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Sustainability Assessment of Solid Biofuels from Agro-Industrial Residues Case of Sugarcane Bagasse in a Mexican Sugar Mill. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14031711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Motivated by the environmentally driven energy transition we live in, the valorization of biomass residues from the agro-industry as renewable energy can play an essential role in GHG emissions mitigation. To overcome the debate on the production and use of solid biofuels (SBF), in this study, we apply an integrated multicriteria tool for the assessment of the sustainability use of agro-industrial residues (AIR) as solid biofuels. Mexico has a vast AIR production, but frequently, the AIR are considered waste biomass. Still, when valorized, SBF do not have adverse effects on soil quality, are not responsible for biodiversity loss, and compete against food production as first-generation SBF. Nevertheless, the AIR present other environmental, social, and economic impacts that have not been adequately evaluated; therefore, we identified the need for a sustainability assessment of energy systems based on the use of SBF–AIR as input fuels. After reviewing previous work on sustainability assessment methodologies, multicriteria decision analysis methods, and indicator weighting methods, we considered it appropriate for this problem to apply a tool that integrates the entropic indicator weighting method into the discrete multicriteria decision analysis method called PROMETHEE. In terms of selected sustainability indicators, this tool was used to assess four electric energy supply systems of a Mexican sugar mill as a case study: current bagasse cogeneration, efficient bagasse cogeneration, a power generation system fueled only with fuel oil, and grid electricity only. Finally, after evaluating the mentioned energy systems with four sustainability indicators: GHG emissions, PM emissions, employments per energy unit (JOBS), and the net present value (NPV) of each alternative, we found the net outranking flow of the efficient bagasse system (EBS). which is the most sustainable system because it has the highest outranking flow value from the four considered alternatives, since it has the lower GHG emissions, reducing the current bagasse GHG emissions by 55% and the PM emissions by 58%. The EBS also shows the highest NPV system due to surplus electricity sales, resulting in the most profitable energy system analyzed.
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Ryan N, Yaseneva P. A critical review of life cycle assessment studies of woody biomass conversion to sugars. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2021; 379:20200335. [PMID: 34334025 PMCID: PMC8326825 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2020.0335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Woody biomass could potentially become a viable raw material for the future sustainable chemical industry. For this, a suitable regulatory framework must exist, that would create favourable economic conditions for wood biorefineries. Such policies must be developed on the basis of scientific evidence-in this case, data supporting the environmental advantages of the bio-based feedstocks to the chemical industry. The most suitable methodology for comprehensive evaluation of environmental performance of technologies is life cycle assessment (LCA). In this review, the available LCA studies of woody biomass fractionation and conversion to bulk chemical feedstocks are critically evaluated. It has been revealed that the majority of the openly available studies do not contain transparent inventory data and, therefore, cannot be verified or re-used; studies containing inventory data are reported in this review. The lack of inventory data also prevents comparison between studies of the same processes performed with different evaluation methods or using different system boundaries. Recommendations are proposed on how to overcome issues of commercial data sensitivity by using black-box modelling when reporting environmental information. From several comparable LCA studies, it has been concluded that today the most environmentally favourable technology for wood biomass fractionation is organosolv. This article is part of the theme issue 'Bio-derived and bioinspired sustainable advanced materials for emerging technologies (part 1)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niamh Ryan
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK
| | - Polina Yaseneva
- Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, University of Cambridge, 1 Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1QA, UK
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Life Cycle Assessment of Bioethanol Production: A Review of Feedstock, Technology and Methodology. ENERGIES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/en14102939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
So far, a lot of efforts have been put in life cycle assessments (LCA) of bioethanol production. There are many works that have assessed bioethanol production in different points of view to illustrate the environmental impacts. This study reviewed former LCA studies on bioethanol produced from various biomass resources by considering the effect of methodological components, technical pathways and feedstock provision on the result of LCA studies. The review evaluated 48 papers published 2002–2021 with a focus on studies that included a complete set of environmental impact categories. However, due to lack of harmony among studies, comparing the LCA results was challenging but the review indicated that the final results of studies are influenced by LCA methodological components, such as system boundary, functional unit, etc. Around 80% of the reviewed papers show the reduction in global warming potential, while contrary results have been found about increasing acidification, eutrophication and photochemical oxidant formation impact categories because of the feedstock provision. Regarding technical aspects, results from the review revealed that most of the studies considered the pre-treatment as a crucial step in bioconversion processes. Despite several LCA studies of bioethanol production, there is still low attention given to uncertainty analysis in the publications.
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Jeswani HK, Chilvers A, Azapagic A. Environmental sustainability of biofuels: a review. Proc Math Phys Eng Sci 2020; 476:20200351. [PMID: 33363439 PMCID: PMC7735313 DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2020.0351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Biofuels are being promoted as a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels as they could help to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the related climate change impact from transport. However, there are also concerns that their wider deployment could lead to unintended environmental consequences. Numerous life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have considered the climate change and other environmental impacts of biofuels. However, their findings are often conflicting, with a wide variation in the estimates. Thus, the aim of this paper is to review and analyse the latest available evidence to provide a greater clarity and understanding of the environmental impacts of different liquid biofuels. It is evident from the review that the outcomes of LCA studies are highly situational and dependent on many factors, including the type of feedstock, production routes, data variations and methodological choices. Despite this, the existing evidence suggests that, if no land-use change (LUC) is involved, first-generation biofuels can-on average-have lower GHG emissions than fossil fuels, but the reductions for most feedstocks are insufficient to meet the GHG savings required by the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED). However, second-generation biofuels have, in general, a greater potential to reduce the emissions, provided there is no LUC. Third-generation biofuels do not represent a feasible option at present state of development as their GHG emissions are higher than those from fossil fuels. As also discussed in the paper, several studies show that reductions in GHG emissions from biofuels are achieved at the expense of other impacts, such as acidification, eutrophication, water footprint and biodiversity loss. The paper also investigates the key methodological aspects and sources of uncertainty in the LCA of biofuels and provides recommendations to address these issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harish K Jeswani
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Andrew Chilvers
- Royal Academy of Engineering, 3 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5DG, UK
| | - Adisa Azapagic
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
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Gelfand I, Hamilton SK, Kravchenko AN, Jackson RD, Thelen KD, Robertson GP. Empirical Evidence for the Potential Climate Benefits of Decarbonizing Light Vehicle Transport in the U.S. with Bioenergy from Purpose-Grown Biomass with and without BECCS. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:2961-2974. [PMID: 32052964 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b07019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Climate mitigation scenarios limiting global temperature increases to 1.5 °C rely on decarbonizing vehicle transport with bioenergy production plus carbon capture and storage (BECCS), but climate impacts for producing different bioenergy feedstocks have not been directly compared experimentally or for ethanol vs electric light-duty vehicles. A field experiment at two Midwest U.S. sites on contrasting soils revealed that feedstock yields of seven potential bioenergy cropping systems varied substantially within sites but little between. Bioenergy produced per hectare reflected yields: miscanthus > poplar > switchgrass > native grasses ≈ maize stover (residue) > restored prairie ≈ early successional. Greenhouse gas emission intensities for ethanol vehicles ranged from 20 to -179 g CO2e MJ-1: maize stover ≫ miscanthus ≈ switchgrass ≈ native grasses ≈ poplar > early successional ≥ restored prairie; direct climate benefits ranged from ∼80% (stover) to 290% (restored prairie) reductions in CO2e compared to petroleum and were similar for electric vehicles. With carbon capture and storage (CCS), reductions in emission intensities ranged from 204% (stover) to 416% (restored prairie) for ethanol vehicles and from 329 to 558% for electric vehicles, declining 27 and 15%, respectively, once soil carbon equilibrates within several decades of establishment. Extrapolation based on expected U.S. transportation energy use suggests that, once CCS potential is maximized with CO2 pipeline infrastructure, negative emissions from bioenergy with CCS for light-duty electric vehicles could capture >900 Tg CO2e year-1 in the U.S. In the future, as other renewable electricity sources become more important, electricity production from biomass would offset less fossil fuel electricity, and the advantage of electric over ethanol vehicles would decrease proportionately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya Gelfand
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan 49060, United States
- The French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84990, Israel
| | - Stephen K Hamilton
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan 49060, United States
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York 12545, United States
| | - Alexandra N Kravchenko
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Randall D Jackson
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
- Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Kurt D Thelen
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - G Philip Robertson
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan 49060, United States
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
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Bakshi BR, Ghosh T, Lee K. Engineering, markets, and human behavior: an essential integration for decisions toward sustainability. Curr Opin Chem Eng 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coche.2019.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Toward multiscale consequential sustainable process design: Including the effects of economy and resource constraints with application to green urea production in a watershed. Chem Eng Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2019.06.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Roscini L, Favaro L, Corte L, Cagnin L, Colabella C, Basaglia M, Cardinali G, Casella S. A yeast metabolome-based model for an ecotoxicological approach in the management of lignocellulosic ethanol stillage. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:180718. [PMID: 30800340 PMCID: PMC6366221 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Lignocellulosic bioethanol production results in huge amounts of stillage, a potentially polluting by-product. Stillage, rich in heavy metals and, mainly, inhibitors, requires specific toxicity studies to be adequately managed. To this purpose, we applied an FTIR ecotoxicological bioassay to evaluate the toxicity of lignocellulosic stillage. Two weak acids and furans, most frequently found in lignocellulosic stillage, have been tested in different mixtures against three Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. The metabolomic reaction of the test microbes and the mortality induced at various levels of inhibitor concentration showed that the strains are representative of three different types of response. Furthermore, the relationship between concentrations and FTIR synthetic stress indexes has been studied, with the aim of defining a model able to predict the concentrations of inhibitors in stillage, resulting in an optimized predictive model for all the strains. This approach represents a promising tool to support the ecotoxicological management of lignocellulosic stillage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Roscini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences-Microbiology, CEMIN, Centre of Excellence on Nanostructured Innovative Materials, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Favaro
- Department of Agronomy Food Natural resources Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
- Author for correspondence: Lorenzo Favaro e-mail:
| | - Laura Corte
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences-Microbiology, CEMIN, Centre of Excellence on Nanostructured Innovative Materials, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Cagnin
- Department of Agronomy Food Natural resources Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Claudia Colabella
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences-Microbiology, CEMIN, Centre of Excellence on Nanostructured Innovative Materials, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Marina Basaglia
- Department of Agronomy Food Natural resources Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Cardinali
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences-Microbiology, CEMIN, Centre of Excellence on Nanostructured Innovative Materials, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, CEMIN, Centre of Excellence on Nanostructured Innovative Materials, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Sergio Casella
- Department of Agronomy Food Natural resources Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
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Penttilä PA, Imai T, Hemming J, Willför S, Sugiyama J. Enzymatic hydrolysis of biomimetic bacterial cellulose-hemicellulose composites. Carbohydr Polym 2018; 190:95-102. [PMID: 29628264 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.02.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2017] [Revised: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The production of biofuels and other chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass is limited by the inefficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. Here a biomimetic composite material consisting of bacterial cellulose and wood-based hemicelluloses was used to study the effects of hemicelluloses on the enzymatic hydrolysis with a commercial cellulase mixture. Bacterial cellulose synthesized in the presence of hemicelluloses, especially xylan, was found to be more susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis than hemicellulose-free bacterial cellulose. The reason for the easier hydrolysis could be related to the nanoscale structure of the substrate, particularly the packing of cellulose microfibrils into ribbons or bundles. In addition, small-angle X-ray scattering was used to show that the average nanoscale morphology of bacterial cellulose remained unchanged during the enzymatic hydrolysis. The reported easier enzymatic hydrolysis of bacterial cellulose produced in the presence of wood-based xylan offers new insights to overcome biomass recalcitrance through genetic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paavo A Penttilä
- Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere (RISH), Kyoto University, Gokasho, 611-0011 Uji, Japan.
| | - Tomoya Imai
- Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere (RISH), Kyoto University, Gokasho, 611-0011 Uji, Japan
| | - Jarl Hemming
- Johan Gadolin Process Chemistry Centre, Åbo Akademi University, Porthansgatan 3-5, 20500 Turku, Finland
| | - Stefan Willför
- Johan Gadolin Process Chemistry Centre, Åbo Akademi University, Porthansgatan 3-5, 20500 Turku, Finland
| | - Junji Sugiyama
- Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere (RISH), Kyoto University, Gokasho, 611-0011 Uji, Japan
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Garcia-Herrero I, Margallo M, Onandía R, Aldaco R, Irabien A. Environmental challenges of the chlor-alkali production: Seeking answers from a life cycle approach. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 580:147-157. [PMID: 27955969 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.10.202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Revised: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 10/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been used to assess the environmental sustainability of the chlor-alkali production in Europe. The three current technologies applied nowadays are mercury, diaphragm, and membrane cell technology. Despite, having achieved higher energy efficiencies since the introduction of membrane technology, energy consumption is still one of the most important issues in this sector. An emerging technology namely oxygen-depolarised cathodes (ODC) is suggested as a promising approach for reducing the electrolysis energy demand. However, its requirement of pure oxygen and the lack of production of hydrogen, which could otherwise be valorised, are controversial features for greener chlorine production. The aim of this work is to evaluate and compare the environmental profiles of the current and emerging technologies for chlorine production and to identify the main hot spots of the process. Salt mining, brine preparation, electrolysis technology and products treatment are included inside the system boundaries. Twelve environmental impact categories grouped into natural resources usage and environmental burdens are assessed from cradle to gate and further normalised and weighted. Furthermore, hydrogen valorisation, current density and allocation procedure are subjected to sensitivity analysis. Results show that the electrolysis stage is the main contributor to the environmental impacts due to energy consumption, causing 99.5-72% of these impacts. Mercury is the less environmentally sustainable technology, closely followed by diaphragm. This difference becomes bigger after normalisation, owing to hazardous waste generated by mercury technique. Conversely, best results are obtained for ODC instead of membrane scenario, although the reduction in energy requirements is lesser than expected (7%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Garcia-Herrero
- Departamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. de los Castros, s/n., 39005 Santander, Cantabria, Spain.
| | - María Margallo
- Departamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. de los Castros, s/n., 39005 Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| | - Raquel Onandía
- Departamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. de los Castros, s/n., 39005 Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| | - Rubén Aldaco
- Departamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. de los Castros, s/n., 39005 Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| | - Angel Irabien
- Departamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. de los Castros, s/n., 39005 Santander, Cantabria, Spain
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Li Z, Wang D, Shi YC. Effects of nitrogen source on ethanol production in very high gravity fermentation of corn starch. J Taiwan Inst Chem Eng 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtice.2016.10.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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13
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Azapagic A, Perdan S. Sustainable chemical engineering: Dealing with “wicked” sustainability problems. AIChE J 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/aic.14650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adisa Azapagic
- School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science; The University of Manchester; The Mill, Sackville Street Manchester M13 9PL United Kingdom
| | - Slobodan Perdan
- School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science; The University of Manchester; The Mill, Sackville Street Manchester M13 9PL United Kingdom
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Glassey J, Ottens M. Editorial: Industrial biotechnology - Technologies and methods for rapid process development. Biotechnol J 2014; 9:711-2. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201400304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Design of Integrated Biorefineries. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63433-7.50018-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
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