Characterizing the Potential for Sustainable Azelaic Acid Production from High-Oleic Vegetable Oil Using Two-Step Oxidative Cleavage

Azelaic acid is a
renewable monomer conventionally produced via
the energy-intensive ozonolysis of oleic acid. Recent advancements
have enabled the use of high-oleic vegetable oils (rather than tallow-derived
oleic acid) and replaced ozonolysis with two-step oxidative cleavage
using hydrogen and oxygen. Although this shift would improve process
safety, the financial viability and environmental implications remain
uncertain. In this study, we characterized the sustainability of azelaic
acid production from high-oleic vegetable oil using two-step oxidative
cleavage. Process design, simulation, technoeconomic analysis (TEA),
and life cycle assessment (LCA) were executed under uncertainty using
BioSTEAM. The modeled system produces azelaic acid at a market-competitive
minimum selling price (MSP) of 8.32 [4.93–13.34] $ kg–1 (median 5th–95th percentiles), below the minimum estimated
market price of 9.93 $ kg–1. Further, it has the
potential to approach carbon neutrality (0.0 [−5.5 to 5.6]
kg of CO2-eq kg–1) under displacement
allocation. Improvements to dihydroxylation (86 to 99%) and oxidative
cleavage conversions (93 to 99%) would reduce MSP to $5.24 kg–1 and carbon intensity to −1.90 kg of CO2-eq kg–1 (displacement). Additionally, increasing
the feedstock triolein content (75 to 85%) lowers MSP by $0.82 kg–1. Overall, this research demonstrates the potential
for financially viable production of azelaic acid from vegetable oils
and the utility of agile TEA/LCA.