Biofuel Research Journal

Biofuel Research Journal

Sustainable poplar biorefinery producing butanol-rich solvents, furfural, and lignin-derived compounds with environmental and economic benefits

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Meysam Madadi 1
Maryam Saleknezhad 1, 2
Seyed Sajad Hashemi 1
Ehsan Kargaran 1
Mehdi Abbasi-Riyakhuni 1
Di Cai 3, 4
Anushree Priyadarshini 5
Mahdy Elsayed 6
Chihe Sun 1
Fubao Sun 1
1 Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
2 Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan 8174673441, Iran.
3 State Key Laboratory of Green Biomanufacturing, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
4 National Energy R&D Center for Biorefinery, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.
5 School of Business, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
6 Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt.
10.18331/BRJ2025.12.4.4
Abstract
The transformation of poplar biomass into bio-based chemicals, fuels, and lignin-derived products through an integrated biorefinery is essential for realizing its full potential as a sustainable and economically viable feedstock. This study presents a poplar biorefinery approach using mild biphasic pretreatment (p-toluenesulfonic acid/pentanol + AlCl3, 110°C, 40 min) to produce bio-based platform multiple products. The pretreatment achieved efficient fractionation, with 83.2% delignification, 95.2% xylan removal, and minimal cellulose loss (7.8%), enabling high-yield one-pot furfural production (68.5%, 11.3 g/L). Enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose-rich residue, combined with fermentation by Clostridium acetobutylicum, produced a bio-solvent mixture of 16.2 g/L, including 10.5 g/L butanol. Depolymerized lignin was recovered and subjected to catalytic hydrogenolysis, yielding 46.4% monomers, 9.3% dimers, and 17.4% oligomers. Processing 140 Mt of poplar biomass annually at scale could deliver substantial environmental and economic gains, avoiding approximately 64.12 Mt of CO2-eq emissions and generating an estimated USD 2.97 billion in annual socioeconomic benefits. Sensitivity analysis confirmed biomass availability as the dominant factor influencing emission reduction. Economic evaluation demonstrated strong financial viability, with an aggregate net present value of USD 65.7 billion projected for full national implementation. This work establishes a holistic and economically compelling biorefinery strategy for the sustainable production of bio-based chemicals and fuels.

Graphical Abstract

Sustainable poplar biorefinery producing butanol-rich solvents, furfural, and lignin-derived compounds with environmental and economic benefits

Highlights

  • Mild biphasic pretreatment enabled efficient biomass fractionation with one-pot furfural production.
  • Clostridium fermentation yielded 16.2 g/L of solvents, with 10.5 g/L of butanol as the major product.
  • Lignin hydrogenolysis yielded 46.4% monomeric lignin with high selectivity.
  • Scale-up could reduce 64.12 Mt CO2-eq and save USD 2.97 billion annually.
  • Feedstock supply and energy use are identified as key factors in the biorefinery process.

Keywords
Biphasic pretreatment
One-pot furfural production
ABE fermentation
GHG reduction
Lignin monomers
Poplar biorefinery
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Biofuel Research Journal
Volume 12, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
Autumn 2025
Pages 2554-2568