Page 62 - Biorefinery 2030

30 2 An Original Business Model: The Integrated Biorefinery

• The lignocellulose biorefinery, which can process forestry products or straw,
corncobs and lignocellulose-rich waste.
• The syngas biorefinery, which produces hydrocarbons or intermediate chemical
products by the microbial fermentation of synthesis gas.

However, the concept of biorefinery goes beyond the philosophy of the oil
refinery because, when possible, it includes sustainable management practices
and a circular economy.
More generally, the concept of biorefinery takes into account all the issues of
sustainable development, including environmental, economic and social factors.

1.2 The Viability of the Biorefinery

The biorefinery, seen as a single industrial entity, becomes economically worth-
while when different factories on the same site come together to make up an
industrial ecosystem in which the different firms supply each other with intermedi-
ate products and/or energy. The economies of scale made possible by the proximity
of the various players, in terms of logistics and investment, become key competi-
tiveness factors. The biorefinery can thus optimise its procurement and production
in line with the markets upstream and downstream of its activity.
This economic optimisation can be accompanied by an environmental
optimisation, including the minimisation of waste, energy consumption and other
inputs. The more integrated the biorefinery, the more viable the biorefinery model is
(Cf. Box 2.2).

Box 2.2 Levels of Integration and Multi-functionality Already Achieved by
Biorefineries (After Star-Colibri (2011))
Degree Integrated and multifunctional features
Raw Use of all the components of the biomass
materials Processing of different components of raw materials in parallel and in an
appropriate manner
Flexible, optimised use of raw materials for primary refining
Process Link between primary and secondary refining
Successive steps to the process along the value chain
Wide range of products
Products Simultaneous production of chemical products, materials, energy, and
when appropriate, by-products for food and animal feed
Simultaneous production of various materials and/or simultaneous
production of different types of energy
Link between conversion and refining
Industry Incorporation within the existing value chain
Selection of location with regard to biomass production and availability