The economic sustainability of lignocellulosic biorefineries can be significantly improved by co-producing added value chemicals together with common biofuels like ethanol. In this work a techno-economic analysis of a multiproduct biorefinery was carried out by means of process simulations, cost and profitability analysis. Alternative process flowsheets including the co-production of xylitol or furfural from C5sugars deriving from biomass hydrolysis were assessed and compared with the ethanol base case. A comparison between the purchase of enzymes and the on-site production of enzymes was also addressed. The lowest Payback Selling Price of ethanol was obtained for the case of xylitol co-production thanks to its higher added value.
Techno-economic assessment of a lignocellulosic biorefinery co-producing ethanol and xylitol or furfural
Giuliano, Aristide;Barletta, Diego;Poletto, Massimo
2018-01-01
Abstract
The economic sustainability of lignocellulosic biorefineries can be significantly improved by co-producing added value chemicals together with common biofuels like ethanol. In this work a techno-economic analysis of a multiproduct biorefinery was carried out by means of process simulations, cost and profitability analysis. Alternative process flowsheets including the co-production of xylitol or furfural from C5sugars deriving from biomass hydrolysis were assessed and compared with the ethanol base case. A comparison between the purchase of enzymes and the on-site production of enzymes was also addressed. The lowest Payback Selling Price of ethanol was obtained for the case of xylitol co-production thanks to its higher added value.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.