Bio-refining

Bio or Fossil?
Hwang, Journal of Chemical Education (2014) 91 (10), 1563-1568
The Biorefinery Concept

dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed3007764 | J. Chem. Educ. 2014, 91, 1563−1568

 What is there?
Plant outer surfaces
• protective waxes: C21-C62 alkanes, fatty acids
• and alcohols, ketones,…
Structural materials
• lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose
Cell content
• proteins, microelements, sugars, secondary
metabolites
Adding Value
Mapping the Development of UK Biorefinery Complexes; NNFCC report. (NFC 07/08)
 Amphiphiles

Amphiphile =has both hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties

Biorefinery concept shown through the synthesis of surfactants, generally classified as

amphiphiles
 APPS, a vitamin C derivative for Skin care
APPS is a unique vitamin C derivative and an active ingredient that has been successfully used in skin care by many
cosmetics companies. This amphiphilic molecule is a chemically modified version of vitamin C and thus it is more
effective.

As a vitamin C derivative, it acts as an antioxidative agent and an anti-melanogenesis agent (inhibition of melanin

production) and more effectively than other vitamin C derivatives.

                 

What is APPS uniqueness?

APPS is a unique amphiphilic vitamin C derivative.
Its amphiphilic chemical form contributes to the penetration through the basal layer without any loss of solubility; in
comparison to other vitamin C derivatives which are hydrophilic and therefore only suitable for aqueous formulations.

Thanks to this deep and powerful penetration into the skin, APPS is immediately converted to ascorbic acid (natural
form of vitamin C) not only in the epidermis but also in the dermis.
Access more details by reading our technical brochure.
The efficient delivery of acid ascorbic to different skin layers enables many beneficial effects for the skin.

https://cosmetics.specialchem.com/centers/apps-vitamin-c-derivative-for-skin-care
 Processing methodologies
• Drying (sun, air flow, MW, …)
• Shredding
• Milling (including high energy ball milling)
• Steam explosion
• Acid digestion
• Ammonia fibre explosion
• Fungal / enzymatic pre-treatment
• Solvent extraction
• Reactive extraction (e.g., for methyl esters of fatty acids in seed oils)
• Sonication
• Pressure pulsation (to open microalage)
Major building blocks
 Valorizarion of lignin

Richard J.A. Gosselink

Mapping the Development of UK Biorefinery Complexes; NNFCC report. (NFC 07/08)
Integrated concept
 Natural Products

 ~25% of drugs in use today are derived from natural products

 61% of the 877 NCE introduced between 1981 and 2002 can be
traced to a natural product origin (J. Nat. Prod. (2003) 66:1022)
 In certain therapeutic areas, the impact is even higher, e.g., anti-
cancer (74%) and anti-bacterial (78%)
 Yet, natural products was de-emphasized 20 years ago because of
the advent of combinatorial chemistry!
 Combinatorial chemistry was not only faster and cheaper, but was
much clearer with respect to intellectual property rights
 The alarming decline in the number of NCEs in the past years from
an average of 30 per year to about 17 a year is correlated with
decreased interest in natural products chemistry

28
 NATURE – THE SUPREME MOLECULAR ARCHITECT!

Epothilone A docked in tubulin active site

Epothilone A
Isolated from gliding
bacteria (Myxobacteria)

epothilones are a new class of cancer

drugs. Like taxanes, they prevent cancer
cells from dividing by interfering with
tubulin, but in early trials epithilones have
better efficacy and milder adverse effects
than taxanes.

Nettles et al., "The Binding Mode of Epothilone A on a,ß-Tubulin by Electron Crystallography"

Science, 6 August 2004, Vol. 305, pp. 866-869 (Copyright AAAS)
A 9th Century Anglo-Saxon remedy using onion, garlic and part of a cow's stomach.
Mapping the Development of UK Biorefinery Complexes; NNFCC report. (NFC 07/08)
 Nordic bioeconomy for sustainable change

• Nordic bioeconomy

• The cases were selected and evaluated based on five criteria,

all necessary for a sustainable and innovative bioeconomy.
The aim was to detect the most significant trends in the
utilisation of biological resources in the region, as well as to
identify ways of optimising resource efficiency and value
creation in the bioeconomy.
 SUMMARY
 Biorefineries are rapidly developing, because they appear to be the only
way forward (in the absence of a miracle source of clean energy)

 Biorefineries will be based on a variety of feedstocks, depending on

regional situation and on early adoption of specific technologies

 A variety of approaches needs to be developed; there is no one solution

 Currently there is very little installed capacity of primary processing

technologies to enable wider development of biorefineries

 Currently there is no supply chain integration in the high- and medium-

value biorefinery concepts.

 There is great scope for exciting science and new engineering solutions in
this field
BBC website March 10 2016
th
 Video

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221191241830141X