Evaluation of Tobacco Biomass for Bio-Plastics Production
Abstract
Tyton BioEnergy Systems (Tyton), a biotechnology company focused on developing tobacco
as a renewable biofuel, has developed unique varieties strands of tobacco that can
serve as an alternative feedstock for bio-based manufacturing. The company is looking
for market research analysis and recommendations to best position itself in the biofuels
and green chemicals industry using their tobacco glucose which has three times the
amount of the commercial varieties. These unique plant characteristics combined with
Tyton’s patent-pending, hydrothermal extraction technology enables the company to
sell sugars and oils at a more competitive price than corn, soy, and other cellulosic
feedstocks. Based on market research and interviews, the team identified a potential
short-term sugar opportunity for Tyton: Polylactic Acid (PLA) bio-based plastics.
Although the report outlines a medium-term and long-term strategy of identifying and
expressing high value chemicals directly in the tobacco biomass, it focuses on the
short-term solutions. In addition to providing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and an
economic analysis of tobacco versus corn sugars for PLA production, the team has also
identified potential bio-based plastic manufacturing partners.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11853Citation
Rowe, Diana; Taccioli, Pablo; & Ocariz Arce, Juan Jose (2016). Evaluation of Tobacco Biomass for Bio-Plastics Production. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11853.Collections
More Info
Show full item record
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Rights for Collection: Nicholas School of the Environment
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info