
Biomass as a Sustainable Feedstock for Biochemicals in Upcoming Biorefineries
Turning Biomass into Biochemicals for the Future Bioeconomy
Skills you will gain:
Biomass is emerging as a key alternative to fossil-based resources for producing fuels, chemicals, polymers, solvents, and platform molecules. In upcoming biorefineries, diverse biomass sources such as crop residues, forestry waste, algae, food waste, and lignocellulosic materials can be processed into high-value biochemicals through biochemical, thermochemical, and catalytic routes.
Aim: This workshop aims to introduce participants to the role of biomass as a renewable feedstock for producing biochemicals in next-generation biorefineries.
- Understand biomass types and their suitability as biochemical feedstocks.
- Learn pretreatment and conversion methods for lignocellulosic biomass.
- Explore fermentation and catalytic pathways for biochemical production.
- Evaluate sustainability, yield, and process efficiency in biorefineries.
- Understand scale-up and commercialization challenges for bio-based chemicals.
What you will learn?
Day 1: Biomass Feedstock & Biorefinery Fundamentals
- Introduction to biomass and biorefineries
- Types of biomass: lignocellulosic waste, agricultural residues, algae, food waste
- Biomass composition: cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, proteins, oils
- Sustainable feedstock selection and availability
- Hands-on: Select biomass feedstock for biochemical production
- Tools Used: Canva, Jupyter Notebook, Python, Excel / Google Sheets, Google Scholar, PubMed
Day 2: Biomass Conversion into Biochemicals
- Pretreatment methods: physical, chemical, biological
- Conversion routes: fermentation, enzymatic hydrolysis, catalytic conversion
- Biochemicals: organic acids, bioethanol, bioplastics, biosurfactants, enzymes
- Role of microbes, enzymes, and catalysts
- Hands-on: Design a biomass-to-biochemical conversion workflow
- Tools Used: Jupyter Notebook, Python for data plotting, Excel / Google Sheets, BioRender, Miro / Jamboard
Day 3: Biorefinery Applications & Product Development
- Integrated biorefinery concept
- Product recovery, purification, and downstream processing
- Sustainability, circular economy, and waste valorization
- Lab-to-market pathway for bio-based chemicals
- Hands-on: Develop one biorefinery-based biochemical product concept
- Tools Used: Python, Jupyter Notebook, Excel / Google Sheets, Canva, BioRender, LCA calculator template, product concept template
Intended For :
- Undergraduate/postgraduate degree in Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Environmental Science, Microbiology, Industrial Biotechnology, or related fields.
- Professionals working in bioenergy, biochemicals, waste valorization, fermentation, sustainability, or industrial biotechnology sectors.
- Researchers interested in biorefineries, biomass conversion, green chemistry, and circular bioeconomy.
- Individuals with a keen interest in sustainable manufacturing and renewable feedstock innovation.1111111111111111111111
Career Supporting Skills

