Environmental and Economic Assessment of a Novel Solvolysis-Based Biorefinery Producing Lignin-Derived Marine Biofuel and Cellulosic Ethanol

Svetlana V. Obydenkova, Lucie V. E. Defauw, Panos D. Kouris, David M. J. Smeulders, Michael D. Boot and Yvonne van der Meer
Additional contact information
Svetlana V. Obydenkova: Aachen Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials, Maastricht University, Urmonderbaan 22, 6167 RD Geleen, The Netherlands
Lucie V. E. Defauw: Maastricht Science Programme (MSP), Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, 6229 EN Maastricht, The Netherlands
Panos D. Kouris: Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
David M. J. Smeulders: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Michael D. Boot: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Yvonne van der Meer: Aachen Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials, Maastricht University, Urmonderbaan 22, 6167 RD Geleen, The Netherlands

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-29

Abstract: Methanol is considered to be a viable option for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in shipping, the second-highest emitter after road freight. However, the use of fossil methanol is insufficient to meet climate change targets, while renewable methanol is yet unavailable on a commercial scale. This paper presents a novel biorefinery concept based on biomass solvolysis to produce crude lignin oil (CLO) from forest residues, a drop-in biofuel for methanol-propelled ships, and evaluates its environmental and economic profiles. In the base scenario, CLO can achieve emission saving of 84% GHG compared to fossil alternatives, and a minimum selling price (MSP) of $821 per ton of methanol equivalent (ME), i.e., within the range of the current bio-methanol production costs. The emission of GHGs of co-produced ethanol can be reduced by 67% compared to fossil analogues. The increase of renewable electricity share to 75% is capable of shrinking emissions by 1/5 vs. the base case, while fossil methanol losses, e.g., of that in cellulose pulp, can boost emissions by 63%. Low-pressure steam use in the biomass pretreatment, as well as biorefinery capacity increase by a factor of 2.5, have the greatest potential to reduce MSP of CLO to $530 and $614 per ton of ME, respectively.

Keywords: lignin oil; drop-in marine biofuel; life cycle assessment; techno-economic analysis; multi-product biorefinery (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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