Development of Process Configurations and Simulation of Biofuel Production

Abstract

The production of biobutanol from lignocellulosic biomass is a promising route toward sustainable biofuels, but current research is limited due to the use of commercial simulation tools, incomplete process modeling, and insufficient variation in available feedstock. The current work addresses these gaps by developing and evaluating a complete process simulation for biobutanol production using the open-source software DWSIM. A process flow diagram was established based on a comprehensive literature review, and relevant experimental data were collected to guide simulation inputs and validate results. Six process configurations were developed, using dilute acid and autohydrolysis as pretreatment methods, and assessed based on parameters such as feedstock composition, conversion efficiency, and enzymatic hydrolysis performance. Simulation results show that DWSIM effectively models key stages of biobutanol production and accommodates variations in pretreatment and hydrolysis conditions. Processing solid fractions of pretreated biomass yields higher biobutanol concentrations than using liquid prehydrolysate alone, and the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis strongly influences the final output. This work demonstrates that DWSIM is a viable platform for simulating biofuel processes and offers a flexible, cost-effective alternative for early-stage process development, followed by process design with implications for future biorefinery integration and technology scaling.