The PERFORM consortium works on the electrochemical conversion of glucose from Avantium’s DAWN TechnologyTM to high-value products.
To make this glucose feedstock suited for electrochemical conversion it is crucial to know the composition of the feedstock, understand which components can interfere with the electrochemical conversion and to develop protocols and equipment to selectively remove such components from the sugar matrix. Avantium has recently reported the milestone “Feedstocks selected and characterized”.
To achieve this milestone analytical methods are developed to define the composition of the sugar stream that is produced in the DAWN TechnologyTM pilot plant. In close collaboration with the partners that work on the electrochemical conversion, we identified which components are to be removed before the electrochemical conversion of glucose. Then starting on laboratory scale, Avantium developed a series of pre-treatment steps that selectively remove these components. After successful demonstrations on laboratory scale these pre-treatment steps are scaled up and implemented in the DAWN TechnologyTM pilot plant.
Large steps are made in the PERFORM project in the optimization of the operability of the DAWN TechnologyTM pilot plant and its performance with regards to the application of its sugar streams. We are able to unravel the precise composition of the sugar product streams that are produced. The development of equipment and protocols for pre-treatment steps, both on lab scale and in the pilot plant, allowed us to selectively remove components from the sugar streams. This can broaden the scope of applications of the sugars obtained in the DAWN technologyTM.