Sustainable triacetic acid lactone production from sugarcane by fermentation and crystallization

Triacetic acid lactone (TAL) has the potential to serve as a bioderived platform chemical for commercial products, including sorbic acid. However, TAL currently lacks a global market as its chemical synthesis is prohibitively expensive.

In this study, researchers from the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) leveraged Biorefinery Simulation and Techno-Economic Analysis Modules (BioSTEAM) to design, simulate, and evaluate biorefineries for fermentative TAL production from sugarcane.

Researchers experimentally characterized TAL solubility, calibrated solubility models, and designed a process to separate TAL from fermentation broth via crystallization. They used BioSTEAM to design, simulate, and evaluate — using techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) — TAL production from sugarcane. To drive down cost and carbon intensity (CI), they subsequently explored the theoretical fermentation space, operation scheduling and capacity expansion strategies, and potential separation improvements.

The biorefinery modeled using state-of-the-art technology could produce TAL at a minimum product selling price (MPSP) of $3.73-5.86 kg-1 (5th-95th percentiles, baseline at $4.60 kg-1) and carbon intensity (CI) of 5.31 [2.60-8.71] kg CO2-eqꞏkg-1. Advancements in key design and technological parameters could further reduce MPSP by 51% to $2.26 kg-1 [$1.97-2.80 kg-1] and CI by 43% to 3.05 [1.91-4.15] kg CO2-eqꞏkg-1.

This work highlights the ability of agile TEA-LCA to screen promising designs, navigate sustainability trade-offs, prioritize research needs, and chart quantitative roadmaps to advance bioproducts and biofuels.

CABBI is a U.S. Department of Energy-funded Bioenergy Research Center.

Images available upon request.