Billions of years in evolutionary pressure have given us the richness of nature in the plant cell wall. Although it may be easy to overlook a swift of grass, a pinecone or the shavings of sugarcane, the value that lies within the fibre of each biomass has the capability of revolutionizing multiple industries. The sophisticated composition of plants not only fulfills a wide range of biological roles central to plant life but can give us multiple value-added products capable of replacing the need for fossil fuels.
Efficient utilisation of the plant cell wall (lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose) is truly possible through the adoption of the Biorefinery Concept. Biorefineries consolidate the process of biomass (mostly plant materials) conversion and production of multiple value-added products from a single resource. This concept is synonymous with petrol refineries, in that it takes advantage of the compositional versatility of the feedstock and their intermediates, therefore maximizing the value derived.
The adoption of Biorefineries for the production of products currently dependent on the use of fossil fuels allows us to replace fossil fuel resources with more renewable alternatives. Importantly, Biorefineries are mostly energy-efficient, eliminate energy waste and therefore contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. By using the Biorefinery Concept, we are able to use waste biomass for the integrated production of food, feed, materials, chemicals and fuels. This presents an opportunity for expanded market reach through a single facility, the opportunity to overcome the deficit of the product development and manufacturing industry particularly in Africa and establish self-reliance regarding the production of products dependent on fossil fuels.
The adoption of the Biorefinery Concept has huge potential to change the status quo of developing countries, as it avails the opportunity to use local resources for the production of multiple products such as biofuels, energy, platform chemicals and food additives amongst others. It also makes possible the involvement of developing countries in the green initiative without drastically impacting their economies. That’s precisely why LignOrganic is committed to achieving the vision of the biorefinery concept in Africa.