Sustainable Triacetic Acid Lactone Production from Sugarcane by Fermentation and Crystallization

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology and Biorefining
• Chemical Engineering
• Sustainable Materials

Background:

• Triacetic acid lactone (TAL) is a versatile bioderived platform chemical.
• TAL can be used to produce valuable products like sorbic acid and polydiketoenamine plastics.
• Efficient and sustainable production methods for TAL are crucial for its commercial viability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, simulate, and evaluate TAL production from sugarcane using BioSTEAM.
• To assess the techno-economic feasibility and environmental impact (carbon intensity) of TAL production.
• To identify strategies for reducing the cost and carbon footprint of TAL production.

Main Methods:

• Techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) were employed.
• TAL solubility was experimentally characterized and modeled.
• A crystallization process was designed for TAL separation from fermentation broths.

Main Results:

• Baseline TAL production MPSP is $4.60·kg^-1 with a CI of 5.31 kg CO₂-eq·kg^-1.
• Potential exists to reduce MPSP by 51% to $2.26·kg^-1 and CI by 43% to 3.05 kg CO₂-eq·kg^-1 through process improvements.
• The study demonstrates the viability of low-CI production of sorbic acid and polydiketoenamines.

Conclusions:

• Agile TEA-LCA is effective for screening bioproduct designs and sustainability trade-offs.
• Optimizing fermentation parameters, operation scheduling, and separation processes can significantly improve TAL production economics and environmental performance.
• This research provides a quantitative roadmap for advancing bioderived chemicals and biofuels.