Interest in the development of forest product biorefineries has increased due to the uncertain supply of liquid fuels and the waning profitability of the North American pulp and paper industry.   A proposed synergistic solution involves extraction of hemi-celluloses prior to pulping and subsequent conversion into petroleum compatible long-chain alcohols for use as transportation fuels, known as the MixAlco™ process.  This additional product will boost the revenue of the mill without interfering with the current production of pulp.  Three possible chemical routes explored for upgrading the hemicelluloses are: 1) carboxylates-ketones-alcohols (CKA), 2) carboxylates-esters-alcohols (CEA) and, 3) carboxylates-acids-esters-alcohols (CHEA).   The pulp is first subjected to acidogenic fermentation using mixed microbial cultures that yield a mixture of carboxylate salts, which are then converted into ketones, esters or carboxylic acids.  In the CKA route, the ketones are hydrogenated into alcohols.  In the CEA route, the esters undergo hydrogenolysis into alcohols.  The CHEA route converts carboxylic acids into esters via acid springing which are then hydrogenolyzed into alcohols.  The three scenarios were modeled using ASPEN Plus to determine the material balance and energy requirements.  The sizing and energy costs were used in CAPCost to determine the capital and operating expenses of the three scenarios.  The output from these two programs was compared to determine which process was most economically feasible and which delivered the highest yield of alcohols.