(157b) Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessment of Volatile Fatty Acid Production from Cornstover

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are valuable chemical intermediates with a range of applications, including aviation fuels, chemicals, and food products. Producing VFAs from food waste and lignocellulosic materials, such as cornstover, could reduce emissions associated with their conventional production from petrochemical resources and other high-value feedstocks. Converting waste materials into valuable products has significant potential to enhance both economic and environmental sustainability. Although bioenergy systems using microalgal and food/agro-industrial wastes have demonstrated feasibility in terms of process performance, further research is essential to assess the viability of large-scale VFA production from cornstover, one of the most abundant agricultural residues in the United States.

For this goal, a techno-economic analysis was conducted, using process modeling in Aspen Plus to determine the minimum selling price of VFAs, as well as capital and operating costs. A comprehensive life cycle assessment was also performed with OpenLCA software to evaluate environmental impacts across a cradle-to-gate system boundary, providing insights into how impacts are distributed throughout the process. Our analysis shows that VFA can be an economically competitive sustainable aviation fuel feedstock with emission reductions of more than 60% relative to fossil fuels.

Additionally, combining various strategies with uncertainty and sensitivity assessments is a valuable approach to identifying critical areas across technical, economic, and environmental aspects. This process helps reveal which factors can be optimized to develop a more eco-friendly and competitive system for manufacturing VFAs.