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Techno‐economic analysis for hydroxy acids production from waste cellulose via alkaline digestion.

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Title: Techno‐economic analysis for hydroxy acids production from waste cellulose via alkaline digestion.
Authors: Fallahmehneh, Farangis1 (AUTHOR) farangis.fallahmehneh@lut.fi, Errico, Massimiliano2 (AUTHOR), Melin, Kristian1 (AUTHOR), Sainio, Tuomo1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology. Apr2026, Vol. 101 Issue 4, p904-914. 11p.
Subjects: Alkaline hydrolysis, Batch reactors, Hydroxy acids, Cellulose, Energy consumption, Industrial costs, Chemical reactors
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Alkaline digestion offers a promising route for converting low‐grade cellulosic wastes into valuable hydroxy carboxylic acids (HAs). However, the feasibility of producing HAs at process scale, particularly the influence of reactor design on product yields, energy demand, and production costs, remains less explored. This study integrates a detailed kinetic model with process simulation to evaluate techno‐economic performance of three process options that differ in reactor configuration and operating temperature. RESULTS: The batch reactor with a temperature profile (BR‐TP) showed the highest selectivity toward glucoisosaccharinic acid (GISA), reaching approximately 65% of total HAs at target temperature of 200 °C, whereas the isothermal batch (BR‐IsoT) and isothermal CSTR (CSTR‐IsoT) favored smaller hydroxy acids (SHA). The CSTR‐IsoT offered shorter residence times at moderate conversions but required dramatically longer times at high conversions; at 200 °C, achieving the target conversion required 38‐fold longer time compared with BR‐TP. Techno‐economic analysis identified BR‐TP‐200 with the lowest total production cost (TPC) at 0.532 €/kg of product. In contrast, CSTR‐IsoT‐200 exhibited the highest TPC (0.928 €/kg). Energy consumption varied from 3.93 kW/kg of product in the BR‐TP (lowest) to 5.1 kW/kg of product in the CSTR‐IsoT. Sensitivity analysis confirmed raw materials as the dominant contributor to cost variability, while utility price fluctuations had minimal effects. CONCLUSION: Batch operation, particularly BR‐TP, delivers the most favorable trade‐off between selectivity, energy use, and production cost, confirming the feasibility of alkaline digestion for HAs production. Future studies should validate the model with real wastes and develop improved reactor and alkali‐recovery strategies for scale‐up. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 192266873
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PubTypeId: academicJournal
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  Label: Title
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  Data: Techno‐economic analysis for hydroxy acids production from waste cellulose via alkaline digestion.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fallahmehneh%2C+Farangis%22">Fallahmehneh, Farangis</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> farangis.fallahmehneh@lut.fi</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Errico%2C+Massimiliano%22">Errico, Massimiliano</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Melin%2C+Kristian%22">Melin, Kristian</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sainio%2C+Tuomo%22">Sainio, Tuomo</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Chemical+Technology+%26+Biotechnology%22">Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology</searchLink>. Apr2026, Vol. 101 Issue 4, p904-914. 11p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Alkaline+hydrolysis%22">Alkaline hydrolysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Batch+reactors%22">Batch reactors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hydroxy+acids%22">Hydroxy acids</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cellulose%22">Cellulose</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Energy+consumption%22">Energy consumption</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Industrial+costs%22">Industrial costs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Chemical+reactors%22">Chemical reactors</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: BACKGROUND: Alkaline digestion offers a promising route for converting low‐grade cellulosic wastes into valuable hydroxy carboxylic acids (HAs). However, the feasibility of producing HAs at process scale, particularly the influence of reactor design on product yields, energy demand, and production costs, remains less explored. This study integrates a detailed kinetic model with process simulation to evaluate techno‐economic performance of three process options that differ in reactor configuration and operating temperature. RESULTS: The batch reactor with a temperature profile (BR‐TP) showed the highest selectivity toward glucoisosaccharinic acid (GISA), reaching approximately 65% of total HAs at target temperature of 200 °C, whereas the isothermal batch (BR‐IsoT) and isothermal CSTR (CSTR‐IsoT) favored smaller hydroxy acids (SHA). The CSTR‐IsoT offered shorter residence times at moderate conversions but required dramatically longer times at high conversions; at 200 °C, achieving the target conversion required 38‐fold longer time compared with BR‐TP. Techno‐economic analysis identified BR‐TP‐200 with the lowest total production cost (TPC) at 0.532 €/kg of product. In contrast, CSTR‐IsoT‐200 exhibited the highest TPC (0.928 €/kg). Energy consumption varied from 3.93 kW/kg of product in the BR‐TP (lowest) to 5.1 kW/kg of product in the CSTR‐IsoT. Sensitivity analysis confirmed raw materials as the dominant contributor to cost variability, while utility price fluctuations had minimal effects. CONCLUSION: Batch operation, particularly BR‐TP, delivers the most favorable trade‐off between selectivity, energy use, and production cost, confirming the feasibility of alkaline digestion for HAs production. Future studies should validate the model with real wastes and develop improved reactor and alkali‐recovery strategies for scale‐up. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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    Identifiers:
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        Value: 10.1002/jctb.70145
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
        StartPage: 904
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Alkaline hydrolysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Batch reactors
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hydroxy acids
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cellulose
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Energy consumption
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Industrial costs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Chemical reactors
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Techno‐economic analysis for hydroxy acids production from waste cellulose via alkaline digestion.
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            NameFull: Fallahmehneh, Farangis
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            NameFull: Errico, Massimiliano
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            NameFull: Melin, Kristian
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            NameFull: Sainio, Tuomo
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            – D: 01
              M: 04
              Text: Apr2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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