Converting Waste Agricultural Biomass into a Resource - UNEP

companies with expertise in this well-understood fermentation and distillation,
back-end process.
Operation and Maintenance Requirements 192
While each biorefinery development using the PureVision fractionation
technology may differ significantly by type of feedstocks, primary product and
co-products, scale of operation, financing opportunities, etc., all projects will
share the need for similar information, documentation, infrastructure and
equipment.
• A quantitative evaluation to supply a biorefinery with specific feedstock(s).
• A determination if target feedstock(s) need to be fractionated on a smallscale.
• A site-specific analysis to evaluate potential sites to locate a biorefinery. This
study will include documenting the feedstock availability and supply in the
target location, infrastructure requirements, a transportation study, and a
review of regulatory issues.
• A preliminary economic evaluation addressing long-term feedstock supplies
contracts and the market/pricing for product and co-products that would be
produced at the biorefinery.
• A preliminary biorefinery project feasibility study inclusive of presenting the
financial parameters including the costing, financing, and return on investment
projections of the proposed project.
This study is expected to take approximately four-to-six months to complete.
Specific Considerations for Developing Countries 193
Research study that will include determining fiber characteristics of wheat
straw for pulp and other markets.
To identify potential fiber markets including various paper and non-paper
applications such as synthetically processed cellulose pulp.
Environmental Considerations 194
Preliminary results from Western Research Institute indicate that a >99%
clean cellulose product has been achieved. This should equate to a much
lower cellulase enzyme loading requirement to enzymatically hydrolyze
cellulose into glucose. It is this reduced cellulase requirement that could
provide the most significant cost savings in the technology.
Since 2003, PureVision has been using a continuous, small-scale process
development unit (PDU) with a throughput of about 200 pounds per day of
biomass. Having successfully proven the benefits of the patented PureVision
biomass conversion process, the company is constructing a larger pilot plant
with a throughput of about 3 tons per day of biomass.
Economic instruments for overcoming barriers 195
PureVision Technology, Inc., a leader in developing biorefining technologies,
announced a $990,000 financial assistance award with the U.S. Department
192 http://www.purevisiontechnology.com/technology/biorefinery.html
193 http://www.purevisiontechnology.com/news/biomass_recovery.html
194 Ibid.
195 http://www.purevisiontechnology.com/news/biomass_award.html
342