Prioritisation of biomass-derived products for biorefineries based on economic feasibility: A review on the comparability of techno-economic assessment results
Jeanne Louw, Eunice Sefakor Dogbe, Bin Yang, Johann F. Görgens
Abstract
Biorefineries are critical components for industrial conversion of sustainably sourced plant biomass into fuels, chemicals and materials. Cascading of potential products from highest to lowest economic value is required to allocate limited global biomass potentials to preferred products with higher economic feasibility. Therefore, techno-economic assessments (TEAs) of individual products for biorefineries have to be compared to each other. Reported economic feasibilities for individual products from a wide range of TEA studies were reviewed, in the context of 1st and 2nd generation biorefineries, to prioritise the allocation of biomass resources to preferred products. Substantial variabilities exist in methodologies and input assumptions to reported TEA results, which affects the comparativeness of individual products. Key factors affecting the economic feasibility of products include feedstock type, composition and cost, plant location, operational time, production scale and process integration strategies. Despite such variability, current reviewed TEAs indicate that chemical, bioplastic and food products such as adipic acid, 1,4-butanediol, citric acid, ethanol, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, fructooligosaccharides, glutamic acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, (poly)lactic acid, levulinic acid, polybutylene succinate and succinic acid are preferred options for allocation of limited global biomass resources, considering current technology performances and market prices. Improvements to the prioritisation of bioproducts on a global scale will require a standardised approach for biorefinery TEAs, similar to the requirements for comparison of environmental impacts between different products and associated life cycles. Developments in global agreements, policies, and market-related regulations are likely to continue to alter the economic feasibility of different products, in lieu of their perceived environmental benefits.