Life cycle environmental benefits of recycling waste liquor and chemicals in production of lignocellulosic bioethanol

[Display omitted] •Life cycle assessment was performed in a modified bioethanol production process.•Environmental impact of recycling waste liquor and chemicals was investigated.•High recycle rate can reduce consumption of chemicals and energy by 70–80%.•Recycled organic materials produced electrici...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioresource technology 2023-12, Vol.390, p.129855-129855, Article 129855
Main Authors: Hu, Yunzi, Du, Haochen, Xu, Luyao, Liang, Cuiyi, Zhang, Yu, Sun, Zhigang, Lin, Carol Sze Ki, Wang, Wen, Qi, Wei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biorefinery
Environmental impact
Lignocellulose
Recycling technique
Waste treatment
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:[Display omitted] •Life cycle assessment was performed in a modified bioethanol production process.•Environmental impact of recycling waste liquor and chemicals was investigated.•High recycle rate can reduce consumption of chemicals and energy by 70–80%.•Recycled organic materials produced electricity to satisfy system energy demand.•Recycling techniques could improve environmental impact on multiple aspects. In recent decades, numerous bioconversion processes and techniques have been developed to utilize lignocellulosic biomass as feedstock in the production of bio-based fuels and materials. However, waste treatment, an important sub-system, is seldom considered in the life cycle assessment of lignocellulose derived products. This study comprehensively investigated the environmental impacts of bioethanol and electricity cogeneration from sugarcane bagasse, with a focus on recycling techniques adopted in waste treatment. A life cycle assessment indicated that high recycle rate of black liquor, acid and waste washing water can substantially reduce the consumption of fresh water, related chemicals and energy by 70–80%. Environmental impacts relating to global warming, acidification potential and primary energy demand can be decreased by 5–10 times or even entirely eliminated. These study outcomes demonstrate significant environmental benefits of integrating waste recycling techniques into lignocellulose biorefinery process, providing a solid foundation for future industrial development.
ISSN:0960-8524
1873-2976
DOI:10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129855