Life-Cycle Assessment of Chemical Sugar Synthesis Based on Process Design for Biomanufacturing

The growing demand for sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based products drives the development of biomanufacturing using agriculture-based sugars. However, agricultural sugar production faces significant challenges due to limited production capacity and potential negative environmental impacts. This research examines chemical sugar synthesis as an alternative, assessing its environmental impact with conventional agricultural production methods through life cycle assessment. As formaldehyde serves as a primary substrate in chemical synthesis, four production cases were evaluated�comprising two pathways (conventional methods and CO2 capture and utilization (CCU) technologies), each implemented with either fossil fuels or renewable energy sources. The analysis revealed that semi-batch reactors in chemical synthesis substantially reduce environmental impacts compared to batch reactors. Chemical sugar synthesis demonstrated marked advantages in reducing eutrophication, land use change, and water resources consumption across all formaldehyde production methods evaluated. However, the formaldehyde production process was identified as the determining factor in the overall environmental profile. While chemical synthesis offers environmental advantages in several categories, implementing CCU technologies with renewable energy integration remains necessary to reduce climate change impacts and resource consumption. This work demonstrates the potential of optimized chemical sugar synthesis as an alternative to agricultural sugar production and provides direction for future process development.