Chemicals from Biomass Integrating Bioprocesses into Chemical Production Complexes for Sustainable Development

Chemicals from Biomass: Integrating Bioprocesses into Chemical Production Complexes for Sustainable Development helps engineers optimize the development of new chemical and polymer plants that use renewable resources to replace the output of goods and services from existing plants. It also discusses the conversion of those existing plants into facilities that are based on renewable resources that may require nonrenewable resource supplements. Relying on extensive reviews of biomass as feedstock and the production of chemicals from biomass, this book identifies and illustrates the design of new chemical processes (bioprocesses) that use renewable feedstock (biomass) as raw materials. The authors show how these new bioprocesses can be integrated into the existing plant in a chemical production complex to obtain the best combination of energy-efficient and environmentally acceptable facilities. This presented methodology is an essential component of sustainable development, and these steps are essential to achieving a sustainable chemical industry. The authors evaluate potential bioprocesses based on a conceptual design of biomass-based chemical production, and they use Aspen HYSYS® and Aspen ICARUS® to perform simulations and economic evaluations of these processes. The book outlines detailed process designs created for seven bioprocesses that use biomass and carbon dioxide as feedstock to produce a range of chemicals and monomers. These include fermentation, transesterification, anaerobic digestion, gasification, and algae oil production. These process designs, and associated simulation codes, can be downloaded for modification, as needed. The methodology presented in this book can be used to evaluate energy efficiency, cost, sustainability, and environmental acceptability of plants and new products. Based on the results of that analysis, the methodology can be applied to other chemical complexes for new bioprocesses, reduced emissions, and energy savings.

Introduction Introduction Research Vision New Frontiers Chemical Industry in the Lower Mississippi River Corridor Criteria for the Optimal Configuration of Plants Optimization of Chemical Complex Contributions of This Methodology Organization of Chapters Summary Biomass as Feedstock Introduction Biomass Formation Biomass Classification and Composition Biomass Conversion Technologies Biomass Feedstock Availability Summary Chemicals from Biomass Introduction Chemicals from Nonrenewable Resources Chemicals from Biomass as Feedstock Biomass Conversion Products (Chemicals) Biopolymers and Biomaterials Natural-Oil-Based Polymers and Chemicals Summary Simulation for Bioprocesses Introduction Ethanol Production from Corn Stover Fermentation Ethylene Production from Dehydration of Ethanol Fatty Acid Methyl Ester and Glycerol from Transesterification of Soybean Oil Propylene Glycol Production from Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol Acetic Acid Production from Corn Stover Anaerobic Digestion Ethanol Production from Corn Dry-Grind Fermentation Summary Bioprocesses Plant Model Formulation Introduction Ethanol Production from Corn Stover Fermentation Ethanol Production from Corn Dry-Grind Fermentation Ethylene Production from Dehydration of Ethanol Acetic Acid Production from Corn Stover Anaerobic Digestion Fatty Acid Methyl Ester and Glycerol from Transesterification of Natural Oil Propylene Glycol Production from Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol Algae Oil Production Gasification of Corn Stover Summary of Bioprocess Model Formulation Interconnections for Bioprocesses Summary Formulation and Optimization of the Superstructure Introduction Integrated Biochemical and Chemical Production Complex Optimization Binary Variables and Logical Constraints for MINLP Constraints for Capacity and Demand Optimization Economic Model—Triple Bottom Line Optimal Structure Multiobjective Optimization of the Integrated Biochemical Production Complex Sensitivity of the Integrated Biochemical Production Complex Comparison with Other Results Summary Case Studies Using Superstructure Introduction Case Study I—Superstructure without Carbon Dioxide Use Case Study II—Parametric Study of Sustainable Costs and Credits Case Study III—Parametric Study of Algae Oil Production Costs Case Study IV—Multicriteria Optimization Using 30%-Oil-Content Algae and Sustainable Costs/Credits Case Study V—Parametric Study for Biomass Feedstock Costs and Number of Corn Ethanol Plants Appendix A: TCA Methodology and Sustainability Analysis Appendix B: Optimization Theory Appendix C: Prices of Raw Materials and Products in the Complex Appendix D: Supply, Demand, and Price Elasticity Appendix E: Chemical Complex Analysis System Appendix F: Detailed Mass and Energy Streams from Simulation Results Appendix G: Equipment Mapping and Costs from ICARUS Appendix H: Molecular Weights Appendix I: Postscript

Debalina Sengupta received her bachelor of engineering degree in chemical engineering from Jadavpur University, Calcutta, India, in 2003. She worked as a software engineer in Patni Computer Systems from 2003 to 2004. In 2005, she joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She received her doctor of philosophy degree in chemical engineering under the guidance of Professor Ralph W. Pike for her research titled "Integrating bioprocesses into industrial complexes for sustainable development" in 2010. Her expertise is in optimization of industrial complexes and sustainability analysis using total cost assessment methodology. She is now working as an ORISE postdoctoral fellow at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Her current research is focused on sustainable supply chain design of biofuels and includes life cycle assessment (LCA) for ethanol as biofuel. Her research interests include chemicals from biomass, modeling, simulation, and optimization, as well as life cycle assessment and sustainability analysis. Ralph W. Pike is the director of the Minerals Processing Research Division and is the Paul M. Horton Professor of Chemical Engineering at Louisiana State University. He received his doctorate and bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. He is the author of a textbook entitled Optimization for Engineering Systems and coauthor of four other books on design and modeling of chemical processes. Pike has directed 15 doctoral dissertations and 16 master’s theses in chemical engineering. He is a registered professional engineer in Louisiana and Texas. His research has been sponsored by federal and state agencies and private organizations, with 107 awards totaling $5.6 million, and has resulted in over 200 publications and presentations. His research specialties are optimization theory and applications for the optimal design of engineering systems, online optimization of continuous processes, optimization of chemical production complexes, and related areas of resources management, sustainable development, continuous processes for carbon nanotubes, and chemicals from biomass.