EUBCE 2024 - Zizhang WANG - Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Three Biomass-Based Technology Platforms for Bulk Aromatics Production

Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Three Biomass-Based Technology Platforms for Bulk Aromatics Production

Short Introductive summary

The project ‘Aromatic Renewables as an Opportunity for MATerials with Improved Circularity and Sustainability’ (AROMATICS), funded by the Dutch Ministry, aims to develop three innovative biomass-based aromatics production platforms and bring them to a technology readiness level (TRL) of 5-6. The three platforms start from feedstocks of mixed biomass waste, bioethanol-derived C4, and biobased furanics, and convert them into a range of ‘drop-in’ and ‘near drop-in’ aromatic chemicals over processes with varying TRLs. The overarching aim of this study is to assess the environmental sustainability of the three platforms to be developed. It attempts to 1) understand the cradle-to-gate environmental impacts and identify hotspots of the three platforms, and 2) compare the impacts with fossil-based and other biobased production routes. Ex-ante life cycle assessment (LCA) will be applied as the main tool.

Z. Wang, Utrecht University, THE NETHERLANDS
L. Shen, Utrecht University, THE NETHERLANDS
H.M. Junginger, Utrecht University, THE NETHERLANDS