable platform molecule that can play a major role in future biorefineries. The work described was aimed at the development of heterogeneous catalysts for the selective conversion of LA by hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reactions. In addition, the aim was to gain a better fundamental understanding of the relation between catalyst structure and performance. To this extent, we studied the influence of the support acidity on catalytic performance of supported Ru catalysts (i.e., supported on Nb2O5, TiO2, H-β and H-ZSM5) in the hydrodeoxygenation of levulinic acid (LA) in different solvents (i.e., dioxane, 2-ethylhexanoic acid (EHA) and neat LA). The Ru/TiO2 gave excellent selectivity to GVL (97.5%) at 100% conversion and was remarkably stable even under severe reaction conditions. Ru/H-ZSM5 showed a 45.8% yield of pentanoic acid (PA) and its esters in dioxane, which was the first example of this one-pot conversion directly from LA. Furthermore, a detailed study of the catalysts by 27Al 3Q MAS NMR and FT-IR shows that dealumination is the main reason of catalyst deactivation for two zeolite-supported ruthenium catalysts (Ru/H-β and Ru/H-ZSM5) in 2-ethylhexanoic acid. For Ru/H-ZSM5, the symmetric, tetrahedral framework aluminum species (FAL) are found to be mainly converted into distorted tetrahedral FAL species, with limited loss of aluminum to the solution. A severe loss of both FAL and extraframework aluminum (EFAL) species to the liquid phase was observed for Ru/H-β instead. The strong acid sites of Ru/H-ZSM5 are more stable than those of Ru/H-β, which explains the better catalytic performance in the hydrodeoxygenation of LA to PA of the former. The synthesis of Ru/H-ZSM5 was optimized for direct pentanoic acid production from LA. The influence of cation form of ZSM5, ruthenium precursor and Si/Al ratio) on metal dispersion and acidity could be related to catalytic performance in this reaction. A highly active bifunctional 1 wt% Ru/H-ZSM5 catalyst was developed by a simple approach to give an improved PA yield of 91.3% after 10 h reaction time and a PA productivity of 1.157 molPA gRu-1 h-1, which is the highest reported to date. A significant fraction of Ru was located inside the zeolite pores, providing the desired proximity between hydrogenation function and strong acid sites, which is essential for this reaction. Finally, nano-alloys proved to be highly active, selective and stable catalysts for the conversion of LA to GVL. The Au-Pd and Ru-Pd random alloys were prepared by a modified impregnation (MIm) method and characterized by a combination of advanced microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The Au-Pd/TiO2 (MIm) material showed a dramatic ~27-fold increase in activity (i.e., TOF 0.102 s-1) compared to its monometallic counterparts, which was attributed to an electronic modification of Pd. The 1% Ru-Pd/TiO2 (MIm) catalyst was not only exceptionally active (TOF 0.638 s-1), but also showed excellent, sustained selectivity to GVL (99%). The dilution and isolation of Ru active sites by Pd is thought to be responsible for this superior catalytic performance. Alloying furthermore greatly improved the stability of both bimetallic catalysts.

Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research is van plan een flinke stap te zetten in de productie van biobased itaconzuur en methacrylzuur. Deze zuren kunnen bouwstenen zijn voor hoogwaardige materialen, zoals biobased verf en drukinkt. De stoffen worden geproduceerd uit biomassa (glucose) en vormen alternatieven voor fossiele grondstoffen. Voor verdere ontwikkeling wordt samengewerkt met de Amerikaanse agrifoodproducent Archer Daniels Midland, leverancier voor de verfindustrie EOC Belgium en de Nederlandse verfproducent Van Wijhe Verf. Daan van Es, is senioronderzoeker bij Wageningen UR en treedt op als projectleider.

ACS Catalysis, 2 (7), ISSN:2155-5435

The overall objective of the ME4 research project was to develop an integrated framework to assess and analyse the spatial implications and related opportunities and consequences of an increased implementation of biomass delivery chains for energy, biofuels and biochemicals at different geographical levels. The research project has addressed four main topics: biomass in The Netherlands and EU present and future situation; framework tool for integrated spatial design and assessment of regional biomass chains; regional biomass chains evaluation; dialogue on sustainability of bioenergy. Het hoofddoel van het project was een geïntegreerde raamwerkmethode te maken. Daarmee kunnen de ruimtelijke gevolgen, en gerelateerde kansen en consequenties worden beoordeeld en geanalyseerd, van een verhoogde implementatie van biomassaketens voor energie, transportbrandstoffen en chemicaliën op verschillende geografische niveaus. Het project heeft vier hoofdonderwerpen behandeld: biomassa in Nederland en de EU: huidige en toekomstige situatie; raamwerkmethode voor geïntegreerd ruimtelijk ontwerp en beoordeling van regionale biomassaketens; evaluatie van regionale biomassaketens; dialoog over duurzaamheid van bioenergie.

The overall objective of the ME4 research project was to develop an integrated framework to assess and analyse the spatial implications and related opportunities and consequences of an increased implementation of biomass delivery chains for energy, biofuels and biochemicals at different geographical levels. Tapping into the national and regional biomass potential is quite difficult. The hypothesis of this project was that the biomass potential can be mobilized better if innovative regional biomass delivery chains are designed. Therefore, an integrated framework to assess spatial and related implications of sustainable regional biomass delivery chains is needed. The research project has addressed four main topics: design of sustainable regional biomass delivery chains and assessment of their spatial implications; develop an integrated framework to assess spatial and related implications; analyse and assess National & European possibilities for biomass production and utilisation under different scenarios; test methodology to actively involve stakeholders in the development of biomass chains.

The use of inorganic salts as catalysts for the reactions of d-glucose in aqueous solutions in a batch reactor is reported. The type of salt and effect of reaction time were examined in detail at a fixed salt (5 mM) and d-glucose concentration (0.1 M) and at a temperature of 140 A degrees C. Al(III) and Cr(II) salts gave the highest conversion of d-glucose. Typical reaction products were organic acids like lactic acid, levulinic acid, furanics like hydroxymethylfurfural and insoluble products (humins). The chemo-selectivity is a clear function of the type of inorganic salt. For Al(III), the major water soluble product was lactic acid, for Zn(II) HMF was formed in the highest yields. A reaction scheme is proposed to explain the observed product compositions.

The focus of this study is to give an overview of traditional and new biomasses and biomass streams that contain proteins. When information was available, the differences in molecular structure and physical and chemical properties for the different proteins is given. For optimal biomass use, isolation of valuable compounds like proteins can be an important aspect. To make decisions possible if biorefinery strategies by which the isolation of proteins is feasible, the economical value and production volumes of the different biomass streams will be discussed (when available). Also the industrial relevance and possible applications, such as technical applications and chemicals derived from proteins, will be reported. In addition, the outlet of protein-rich biomass resources in the feed sector will be pointed out.

The feasibility of microalgae production for biodiesel was discussed. Although algae are not yet produced at large scale for bulk applications, there are opportunities to develop this process in a sustainable way. It remains unlikely, however, that the process will be developed for biodiesel as the only end product from microalgae. In order to develop a more sustainable and economically feasible process, all biomass components (e.g. proteins, lipids, car- bohydrates) should be used and therefore biorefi ning of microalgae is very important for the selective separation and use of the functional biomass components. If biorefi ning of microalgae is applied, lipids should be fractionated into lipids for biodiesel, lipids as a feedstock for the chemical industry and w -3 fatty acids, proteins and carbohydrates for food, feed and bulk chemicals, and the oxygen produced should be recovered also. If, in addition, production of algae is done on residual nutrient feedstocks and CO2, and production of microalgae is done on a large scale against low production costs, production of bulk chemicals and fuels from microalgae will become economically feasible. In order to obtain that, a number of bottlenecks need to be removed and a multidisciplinary approach in which sys- tems biology, metabolic modeling, strain development, photobioreactor design and operation, scale-up, biorefi ning, integrated production chain, and the whole system design (including logistics) should be addressed. © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

The focus of this study is to give an overview of traditional and new biomasses and biomass streams that contain proteins. When information was available, the differences in molecular structure and physical and chemical properties for the different proteins is given. For optimal biomass use, isolation of valuable compounds like proteins can be an important aspect. To make decisions possible if biorefinery strategies by which the isolation of proteins is feasible, the economical value and production volumes of the different biomass streams will be discussed (when available). Also the industrial relevance and possible applications, such as technical applications and chemicals derived from proteins, will be reported. In addition, the outlet of protein-rich biomass resources in the feed sector will be pointed out.

The use of lignocellulosic plant material instead of food-based cereals for the production of biobased chemicals and fuels has been a matter of interest for academia and industry over the past years. The crux is the commercial viability of such processes, to be competitive in the fuels and chemicals market. Now, we are at the brink of commercialization with first processes already being implemented worldwide, offering more sustainability, energy security and economic growth.