Economic evaluation and comparison of succinic acid and electricity co-production from sugarcane bagasse and trash lignocelluloses in a biorefinery, using different pretreatment methods: dilute acid (H2SO4), alkaline (NaOH), organosolv, ammonia fibre expansion (AFEX (TM)), steam explosion (STEX), and wet oxidation

The sugar yield achieved during pretreatment of lignocelluloses has an impact on the economic outcome of biorefineries. Chemical and physiochemical pretreatment methods were evaluated and compared to determine the most favorable pretreatment method for the commercial co-production of succinic acid and electricity in a sugarcane lignocellulosic biorefinery. Nine methods were identified and simulated in Aspen Plus (R). All the pretreatment methods were profitable except organosolv and wet oxidation. Steam explosion (STEX), sulfur dioxide (SO2), catalyzed STEX, and ammonia fibre expansion (AFEX (TM)) resulted in the highest succinic acid yields, with 45.7, 43.5 and 33.4 kg succinic acid per 100 tonnes of dry feedstock, respectively, and they are recommended for commercial application. However, due to the high cost of enzymatic hydrolysis (46.23 million US$), the AFEX (TM) pretreatment method was the most expensive scenario at 385.7 million US$ total capital cost with an internal rate of return (IRR) of 22.81%. This may be compared with 384.2 million US$ for STEX pretreatment, which resulted in the most profitable biorefinery scenario with an IRR of 28.04%. (c) 2019 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd