9-06: Design and environmental assessment of a biocatalytic process for the renewable polymer building block 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid integrated in a Brazilian sugarcane biorefinery

The on-going price increase of fossil resources and consumer demand for environmentally friendly products has opened new windows of opportunity in the development of alternative processes for chemical building blocks. FDCA (2,5-furandicarboxylic acid) has been identified as a top value added chemical that can be produced from biomass. FDCA can be used as a bio-based building block for polyethylene furandicarboxylate (PEF) production, a viable alternative to petroleum-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Despite the promising potential of FDCA, its sustainable large-scale production remains a challenge.

Recent research has shown that FDCA can be produced by a whole-cell biocatalytic production process, employing a stress tolerant bacterium Pseudomonas putida S12.¹ This work focuses on process design and evaluation of FDCA production starting from lignocellulosic sugarcane using the whole-cell biocatalytic approach. A large-scale production process representing a biorefinery producing first and second generation ethanol and FDCA from sugarcane juice, surplus bagasse and trash is developed and modelled. The computer simulation provides data for the economic analysis as well as for the evaluation of environmental impacts using life cycle assessment methodology.

The biorefinery is capable of processing 2 million tonnes of sugarcane per year, yielding FDCA, ethanol and surplus electricity. Results of the environmental impact assessment show that sodium hydroxide consumption and sugarcane agricultural production phase have the most prominent impact in the FDCA production chain. The design suggests that FDCA biocatalytic process could be economically feasible and generate an environmentally interesting feedstock for PEF production.

1. Koopman et al., (2010). Bioresour Technol 101, 6291–6296