Researchers show triacetic acid lactone from sugarcane could be viable
In Illinois, triacetic acid lactone (TAL) has the potential to serve as a bioderived platform chemical for commercial products, including sorbic acid. However, TAL currently lacks a global market as its chemical synthesis is prohibitively expensive. In this study, researchers from the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) leveraged Biorefinery Simulation and Techno-Economic Analysis Modules (BioSTEAM) to design, simulate, and evaluate biorefineries for fermentative TAL production from sugarcane.
Researchers experimentally characterized TAL solubility, calibrated solubility models, and designed a process to separate TAL from fermentation broth via crystallization. They used BioSTEAM to design, simulate, and evaluate—using techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA)—TAL production from sugarcane.
To drive down cost and carbon intensity (CI), they subsequently explored the theoretical fermentation space, operation scheduling and capacity expansion strategies, and potential separation improvements.
Category: Research
