Abstract
The ReFil project studies the development of an integrated biorefinery approach for the valorization of the chemical and energetic potential of Sewage Scum (SS), an abundant special waste separated at the municipal wastewater treatment. SS (now requiring an expensive disposal) can represent a valuable lipid and cellulose source, both to be exploited as alternative cheap precursors for biofuels (i.e. not related to food or cosmetic). The grease rich fraction of SS (ca. 45%) will be efficiently separated and, for the first time, esterified with bioethanol for obtaining fatty acids ethyl esters (FAEEs, biodiesel 1), a last generation biodiesel. Instead, the cellulose-rich fraction of SS (CRFSS) represents a potential source of glucose, obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis, to be exploited with two different biological approaches, namely: a) the obtainment of medium chain length carboxylic acids (MCCs) and b) the bioaccumulation of triglycerides (TGs) with oleaginous yeasts (OYs).
Team di ricerca UNIBO
Fabio Fava, Gonzalo Martinez
Partner di progetto
Università di Pisa; CNR-IRSA di Bari