Life Cycle and Techno-Economic Assessment of Value-Added Full-Component Valorization of Industrial Xylose Residue to Dispersant and Levulinic Acid

Abstract Industrial xylose residue (XR) is a lignocellulosic byproduct with considerable potential for high-value utilization. Here, a cascade full-component valorization strategy was developed to sequentially produce lignin-based dispersant (LBD) and levulinic acid (LA) from XR. LBD production and a fed-batch acid hydrolysis process for LA synthesis were optimized, followed by kinetic analysis, life cycle assessment (LCA), and techno-economic assessment (TEA). The fed-batch process improved hydrolysis performance under high-solid conditions, increasing the LA yield to 18.07 wt %, with a productivity of 0.532 g·L–1·min–1. Kinetic analysis showed lower apparent activation energies and suppressed side reactions in the fed-batch process. Compared with the petroleum-based dispersant, bio-based LBD reduced global warming and ozone depletion impacts by 53.9 and 50.3%, respectively. TEA yielded an internal rate of return of 29.90% and a dynamic payback period of 5.83 years. This integrated strategy provides a scalable route for the high-value and sustainable utilization of industrial XR.