Sustainable Biorefining of Biowaste for Advanced Biofuels and Biochemicals
Integrated Production, Separation, and Techno-Economic-Environmental Analysis
ID
MSCA_PF-KKarimi[02]
Supervisors
About the research Group
Chemical Engineering
The department of Chemical Engineering of the VUB has the ambition to stay at the forefront of the research on liquid chromatography and adsorptive separations, and expand its activities into other areas of low-energy cost liquid-phase separation techniques, such as membrane separations and micro-scale extractions. The group largely owes its international reputation to the fact that it has positioned itself as a group developing innovative solutions that bridge the gap between the molecular scale and the micro- to millimeter scale of the packing or housing materials typically used in chemical processes. To capitalize on this successful strategy, the group wants to run a dedicated research program focusing on “Exploiting the Advantages of Order and Confinement for a Greener Chemistry”, as a backbone program to grow into one of Europe’s leading Centers of Expertise in separation science.
Project description
This research project focuses on developing an efficient and sustainable biorefinery framework to convert biowaste (e.g., agricultural residues, food waste, lignocellulosic biomass) into advanced biofuels (bioethanol, biobutanol, biodiesel) and high-value biochemicals (organic acids, biopolymers). The study will investigate innovative pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, and downstream separation techniques to maximize yield, purity, and energy efficiency while minimizing environmental impact.
A core component involves comprehensive techno-economic analysis (TEA) to evaluate the economic feasibility and scalability of biorefinery processes, alongside a life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify carbon footprint, energy balance, and waste reduction potential. The goal is to identify optimal pathways for biowaste valorization that align with circular economy principles and global decarbonization targets.
Supervised by Prof. Keikhosro Karimi (ranked among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists and author of over 300 peer-reviewed journal papers), this project leverages his expertise in biomass conversion, adsorption technologies, and sustainable process engineering. The research will integrate advanced modeling and simulation tools (Aspen Plus, SimaPro, Python-based optimization) to validate process viability and sustainability.
Expected Outcomes:
- Development of cost-effective, low-carbon biorefinery processes for biofuels/biochemicals.
- TEA & LCA benchmarks to guide industry and policymakers.
- Novel separation techniques to enhance product recovery and purity.
- Contributions to EU Green Deal objectives and circular bioeconomy strategies.
This project is hosted at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) under the Chemical Engineering Department’s Adsorption Group, combining cutting-edge research with real-world applicability in energy and waste valorization sectors.