Techno-economic analysis of various process schemes for the production of fuel grade 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broth

Bioprocess Development for 2,3‐Butanediol Production by Paenibacillus Strains

“…Its main limiting factor is the low 2,3‐BDO titer in the fermentation broth and the complexity of the mixture formed, containing metabolites, proteins, salts, sugars, vitamins, and other nutrients used as a growth medium for microorganisms 73. The presence of these compounds contributes to an energy‐intensive downstream separation and purification (DSP) step mainly due to the large amount of water present in the medium 3. Although not forming an azeotrope with water, the hydrophilic nature and the high boiling point of 2,3‐BDO, around 180 °C, are responsible for a harder and more DSP process 33.…”

“…Pervaporation 84, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis 73 processes have been reported as technologies capable of replacing part of the conventional DSP based on distillation 73. However, the membrane separation efficiency tends to decrease with time due to the fouling fibers caused by the increased complexity of the fermentation medium 3, 83. In the bio‐based 2,3‐BDO recovery, there was a greater efficiency of the reverse‐osmosis membrane compared to the nanofiltration membrane, due to the steric properties of its molecules and to less irreversible incrustations 73.…”

“…2,3‐BDO can be used as an intermediate for the production of methyl ethyl ketone, diacetyl, polyurethane, and 1,3‐butadiene 1. It can also be employed as a drop‐in fuel additive due to its high heating value, comparable to other liquid fuels, and low vapor pressure 2–4. Its significance as a platform chemical lies in the three isomeric forms ( levo, dextro, meso ) that can provide different properties for versatile applications.…”

Alternatives for the Purification of the Blend Butanol/Ethanol from an Acetone/Butanol/Ethanol Fermentation Effluent

“…Such strains allow using hexoses and pentoses for fermentation, which are contained in the lignocellulosic materials. Nevertheless, the ABE fermentation has low yields, resulting in low concentrations for the products, which is a common issue in the production of alcohols from biomass . To enhance the process, the application of integrated fermentation‐saccharification reactors has been proposed .…”

Improvement of 1,3-Butadiene Separation in 2,3-Butanediol Dehydration Using Extractive Distillation

“…Process intensification for integrating utility energy has been performed since the distillation process for separating products from bio-fermentation and dehydration requires a large amount of heat and many column stages. Haider et al [8] introduced feed preheater and vapor exchangers, which significantly reduced the amount of energy that is consumed by the reboiler and condenser of the 2,3-BDO recovery column. Hong et al [9] developed a hybrid 2,3-BDO recovery column combined with multiple evaporators, which showed that the preliminary evaporators and heat integration design substantially increased the energy efficiency.…”