Assessing the economic viability of pretreatment technologies to make sugars for chemical catalytic upgrading to fuels and chemicals. Issue 21 (1st October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gunukula, Sampath; Schwartz, Thomas J.; Pendse, Hemant P.; DeSisto, William J.; Wheeler, M. Clayton
• Is Part Of: Sustainable energy & fuels. Volume 5:Issue 21(2021)
• Page Start: 5513
• Page End: 5522
• Publication Date: 2021-10-01
• Subjects: Renewable energy sources -- Periodicals; Fuel cells -- Periodicals; Electric batteries -- Periodicals; Electrochemistry -- Periodicals; 660.297
• DOI: 10.1039/d1se01097b
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2398-4902

Abstract

Abstract : Biomass fractionation technologies are down-selected and economic feasibility of the selected technologies are assessed to produce cellulose and hemicelluloses for chemical catalytic upgrading. Abstract : The monomeric/polymeric sugars derived from cellulose and hemicellulose must be nearly pure (>95%) for chemical catalytic upgrading to chemicals and fuels. This work reports the results of a qualitative screening study of biomass pretreatment and fractionation technologies that can meet this purity requirement. Two technologies, combined autohydrolysis and organosolv (AOF) and formic acid pulping (FAP), were found to be suitable for the effective fractionation of lignocellulose to yield cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The estimated costs of making nearly pure (>95%) polysaccharides from a lignocellulosic feedstock were US$0.66 per kg (AOF) and US$0.36 per kg (FAP). The limiting factor for commercialization was the high ratio of liquid-to-dry-solid required for biomass fractionation using both AOF and FAP technologies.