Process development and analyses for the co-production of 2-methyltetrahydrofuran and 1,4-pentanediol from lignocellulosic biomass

The development of technologies for utilizing biomass has attracted attention because biomass can be produced sustainably worldwide. Biomass-derived 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF), which is a promising alternative to gasoline, has great market potential and a growing demand. However, in conventional biomass conversion processes, the minimum selling price (MSP) of biochemicals is not economically acceptable. Co-production of biochemicals can increase the economics of biomass utilization. Herein, we developed a process for coproducing MTHF and 1,4-pentanediol (1,4-PDO) from lignocellulosic biomass. After biomass fractionation, cellulose and hemicellulose were converted to levulinic acid (LA), and lignin was used for heat and electricity generation. LA was then converted to γ-valerolactone (GVL). As a platform material for co-production, GVL was converted into MTHF and 1,4-PDO in each subsystem. The split ratio of GVL was controlled to efficiently produce MTHF and 1,4-PDO according to mark..., ,