超(亜)臨界水技術によるセルロース系バイオマス変換(<特集>リグノセルロース系バイオマスの次世代技術開発の動向II)

概要

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Supercritical/subcritical water technology has been considered to be an environmentally benign treatment. Therefore, its technology was applied for a conversion of cellulosic biomass to useful fuels and useful chemicals so as to mitigate the environmental loading. For example, supercritical/subcritical water treatment has demonstrated that cellulosic biomass can be decomposed to be lignin-derived products for useful aromatic chemicals and carbohydrate-derived products for subsequent ethanol fermentation by yeast as well as acetic acid fermentation to produce bioethanol. If this treatment is prolonged, cellulosic biomass was found to be converted to organic acids which can be further converted to methane as one of the useful biofuels. As supercritical water was used for hydrolysis of oils from cellulosic biomass, the obtained fatty acids could be converted into fatty acid methyl esters as biodiesel by supercritical methanol under noncatalytic conditions. In addition, a potential of methyl acetate and dimethyl carbonate in the supercritical state was concomitantly demonstrated for biodiesel production. Based on these lines of research, our achievements in supercritical/subcritical water technology could be applicable for various cellulosic biomass resources to introduce biorefinery in clean and green chemistry for a sustainable environment, particularly focusing on the new technologies of bioethanol and biodiesel production.
2011-01-20