An integrated approach to optimize and intensify furfural–HMF purification in biorefinery processes

Abstract

Achieving sustainable production in biorefineries is essential to reduce dependence on fossil resources and to mitigate environmental impacts. Energy inefficiency in the purification stages of a biorefinery is one of the main challenges impeding the sustainability of these processes and their widespread use due to economic and environmental costs. This study aims to improve the sustainability indicators of a corn-stover biorefinery through a process intensification and an optimization approach. The proposed case study focuses on the purification section of hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural in a biorefinery whose main goal is to mitigate the energy consumption in the distillation process through the design and optimization of four intensified distillation options. These options include an indirect thermally coupled sequence, a side stripper, a fully thermally coupled Petlyuk column, and a single column with a lateral product stream. Each configuration is assessed with the objective to minimize the Total Annual Cost, Eco-Indicator 99, and energy consumption. Process modeling is conducted using Aspen Plus while the optimization is performed using Differential Evolution with Tabu List. Results demonstrate that optimal thermally coupled configurations achieve reductions of 13.2 % in Total Annual Cost, 19.1 % in Eco-Indicator 99, and 27.9 % in energy consumption compared to other conventional designs, while the side-stripper configuration yields savings of up to 8.9 %, 13.8 %, and 14.7 %, respectively. This work represents a significant advancement in promoting sustainable biorefinery operations.