Scenario-based life cycle assessment and environmental monetary valuation of biosuccinic acid production from lignocellulosic biomass

Succinic acid (SA) is a valuable platform chemical produced via bio-based and fossil-based routes. Both routes need to be compared from an environmental sustainability perspective. A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) followed by a monetary valuation of the environmental impacts of biosuccinic acid (BioSA) production from lignocellulosic biomass is presented in this paper. Three biorefining scenarios are studied. Scenario 1 employs C-6 and C-5 sugars to produce BioSA, while C-5 sugar is derived to produce furfural and biogas in scenario 2 and 3, respectively. The three scenarios cogenerate electricity using the biogas produced from C-5 sugars in scenario 3 and the residual lignin in all three scenarios. These scenarios are compared against a fossil-based succinic acid (SA) production route. ReCiPe midpoint and endpoint impacts were considered in the analysis. The analysis of midpoint impact categories showed that the feedstock production and transportation stages, as well as the pretreatment process of biorefining stage, are the most important contributors to the environmental impact of BioSA production. Endpoint impacts and monetary valuation showed that scenario 1 scored the lowest environmental cost followed by scenario 3, the fossil-based route, and scenario 2 with 1.48, 2.04, 2.24, and 3.05 USD/kg BioSA, respectively. Sensitivity analysis for monetary valuation suggested that the environmental costs are highly sensitive to damage to human health, and variations in damage to resources have minimum impact on the environmental cost.