Glucose Recovery in Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Wooden Biomass via Nanofiltration

Abstract:
Due to depleting oil reservoirs and increased CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere a lot of effort is nowadays spent in the research and development of novel biofuels which promise a more sustainable usage of natural resources. As already introduced production routes for biofuel production base upon feedstocks which compete with the food chain (e.g. sugar cane or corn), actual research focuses more and more on the processing of cellulosic material which is incorporated in grass or wood. Within the Excellence-Cluster “Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass” established at the RWTH Aachen University a novel production route of the promising biofuel candidate 2-MTHF from wooden biomass is investigated. In the suggested process chain cellulose is enzymatically converted to glucose, which can then be chemically converted to the final product. The yield of glucose in a batch fermentation process is highly dependend on the activity of the enzymes, in this case celluclast. Unfortunately they are inhibited by the product what leads to an incomplete conversion of cellulose. Current work focuses on the in-situ removal of glucose from the fermentation broth via nanofiltration membranes in order to enhance the conversion rate. Results of the membrane screening and first batch test results will be presented.

Keywords:
TMFB, Nanofiltration, Enzymatische Hydrolyse, Ionic Liquid