Integrated Soybean Biorefinery

The concept of biorefinery is analogous to that of petroleum refineries, but it uses renewable raw materials. However, the main objective of the biorefinery is to transform renewable agricultural materials into numerous and different commercially applicable products, allowing a viable economic competitiveness to traditional petrochemical refineries. In this chapter, we present a proposal for a biorefinery integrated from soybean as raw material, demonstrating its potential in this sector. In addition, special focus was given to the high value-added products present in the soybean oil deodorizer distillate (SODD), such as tocopherol, fatty acids, and squalene, which can be applied in the food, pharmacy, and cosmetic industries. In conclusion, the use of soybean raw material as a biomass in a biorefinery presents numerous environmental and economic advantages as high value-added products are formed. It is important to highlight that in this highly evolved integrated biorefinery model, the additional benefits of operational and administrative synergies will emerge over time.