Sustainable Triacetic Acid Lactone Production from Sugarcane by Fermentation and Crystallization

Triacetic acid lactone (TAL) has the potential to serve
as a bioderived
platform chemical for commercial products including sorbic acid and
recyclable polydiketoenamine plastics. In this study, we leveraged
BioSTEAM to design, simulate, and evaluate (via techno-economic analysis,
TEA, and life cycle assessment, LCA) TAL production from sugarcane.
We experimentally characterized TAL solubility, calibrated solubility
models, and designed a process to separate TAL from fermentation broths
by crystallization. The biorefinery could produce TAL at a minimum
product selling price (MPSP) of $3.73–5.86·kg–1 (5th–95th percentiles; baseline at $4.60·kg–1) and a carbon intensity (CI) of 5.31 [2.60–8.71] kg CO2-eq·kg–1, which could enable financially
viable, low-CI production of sorbic acid and polydiketoenamines. To
drive down costs and CI, we explored the theoretical fermentation
space (titer, yield, productivity combinations), operation scheduling
and capacity expansion strategies (e.g., integrated sorghum processing),
and potential separation improvements (mitigating TAL loss through
pH control). Advancements in key design and technological parameters
could further reduce MPSP by 51% to $2.26·kg–1 [$1.97–2.80·kg–1] and CI by 43% to
3.05 [1.91–4.15] kg CO2-eq·kg–1. This research highlights the ability of agile TEA-LCA to screen
promising designs, navigate sustainability trade-offs, prioritize
research needs, and chart quantitative roadmaps to advance bioproducts
and biofuels.