The challenges of this century based on a sustainable and
more friendly environment development have turned the vision
of chemical production toward a new industry concept of biomass
refining in order to decrease rapid consumption of non-renewable
resources (petroleum, natural gas, coal, and minerals). In the beginning,
a typical biorefinery convert essentially natural renewable
matter into bio-energy products. However, in the next generation
biorefinery, the feedstock will be fractionated further into valuable
components by extraction, fermentation and controlled pyrolysis,
as well as by more traditional methods.