Isobutanol from glycerine – A techno-economic evaluation of a new biofuel production process

Fredric Bauer and Christian Hulteberg

Applied Energy, 2014, vol. 122, issue C, 268 pages

Abstract: The paper presents a new thermochemical process for the production of isobutanol, which is an excellent biobased gasoline blendstock. The main feedstock for the process is glycerine, obtained as a byproduct in biodiesel production, being used together with methanol. The process was modeled in Aspen Plus. The process design is characterized by a high level of process integration, pinch analysis being used to optimize the process from the start. A techno-economic evaluation of the process, both in a stand-alone plant and in a plant integrated with an existing petro-refinery was conducted, the estimates for the production cost of isobutanol obtained being 892$/m3 for a refinery-integrated case and 1017$/m3 for a stand-alone case. A sensitivity analysis using Monte Carlo methodology showed the production cost estimates to be highly robust. Use of isobutanol rather than fossil gasoline was found to result in 53% reduction in GHG emissions.

Keywords: Glycerine; Isobutanol; Biofuel; Process integration; Techno-economic analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:appene:v:122:y:2014:i:c:p:261-268

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.02.037

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