Towards a circular biorefinery system for efficient biobased furfural and levulinic acid production based on techno-economic analysis

Furfural (FUR) and levulinic acid (LA) are promising biobased platform chemicals that can be converted into value-added chemicals. An integrated biorefinery process is applied to FUR and LA production from corncob for efficient feedstock and energy utilization. Here, a techno-economic analysis of the integrated process of FUR and LA production was performed. FUR was used as an extractant to purify LA, significantly reducing the cost. Moreover, heat integration improved the efficiency of the biorefinery plants with a CO₂ emissions reduction of 67.08 %, achieving a profit at 17.10 % internal rate of return for 30 years. The fundamental case analysis shows that the net present value is approximately $74.26 million, and the payback period is 8.10 years. Sensitivity analysis revealed that operating costs and unit product prices are the most essential parameters for economic benefits. Therefore, with the integrated strategy, obtaining the LA in a sustainable, recyclable and economical process is possible.