Technology development for the production of biobased products from biorefinery carbohydrates—the US Department of Energy’s “Top 10” revisited

TLDR

A biorefinery that adds high‑value biobased chemicals to low‑value biofuels can cut nonrenewable fuel use and spur industry growth, but selecting suitable products is hampered by limited conversion technologies and many potential targets; in 2004 DOE introduced a selection process linking a small set of carbohydrate‑derived compounds with the research and technology needs for their production. The report aims to stimulate research to synthesize members of the DOE‑identified group or novel structures and to provide an updated evaluation of potential target compounds using the same selection methodology while summarizing technology developments that enabled their inclusion. This review uses the DOE selection methodology to evaluate target structures and summarizes technology developments that led to their inclusion. Since DOE’s 2004 report, significant progress has been achieved in using carbohydrates as feedstocks for chemical production, and the updated list serves as a dynamic guide to technology development that could enable commercial success by integrating biofuels with biobased products.

Abstract

A biorefinery that supplements its manufacture of low value biofuels with high value biobased chemicals can enable efforts to reduce nonrenewable fuel consumption while simultaneously providing the necessary financial incentive to stimulate expansion of the biorefining industry. However, the choice of appropriate products for addition to the biorefinery's portfolio is challenged by a lack of broad-based conversion technology coupled with a plethora of potential targets. In 2004, the US Department of Energy (DOE) addressed these challenges by describing a selection process for chemical products that combined identification of a small group of compounds derived from biorefinery carbohydrates with the research and technology needs required for their production. The intent of the report was to catalyze research efforts to synthesize multiple members of this group, or, ideally, structures not yet on the list. In the six years since DOE's original report, considerable progress has been made in the use of carbohydrates as starting materials for chemical production. This review presents an updated evaluation of potential target structures using similar selection methodology, and an overview of the technology developments that led to the inclusion of a given compound. The list provides a dynamic guide to technology development that could realize commercial success through the proper integration of biofuels with biobased products.