Downstream processing

Following the production of bio-based chemicals by chemo-catalytic or biotechnical conversion the products need to be isolated and purified. Without such downstream processing steps no production process can be carried out.

Bio-based chemicals produced by chemo-catalytically or biotechnologically processes are normally dissolved in a reaction medium when the reaction has been completed and product isolation and purification are necessary to obtain high-purity products. Therefore suitable and inexpensive downstream processes need to be developed and adapted for every reaction based on unit operations such as filtration, distillation, extraction, crystallization, adsorption, membrane processes and chromatography.

In some cases the conversion process and product isolation may be beneficially combined leading to a more efficient conversion. For instance, we could obtain a higher product amount in the biotechnological production of n-butanol by applying in-situ extraction of the toxic product n-butanol.

Furthermore, an in-situ product removal may be beneficially applied in the acid catalyzed production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). In our research we used an in-situ-adsorption of HMF on activated charcoal to protect HMF from decomposition and to increase the HMF yield.

Contact

PD Dr. rer. nat. Ulf Prüße

Projects

Itaconic Acid for Polyesters

Polyesters nowadays represent an important group of plastics which generally are obtained using fossil raw materials. Another, more sustainable approach, we work on in an ERA-IB project, is the use of renewable resources like chaff or orange peels for their production.

BioButanol

Butanol is an important chemical feedstock used in paints resins, plasticizers and polymers. The aim of the project was the integrated evaluation of a biotechnical process for the produktion of butanol from agricultural residues or raw materials.

Product isolation and purification of conversion products

Parallel with process development of chemical and biotechnological conversion of renewable resources, research is indispensable in the field of physical, thermal and chemical separation techniques for the successful purification of the conversion products.

Biobased Dicarboxylic Acids

Biobased dicarboxylic acids auch as furan dicarboyxylic acid (FDCA) are interesting building blocks for polyesters. In this project the process development will be supported by eco-efficency analysis, which may be suitable to guide the development of similar processes for the production of biobased chemicals.