Large scale production of ferulic acid from lignocellulose is limited by the low solubility and low diffusion rate of ferulic acids into aqueous media. The versatility of the selected low toxicity deep eutectic solvents (DES) should allow them to act both as solvent for lignocellulose components extraction and concentration phase for enzymatically extracted compounds
DEBUT’s innovative approach is to screen from the very beginning the ecotoxic characteristics of new natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) and to enhance cellulose accessibility by using feruloyl-esterase (FAE).
The small scale biorefinery process will include two main steps:
The objectives of DEBUT are:
The impact of the DEBUT project results from the small scale biorefinery cascading process and the added value of the resulted products.
The small scale biorefinery is based on a smart and integrated process design, which avoids high temperatures and pressures. Such a design allows an easier replication on rural areas because it is not capital intensive and does not require very high qualified working force.
For the resulting products, the NADES formation (natural deep eutectic solvents), as a mixture on precise molar ratio, from largely available ingredients, is easy to scale-up and does not require high temperature or high pressure. This safe and non-expensive NADES will have additional applications as a green extractant.
The DEBUT project also produced microbial plant biostimulants. This plant biostimulants assure sustainable intensification of agricultural production in face of major challenges: climate change, soil degradation, finite land resources, increased demand for food production and for bio-resources use in the bioeconomy value chains.
*At the time of the proposal. Please consider this data as an accurate estimate; it may vary during the project’s lifespan.
Total costs include in kind contribution by grant holders and can therefore be higher than the total requested funding.