Conceptual process design of an integrated bio-based acetic acid, glycolaldehyde, and acetol production in a pyrolysis oil-based biorefinery

Abstract This paper discusses the conceptual process design for the integrated production of bio-based acetic acid, glycolaldehyde, and acetol from forest residue- and pine-derived pyrolysis oils. Aspen Plus ® and Aspen Process Economic Analyzer were used for process simulation and estimating the equipment cost, respectively. The process was designed at a capacity 200kt pyrolysis oil per year, operating 8000h annually, and involving extraction, distillation, and evaporation. It can isolate more than 99% of the glycolaldehyde and acetic acid and about two-thirds of the acetol present in the oils. In comparison with the forest residue-based process (21 M€), the pine-based process requires a higher capital investment of 23 M€ and a slightly higher production cost of 49 M€/a versus 48 M€/a, but can provide a higher revenue of 57 M€/a instead of 44 M€/a because pine-derived pyrolysis oil contains more acetic acid, glycolaldehyde, and acetol, which also makes it less sensitive to market price. Pine-derived pyrolysis oil is a preferable feedstock over forest residue-derived pyrolysis oil for an integrated chemical recovery process, whereas forest residue-derived pyrolysis oil generates no profit at an annual capacity of 50–600kt oil. The economic feasibility of the designed process is highly dependent on the glycolaldehyde content of the pyrolysis oil.

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