Bioprocessing method yields high-value products alongside biofuels
Researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) have developed a sustainable process that has redefined and expanded oilcane’s product portfolio, adding value to this feedstock.
In a traditional biorefinery, sugarcane is used as a feedstock to produce bioethanol fuel. Sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract their juice, and that juice goes on to be processed into fuel. Meanwhile, the dry fibrous material that remains after crushing, called bagasse, is burned.
In their new study, published in Bioresource Technology, CABBI and ACES researchers developed a biorefinery process that recovers the high-value products present in oilcane bagasse, meaning that multiple product streams can be generated from this single feedstock. This work could assist in providing a sustainable source of energy to meet societal needs, while also generating additional streams of revenue in the form of co-products.