TY - JOUR
T1 - Win-Win More Sustainable Routes for Acetic Acid Synthesis
AU - Medrano-García, Juan D.
AU - Calvo-Serrano, Raul
AU - Tian, Haining
AU - Guillén-Gosálbez, Gonzalo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.
PY - 2025/2/3
Y1 - 2025/2/3
N2 - Current efforts to decarbonize the chemical sector by using captured CO2 and electrolytic H2 typically lead to high production costs and environmental collateral damage. Hence, there is a clear need to look for alternative, more efficient synthesis routes that could pave the way for a fully sustainable chemical industry. Bearing this in mind, here, we evaluate the economic and environmental implications of two low technology readiness level (TRL) novel single-step synthesis routes for acetic acid production using CO2 as a raw material: gas-to-acid methane carboxylation and semiartificial photosynthesis. Using process simulation and life-cycle assessment, we determine that these pathways, under a specific set of assumptions, could outperform the business-as-usual methanol carbonylation process at their current development state in terms of global warming, human health, ecosystem quality, and resource scarcity impacts, showing no signs of burden shifting. Furthermore, these routes also result in lower production costs derived from the reduced energy requirement associated with a single synthesis step. Overall, our preliminary results of the low TRL technologies based on experimental data highlight the potential economic and environmental benefits of exploring alternative synthesis routes, which could help bridge the current fossil-based industrial landscape to a more sustainable future.
AB - Current efforts to decarbonize the chemical sector by using captured CO2 and electrolytic H2 typically lead to high production costs and environmental collateral damage. Hence, there is a clear need to look for alternative, more efficient synthesis routes that could pave the way for a fully sustainable chemical industry. Bearing this in mind, here, we evaluate the economic and environmental implications of two low technology readiness level (TRL) novel single-step synthesis routes for acetic acid production using CO2 as a raw material: gas-to-acid methane carboxylation and semiartificial photosynthesis. Using process simulation and life-cycle assessment, we determine that these pathways, under a specific set of assumptions, could outperform the business-as-usual methanol carbonylation process at their current development state in terms of global warming, human health, ecosystem quality, and resource scarcity impacts, showing no signs of burden shifting. Furthermore, these routes also result in lower production costs derived from the reduced energy requirement associated with a single synthesis step. Overall, our preliminary results of the low TRL technologies based on experimental data highlight the potential economic and environmental benefits of exploring alternative synthesis routes, which could help bridge the current fossil-based industrial landscape to a more sustainable future.
KW - biogas
KW - green acetic acid
KW - green carbon monoxide
KW - life-cycle assessment (LCA)
KW - process simulation
KW - semiartificial photosynthesis (SAP)
KW - win−win scenario
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85216110518&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=pure_univeritat_ramon_llull&SrcAuth=WosAPI&KeyUT=WOS:001402418200001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=WOS_CPL
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14342/4860
U2 - 10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c07324
DO - 10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c07324
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85216110518
SN - 2168-0485
VL - 13
SP - 1522
EP - 1531
JO - ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
JF - ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
IS - 4
ER -