Thermochemical biorefineries for the production of chemicals and materials can play an important role in the bioeconomy. However, their economic viability is often questioned under the premise of the economy of scale. This paper presents a regional, modular biorefinery concept for the production of the platform chemicals hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), furfural and phenols from the lignocellulosic perennial miscanthus, which can be cultivated on marginal and degraded areas. The paper focuses on the question of the minimum selling price of HMF and the optimal plant size for this purpose, using the region of Baden‐Württemberg, Germany, as an example. Based on small pilot plant results, a scalable process simulation was created via AspenPlus. This allows different scenarios and process combinations of this multi‐output biorefinery concept to be compared with each other. Using this, a minimum sales price for the main product HMF is calculated using methods of dynamic investment cost calculation according to the net present value method. Based on this, the plant capacity was scaled. The scenarios and sensitivity analyses show that, with an accuracy of ±15%, regional biorefineries could already offer platform chemicals at prices of 2.21–2.90 EUR/kg HMF at the current stage of development. This corresponds to three to four times the price of today's comparative fossil base chemicals and is thus a competitive option from the authors’ point of view. The local biomass and the heat prices were identified as the main influencing factors. As a result, the selection of the location will have a decisive influence on the economic viability of such concepts in the case of further development and optimization of the process in first demonstration plants.
Diminishing fossil carbon resources, global warming, and increasing material and energy needs urge for the rapid development of a bioeconomy. Biomass feedstock from agro‐industrial value chains provides opportunities for energy and material production, potentially leading to competition with traditional food and feed production. Simulation and optimization models can support the evaluation of biomass value chains and identify bioeconomy development paths, potentials, opportunities, and risks. This study presents the linkage of a farm model (EFEM) and a techno‐economic location optimization model (BIOLOCATE) for evaluating the straw‐to‐energy and the innovative straw‐to‐chemical value chains in the German federal state of Baden‐Wuerttemberg taking into account the spatially distributed and price‐sensitive nature of straw supply. The general results reveal the basic trade‐off between economies of scale of the energy production plants and the biorefineries on the one hand and the feedstock supply costs on the other hand. The results of the farm model highlight the competition for land between traditional agricultural biomass utilization such as food and feed and innovative biomass‐to‐energy and biomass‐to‐chemical value chains. Additionally, farm‐modeling scenarios illustrate the effect of farm specialization and regional differences on straw supply for biomass value chains as well as the effect of high straw prices on crop choices. The technological modeling results show that straw combustion could cover approximately 2% of Baden‐Wuerttemberg's gross electricity consumption and approximately 35% of the district heating consumption. The lignocellulose biorefinery location and size are affected by the price sensitivity of the straw supply and are only profitable for high output prices of organosolv lignin. The location optimization results illustrate that economic and political framework conditions affect the regional distribution of biomass straw conversion plants, thus favoring decentralized value chain structures in contrast to technological economies of scale.
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