The current dependence on fossil fuels to produce fuels and chemicals leads to resource depletion and environmental pollution. A promising alternative is to convert lignocellulosic biomass into high-value products through biorefineries, as biofuel production remains unprofitable. This study designs and optimizes a multiproduct biorefinery using corn stover, with sections for pretreatment, levulinic acid and γ-valerolactone production, and furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural production. Product flows are determined by sugar sent to each section and its direct impact on process performance. Three preset scenarios and one open search for optimal design were explored, all optimized with sustainability indicators. Scenario four was the optimum, producing primarily hydroxymethylfurfural with a total annual cost of 2.73 × 10⁷ USD/year, an environmental impact of 5.62 × 10⁶ points/year, and an energy requirement of 1.26 × 10⁹ MJ/year. In this work was obtained the design of a biorefinery for producing all target compounds with optimal cost-effectiveness, minimal environmental impact, and low energy consumption.

中文翻译：

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使用性能指标优化多产品生物精炼设计中的分离过程，以生产基于呋喃的化合物及其衍生物


目前依赖化石燃料生产燃料和化学品，导致资源枯竭和环境污染。一个很有前途的替代方案是通过生物精炼厂将木质纤维素生物质转化为高价值产品，因为生物燃料生产仍然无利可图。本研究设计并优化了一个使用玉米秸秆的多产品生物精炼厂，其部分用于预处理、乙酰丙酸和 γ-戊内酯生产以及糠醛和羟甲基糠醛生产。产品流由输送到每个部分的糖及其对工艺性能的直接影响决定。探索了三个预设场景和一个对最佳设计的公开搜索，所有这些都使用可持续性指标进行了优化。情景四是最佳方案，主要生产羟甲基糠醛，年总成本为 2.73 × 10⁷ 美元/年，环境影响为 5.62 × 10⁶ 点/年，能源需求为 1.26 × 10⁹ MJ/年。在这项工作中，获得了一个生物精炼厂的设计，用于生产具有最佳成本效益、最小环境影响和低能耗的所有目标化合物。