Production and Biorefining of Biocrude Oil: Current Status and Future Developments

This book confers a comprehensive discussion on the production and biorefining of biocrude oil derived from second- and third-generation biomass feedstocks. It discusses about the concept of biorefinery—fundamentals, biorefining raw materials, and feedstocks and its associated challenges. The book emphasizes on the 3rd-generation biorefining feedstock (algae) as an emerging feedstock for the biorefineries. In addition, co-feedstocks employed in biorefinery are also deliberated. It also presents various thermochemical conversion approaches such as hydrothermal liquefaction, pyrolysis, Fischer-Tropsch process and hydroprocessing. It deals with the sustainable production of biocrude oil from algal biomass and its upgradation for enhanced fuel properties. The book also deliberates on current scenario and future developments in the field of biorefining of biocrude oil and catalysts. A comparative assessment of properties and downstream upgradation of biocrude oil through hydrothermal and pyrolysis processes is presented. Moreover, sustainable production of biofuels and value-added products from biorefinery, life cycle and techno-economic assessment of the conversion of biocrude oil from pyrolysis, and biocrude upgrading technology and challenges are also discussed. This book is a good reference for professionals, post-graduate students, researchers, and policymakers working in the areas of biorefineries for sustainable development.

Dr. Mohammad Aslam is Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Srinagar (India). Dr. Aslam holds master’s degree in “Industrial Chemistry” from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (India). Dr Aslam also completed MTech in “Fuels and Combustion” from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi (India). Later, Dr. Aslam has awarded Ph.D. in Chemistry from National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar (India). The thesis entitled “Hydroprocessing of seed oils into transportation fuels”. Dr. Aslam has worked as Post-Doctoral Fellow/Research Associate/Senior Research Fellow in Chemical Conversion Division, Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bioenergy (an autonomous institute of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India), Punjab (India). Dr. Aslam holds more than 17 years of academic and research experience. His research is focused on the sustainable fuels production from 2-G and 3-G biomass feedstocks under biorefinery concept. 

Dr. Sanjeev Mishra is working as Scientist-D at Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bioenergy (an autonomous institute of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India), Punjab, India. Prior to this, Dr. Sanjeev worked as Research Fellow (Postdoc) at the Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research focuses on “Production of 3rd generation biofuels and high-value compounds from municipal, agricultural, and industrial waste via algal biorefinery approach”. Dr. Sanjeev has done bachelor’s and master of technology in industrial biotechnology and has over two years of pre-Ph.D. research experience working at national labs. During this, his research focused on lab-scale to large-scale microalgal cultivation and bioenergy production. Dr. Sanjeev did his Ph.D. in energy science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (India). The thesis entitled “microalgal wastewater treatment, enhanced biomass productivity, and biofuel conversion under a biorefinery approach”. 

Dr. Jorge Aburto holds a B.Sc. in “Food Chemistry” from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the diplôme d’études approfondies (DEA), and Ph.D. from National Polytechnique Institute of Toulouse (INPT), France, and was Visiting Researcher in the Agrobiotechnology Institute (IFA-Tulln) from the Agricultural University of Vienna (Boku), Austria. Dr. Jorge Aburto is Researcher at the Mexican Petroleum Institute (IMP) since 2000, and he is Project Leader and Head of biomass conversion division and In Charge of the division of energy efficiency and sustainability. Dr. Aburto’s main research areas are bio-based chemicals and materials for applications in the petroleum industry, biomass deconstruction and conversion, production of lignocellulosic ethanol, road and aviation fuels, enzyme kinetics and applications to the oil industry, petroleum biorefining, precipitation inhibitors of asphaltenes, and petroleum pipelining through o/w emulsions. He is Author of several international articles, book chapters, and patent applications and patents.