In this study, six alternative biorefinery scenarios for the production of levulinic acid (LA), glutamic acid (GA) and/or xylitol- or a combination of these chemicals- annexed to an existing sugar mill in 1G-only (molasses feedstock) or integrated 1G2G (molasses and sugar cane lignocellulose feedstock) configurations were simulated in AspenPlus®. Then, mass and energy balances obtained from the simulations were used for the subsequent equipment sizing and costing and to perform the economic performance assessments of the scenarios. All the investigated scenarios were identified as profitable scenarios with the internal rates of return (IRRs) ranging from 21.3%−59.8%. Generally, GA scenarios showed better economic outcomes compared to LA counterparts, attributed to the factors such as higher market prices, higher product throughput and less complicated processing technology which lowers the cost of production. Considering the market size and economic outcome, the 1G GA scenario producing 11.1 t/h GA showed the best economic performance with 59.8% IRR and a minimum product selling price (MSP) of $1687/t. However, a multiproduct facility (1G2G GA-xylitol) can result in more robust economic performance, as a result of implementing xylitol mature technology. Although all investigated scenarios showed profitability potential, life cycle analysis (LCA), social impact assessment and market analysis are required to find out the most sustainable biorefinery option.

在这项研究中，用于生产乙酰丙酸 (LA)、谷氨酸 (GA) 和/或木糖醇或这些化学品的组合的六种替代生物精炼方案附在现有糖厂仅 1G（糖蜜原料）或集成 1G2G（糖蜜和甘蔗木质纤维素原料）配置在 AspenPlus® 中进行了模拟。然后，从模拟中获得的质量和能量平衡用于随后的设备选型和成本计算，并执行情景的经济绩效评估。所有调查的情景均被确定为盈利情景，内部收益率 (IRR) 范围为 21.3%-59.8%。总体而言，与 LA 情景相比，GA 情景显示出更好的经济成果，这归因于市场价格更高、产品吞吐量更高以及加工技术不太复杂从而降低了生产成本等因素。考虑到市场规模和经济结果，生产 11.1 吨/小时 GA 的 1G GA 情景表现出最佳的经济效益，内部收益率为 59.8%，最低产品售价 (MSP) 为 1687 美元/吨。然而，由于实施木糖醇成熟技术，多产品设施（1G2G GA-木糖醇）可以带来更强劲的经济表现。尽管所有调查的情景都显示出盈利潜力，但仍需要生命周期分析 (LCA)、社会影响评估和市场分析来找出最可持续的生物精炼厂选择。