Title:
Techno-economic and Exergy Analysis of a Sustainable Process for the Purification of Furfural from Biomass
Author(s):
Dávalos-Yépez, J., Guevara-Giler, M., Beltrán-Borbor, K., Blanco-Marigorta, A.M., Varela, C., Tinoco-Caicedo, D.L.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
The production of biomass-derived platform chemicals has increased due to the growing need to decarbonize the chemical industry. However, the purification of biomass-based chemicals remains challenging because it still depends on petroleum-derived solvents and it is an energy-intensive process. This study simulates the synthesis and purification processes of furfural produced from corn cob biomass to evaluate the economic and thermodynamic feasibility of incorporating methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) into the purification stage. The incorporation of this green solvent reduced production costs by 21% compared to other pretroleum-derived solvents such as toluene. The techno-economic analysis demonstrated the profitability of the proposed process, achieving an internal rate of return (IRR) of 10%. The exergy analysis revealed that the use of MIBK reduced the total exergy destruction rate by 24% compared with conventional solvents such as butyl chloride. However, the highest fraction of exergy destruction rate in the process is associated with the energy demand of reactive distillation. Therefore, this study demonstrates the potential of MIBK as a sustainable solvent for furfural purification. Further efforts should focus on the integration of alternative energy sources, into reactive distillation processes to reduce the exergy destruction.
Keywords:
biorefinery, biobased products, economical aspects, reactive distillation, green solvents, corn cobs
Topic:
Biomass Conversion to Biomaterials and Chemicals
Subtopic:
Processes for bio-based chemicals and high-value compounds
Event:
34th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
6CV.6.19
Pages:
1008 - 1016
ISBN:
978-88-89407-27-1
Paper DOI:
10.5071/34thEUBCE2026-6CV.6.19
Price:
FREE
