Integrated biorefineries for the co-production of biofuels and high-value products

Current applications of biomass for biofuel production are focused on the conversion of a fraction of an entire biomass, resulting in the generation of large amounts of waste. The integrated biorefinery concept, which emphasizes waste reduction through the integration of various biomass conversion technologies, can improve this situation. In this chapter, the latest developments in integrated biorefineries for the production of biofuels with one or more by-products are reviewed. First, the integrated production of various biofuels by physical, chemical, and biological methods is reviewed. Then, the co-production of biofuels, especially bioethanol, biohydrogen, and biodiesel, with other value-added chemicals is discussed. This is followed by a review of the co-production of biofuels with polymeric or other undefined value-added products. Finally, case studies of the co-production of biodiesel and glycerol, and bioethanol and arabinoxylans, are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of integrated biorefinery processes.