Integrated Forest Biorefineries: Challenges And Opportunities

This reference book describes how bioprocessing and biotechnology could enhance the value extracted from wood-based lignocellulosic fiber by employing both biochemical and thermochemical conversion processes. It documents recent accomplishments and suggests future prospects for research and development of integrated forest biorefineries (IFBR) as the path forward for the pulp, paper and other fiber-processing industries. This is the only book to cover this area of high economic, social, and environmental importance. It is aimed at industrialists and academics from diverse science and engineering backgrounds including chemical and biotechnology companies, governmental and professional bodies, and scholarly societies. The Editor and contributors are internationally recognized scientists and many are leaders in their respective fields. The book starts with an introductory overview of the current state of biorefining and a justification for future developments. The next four chapters deal with social, economic and environmental issues related to regulations, biomass production and supply, process modelling, and life cycle analysis. Subsequent chapters focus on the extraction of biochemicals from biomass and their potential utilization to add value to the IFBR prior to pulping. The book then presents, compares and evaluates two types of forest biorefineries based on kraft and organosolv pulping. Finally, the book assess the potential of waste biomass and streams, such paper mill sludge and black liquor, to serve as feedstock for biofuel production and value-added biomaterials through both the biochemical and thermochemical routes of biomass bioprocessing. The economics of the described IFBR processes and products, and their environmental impact, is a major focus in most of the chapters. Practical examples are presented where relevant and applicable.

Dr Christopher has background in wood science, pulp and paper technology, industrial biotechnology, chemical and biochemical engineering. He has been working in the area of Pulp and Paper, Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing for the past twenty years. His research output exceeds 220 scientific contributions including peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, technical reports, invited lectures and conference presentations. He is the inventor of several international patents. Dr Christopher has worked at the R&D of a large international pulp and paper company (Sappi) for eleven years. He has also worked as Affiliate Professor at the University of the Free State and University of Pretoria in South Africa. He has taught courses in Biochemical Engineering, trained and mentored more than 35 graduate students and post-doctoral scientists. Currently he serves as Director of Center for Bioprocessing Research and Development at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA. He leads an interdisciplinary team of over 60 faculty, staff and students from 8 departments at two universities in South Dakota (School of Mines in Technology in Rapid City and South Dakota State University in Brookings) with the overall goal of developing technologies for production of biomass-derived biofuels and value-added bioproducts. The Center has expertise that covers the entire bioprocessing of lignocellulosic biomass from biomass development and logistics through pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation to downstream processing and end-product recovery. Dr Christopher is a member of the Editorial Board of several international biotechnology journals. He is also an active member of several professional societies such as American Chemical Society (ACS), Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI), Society for Industrial Microbiology (SIM) and American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). He has chaired sessions at several in