Carbon Dioxide in Biomass Processing: Contributions to the Green Biorefinery Concept

The need for development of an economy based on renewable resources has been recognized by society, The biorefinery is a term used to define industrial facilities that cover an extensive range of combined technologies in which biomass is transformed and converted, in a sustainable manner, into a wide range of value-added products, leading to direct similarities to today's petrorefineries. Following this idea, the aim of future biorefineries is the extraction of high-value chemicals present in biomass, such as flavoring agents, fragrances, and nutraceuticals and, in the next step, processing of biomass-derived polysaccharides, lignin, and proteins toward bioderived materials, fuels, and other commodities. When starch is partially hydrolyzed, it produces maltodextrins, nutritive saccharide polymers, and nonsweet products used as texturizers, fat substitutes, freezing aids, and filming control agents among other applications. The diverse composition of biomass and the interactions between fractions make its structure very complex and resistant to deconstruction.