Biorefinery concept in organic agriculture: combined bioethanol and biogas production

Summary

Organic agriculture is one sustainable alternative to avoid the negative environmental effects often caused by conventional agriculture. BioConcens is an interdisciplinary project aims at developing new biorefinery concept and processes for co-production of bioethanol, biogas and animal feed based on resources from organic agriculture (clover grass, straw) and associated food processing (whey). Bioenergy produced in organic agriculture can reduce its dependency of fossil fuels and decrease greenhouse-gas emission, and at the same time it is important that carbon and nutrients cycle are not influenced negatively. Biogas can be produced from any carbon rich waste/by-product, which can be further utilized in combined heat and power plant to produce heat and electricity for organic farm. Bioethanol can be a substitute for gasoline, and the effluent from whey-based fermentations will be valuable product for organic animal production. Co-production of bioethanol and biogas would allow all the components of both plant biomass and animal manure to be used.
In this study we have tested agriculture starchy and lignocellulosic biomass (rye grain, clover grass) and food processing by-product (whey permeate) originated from organic farming for combined bioethanol and biogas production.