Process Integration via a Sustainable Biorefinery Approach Using Agro-industrial Residues and Photosynthetic Consortia

Integration of processes is proposed in this chapter to describe the production of bioenergy and value-added co-products via a biorefinery approach. Bioprocessing of biofuels is based on recovery of waste (pretreatment), transformation thermochemistry–biochemistry, and finally the combined heat and power (CHP), also known as cogeneration (production of electricity or mechanical power via useful thermal energy). CHP can use a variety of fuels, both fossil and renewable-based. The proposed technology for coproducing bioenergy and bioproducts increases the benefit and sustainability relative to fossil-driven products. This will allow optimizing the energy consumption of the process in the future while maintaining production without affecting the environment and society. Likewise, the implementation and specialized software tools for the simulation and calculations of process and environmental intensification indicators are described. A novel diagram was proposed that describes process integration via a sustainable biorefinery approach using wastes and agro-industrial residues. The above reveals that the generated methodology can be considered for control, multi-scale-up, and optimization of bioprocesses purposes.