Process Design and Integration Philosophy for Competitive Waste Biorefineries: Example of Levulinic Acid Production From Representative Lignocellulosic Biomasses

This chapter shows how to engineer a competitive waste-biorefinery concept by systematic application of process simulation and integration and technoeconomic and environmental analyses. Reaction-separation process synthesis, heat integration, and effluent treatment and utility system design are shown alongside life-cycle assessment and economic value and environmental impact analysis tools. These are illustrated for levulinic acid production from municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United Kingdom, sugarcane and blue agave bagasse from Mexico, and sago bark from Malaysia. Results demonstrate that targeting at least one high-value chemical product can result in a competitive biorefinery, which can be made sustainable by integrating multiple processes that meet energy and raw material needs internally and environmental regulations, and export any energy excess. Therefore, a biorefinery system must integrate preprocessing and fractionation reactors, product purification, solvent and catalyst recovery, effluent treatment plant, and combined heat and power generation, for sustainability and competitiveness.