(27f) Process Development and Techno-Economic Analysis of Biomass-Derived GVL Production As an Intermediate for Chemo-Enzymatic Bio-Jet Fuel Production

The production of high-value-added platform materials and the development of carbon dioxide emission reduction technologies through the utilization of biomass are in the spotlight as numerous technologies are being developed to address the recent climate crisis and depletion of fossil fuels. With the intermediate product of levulinic acid, the goal of this study is to develop a novel chemo-enzymatic process model and determine the outcomes of a techno-economic analysis for the production of GVL(Gamma-valerolactone), which can be used for bio-jet fuel production. The chemo-enzymatic process is starting from carbon-neutral feedstock mainly containing cellulose, and levulinic acid is produced by hydrothermal oxidation of biomass. By streamlining the current pretreatment/saccharification process and introducing an enzyme-based, high-efficiency one-step bioconversion method, the new biorefinery process can simultaneously increase selectivity and productivity across the whole process. The main components of this process are the oxidation of biomass with the aid of sulfuric acid as a catalyst and the separation of solid impurities, the synthesis of GVL from the reaction of levulinic acid and formic acid. Then, it can be used for the production of bio-jet fuel by a series of processes involving ketonization, hydrogenation, and dehydration. In this study, based on the newly developed chemo-enzymatic process, the techno-economic analysis took into account CAPEX and OPEX to derive the production cost of biomass-derived GVL, maximizing the likelihood of commercialization in the future in a situation where the technical readiness level is low. Associated recommendations to maximize the economic viability had been derived.