Techno-economic analysis of an integrated biorefinery strategy based on one-pot biomass fractionation and furfural production

Abstract

This study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of an integrated biorefinery for the co-production of furfural, lignin, and ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass (i.e., switchgrass as a model feedstock). The proposed biorefinery is based on a novel one-pot biomass fractionation and furfural production, which is integrated into ethanol production. The one-pot reaction system uses a biphasic solvent comprising aqueous choline chloride (ChCl) and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK). Aqueous ChCl is the reaction medium for simultaneous pretreatment and hemicellulose conversion, while MIBK is the organic phase for in situ furfural extraction. Aspen Plus simulation indicates that 49% of total carbon in the feedstock is converted to the target products (i.e., 17.9% to furfural, 16.0% to lignin, and 15.1% to ethanol). The base case has a minimum furfural selling price (MFSP) of 625 $/t, which is about 37% lower than furfural market price. Sensitivity analysis shows that the technical parameters (e.g., reaction temperature, solid loading) have a larger effect on MFSP than the economic parameters (e.g., material cost, installation cost). The techno-economic analysis results suggest that the proposed system is cost-competitive and has low economic risk.