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Economic analysis of vanillin production from Kraft lignin using alkaline oxidation and regeneration

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Abstract

Lignin conversion to vanillin is one of the promising routes for lignin valorization. This study presents an economic analysis for the conceptual design of vanillin production from 10 t/h Kraft lignin. The vanillin plant includes alkaline oxidation of lignin with NaOH, ultrafiltration, chromatographic separation, and crystallization to purify vanillin. A boiler for the combustion of waste lignin was used to supply steam required for oxidation reactions and water evaporation. Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) formed in the combustor was regenerated into NaOH using lime. The heat network was integrated to reduce the consumption of cooling water, steam, and electricity. The plant produced 0.52 t/h vanillin with a yield of 5.2%. The return on investment (ROI) and payback period of this plant were 10.1%/year and 8.0 years, respectively. The ROI was most sensitive to the vanillin price. The desired ROI of 15%/year can be achieved with a plant size of 20 t/h lignin.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant, funded by the Korean Government (MEST and MIST) (grant number: 2020R1F1A1066097, 2020M1A2A207980211, and 2019R1G1A1003364).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CoSPE, Department of Chemical Engineering, Hankyong National University, 327 Jungang-ro, Anseong, 17579, Republic of Korea

    Thang Toan Vu & Young-Il Lim

  2. School of Chemical Engineering, Chonnam National University, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea

    Thang Toan Vu & Daesung Song

  3. Future Energy Plant (FEP) Convergence Research Center, Korea Institute of Energy Research, Gajeong-ro 152, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34129, Republic of Korea

    Kyung-Ran Hwang & Deog-Keun Kim

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  1. Thang Toan Vu
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Vu, T.T., Lim, YI., Song, D. et al. Economic analysis of vanillin production from Kraft lignin using alkaline oxidation and regeneration. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 13, 1819–1829 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-020-01212-z

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