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Biorefining Of Renewable Resources—Emerging Opportunities For Engineering Education, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

The society in which we live has developed an insatiable demand for energy and material goods. Historically these needs have primarily been met by utilizing fossil fuels and other nonrenewable raw materials. As environmental concerns grow, however, renewable resources are gaining increased attention. This paper examines industrial biorefineries, which are at the leading edge of the development of emerging biobased industries. Biorefineries, similar in concept to traditional petroleum refineries, utilize various conversion technologies to produce multiple products, including fuels, chemicals, industrial products, and electrical power from renewable biomass sources, such as corn stover, residue straw, perennial grasses, legumes, and other …