Biorefineries: Current activities and future developments

This paper reviews the current refuel valorization facilities as well as the future importance of biorefineries. A biorefinery is a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels, power, and chemicals from biomass. Biorefineries combine the necessary technologies of the biorenewable raw materials with those of chemical intermediates and final products. Char production by pyrolysis, bio-oil production by pyrolysis, gaseous fuels from biomass, Fischer-Tropsch liquids from biomass, hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass, supercritical liquefaction, and biochemical processes of biomass are studied and concluded in this review. Upgraded bio-oil from biomass pyrolysis can be used in vehicle engines as fuel. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.