Process development of sustainable biorefinery system integrated into the existing pulping process

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The change of paper consumption trend may jeopardize the future of pulp and paper industry. This work aims to design and develop the integrated network of biochemical and biofuel productions into existing pulp mills for sustainable purposes. The systematic methodology aided by computation tools is undertaken using the three-stage approach including process synthesis, design and innovation. Previously, the optimal technologies of the biorefinery-integrated pulping processes were successfully determined in the synthesis stage providing the highest cost-effective incorporation; 48 million USD/year of profit was estimated according to the integration of succinic acid and dimethyl ether productions into the soda pulping process. Herein, the process designs of the integrated processes were performed followed by evaluations of the process performances and identifications of the hot spots and targets for establishments of the innovations.In this work, the biomass gasification option is designed and implemented to enhance the material and energy utilizations in the previously determined biorefinery-integrated pulping processes. Electricity and biofuel are produced and sold, which contributes positively to the economic and environmental impacts of these processes. The hot spots and targets are subsequently identified prior to the innovation stage. According to this stage, the cleaner alternatives that implements the CO2 utilization via methanol synthesis and solar cell installations are selected in order to minimize the CO2 emission. A net CO2 reduction of 42% is achieved when the cleaner alternatives are applied. Accordingly, these biorefinery-integrated innovations are not only conducive to the enhanced sustainability of existing pulp mills but also adaptive in response to the change of paper consumption trend.