WP OBJECTIVES
The aim of WP1 is to produce, collect, pre-treat and condition biomass feedstocks for subsequent processing in the biorefinery processes. The work will focus on ligno-cellulosic biomasses wheat straw, willow, and algae.

WP ACTIVITIES
Pre-treatment of straw and willow will be initiated using the Biogasol process parameters as an initial starting point. To obtain usable lignin and sugar streams for multiple partners and their further processing, input and feedback from the project partners will be implemented throughout the project in order to establish developmental pretreatment as an iterative process yielding optimised end products.The work on algae is centered on the task of reducing user costs of algae production, and additionally an optimisation of integrated algal oil production using microalgae. Microalgae production is performed using optimised fluid gas conditions and production will be combined with fractionation via more efficient techniques. In addition, process waste water treatment in algal production will be integrated in the process. An existing integrated pressurised entrained flow gasifier and gas cleaning system is used for delivering a syngas for further conversion. An inescapable consequence of using a variety of different biomasses and variable pretreatment conditions is the inherent variability of products travelling to the downstream phase processes. The variability of different biomasses is overcome through pyrolysis to chars, bio-oil slurries and the use of lignin residue. Central in circumventing this issue is optimising the process conditions for selected feedstocks resulting in desired syngas compositions. Finally, the logistics concerning materials and data transfer between WP partners and WPs is of highest importance.

WP EXPECTED RESULTS
- To deliver different fractions of pretreated biomass and sugar streams to the project partners.
- To create optimised integrated algal oil production using microalgae.
- To circumvent the product variability through pyrolysis and syngas preparation.
- To achieve elevated value from the available lignin fraction of biomass as compared to what is normally achieved by combustion or gasification.