TY - JOUR
T1 - Thermodynamics and economic feasibility of acetone production from syngas using the thermophilic production host Moorella thermoacetica
AU - Redl, Stephanie
AU - Sukumara, Sumesh
AU - Ploeger, Tom
AU - Wu, Liang
AU - Ølshøj Jensen, Torbjørn
AU - Nielsen, Alex Toftgaard
AU - Noorman, Henk
PY - 2017/6/12
Y1 - 2017/6/12
N2 - Background: Syngas fermentation is a promising option for the production of biocommodities due to its abundance and compatibility with anaerobic fermentation. Using thermophilic production strains in a syngas fermentation process allows recovery of products with low boiling point from the off-gas via condensation. Results: In this study we analyzed the production of acetone from syngas with the hypothetical production host derived from Moorella thermoacetica in a bubble column reactor at 60°C with respect to thermodynamic and economic feasibility. We determined the cost of syngas production from basic oxygen furnace (BOF) process gas, from natural gas, and from corn stover and identified BOF gas as an economically interesting source for syngas. Taking gas-liquid mass transfer limitations into account, we applied a thermodynamics approach to derive the CO to acetone conversion rate under the process conditions. We estimated variable costs of production of 389 $/t acetone for a representative production scenario from BOF gas with costs for syngas as the main contributor. In comparison, the variable costs of production from natural gas- and corn stover-derived syngas were determined to be higher due to the higher feedstock costs (1724 and 2878 $/t acetone, respectively). Conclusion: We applied an approach of combining thermodynamic and economic assessment to analyze a hypothetical bioprocess in which the volatile product acetone is produced from syngas with a thermophilic microorganism. Our model allowed us to identify process metrics and quantify the variable production costs for different scenarios. Economical production of bulk chemicals is challenging, making rigorous thermodynamic/economic modeling critical before undertaking an experimental program and as an ongoing guide during the program. We intend this study to give an incentive to apply the demonstrated approach to other bioproduction processes.
AB - Background: Syngas fermentation is a promising option for the production of biocommodities due to its abundance and compatibility with anaerobic fermentation. Using thermophilic production strains in a syngas fermentation process allows recovery of products with low boiling point from the off-gas via condensation. Results: In this study we analyzed the production of acetone from syngas with the hypothetical production host derived from Moorella thermoacetica in a bubble column reactor at 60°C with respect to thermodynamic and economic feasibility. We determined the cost of syngas production from basic oxygen furnace (BOF) process gas, from natural gas, and from corn stover and identified BOF gas as an economically interesting source for syngas. Taking gas-liquid mass transfer limitations into account, we applied a thermodynamics approach to derive the CO to acetone conversion rate under the process conditions. We estimated variable costs of production of 389 $/t acetone for a representative production scenario from BOF gas with costs for syngas as the main contributor. In comparison, the variable costs of production from natural gas- and corn stover-derived syngas were determined to be higher due to the higher feedstock costs (1724 and 2878 $/t acetone, respectively). Conclusion: We applied an approach of combining thermodynamic and economic assessment to analyze a hypothetical bioprocess in which the volatile product acetone is produced from syngas with a thermophilic microorganism. Our model allowed us to identify process metrics and quantify the variable production costs for different scenarios. Economical production of bulk chemicals is challenging, making rigorous thermodynamic/economic modeling critical before undertaking an experimental program and as an ongoing guide during the program. We intend this study to give an incentive to apply the demonstrated approach to other bioproduction processes.
KW - Acetone
KW - Basic oxygen furnace
KW - Biochemical production
KW - Biomass gasification
KW - Corn stover
KW - Natural gas
KW - Syngas
KW - Syngas fermentation
KW - Techno-economic evaluation
KW - Thermophilic fermentation
UR - http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1e35c463-e7fc-4179-84b8-5422d50bdc2a
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85021140028&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s13068-017-0827-8
DO - 10.1186/s13068-017-0827-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85021140028
SN - 1754-6834
VL - 10
JO - Biotechnology for Biofuels
JF - Biotechnology for Biofuels
IS - 1
M1 - 150
ER -