Production of α-olefins from biomass gasification: Process development and multi-objective optimization for techno-economic and environmental goals

Efficient utilization of biomass as a substitute for fossil fuels holds great promise for meeting future greener chemical demands in a sustainable manner. This study presents a process simulation and multi-objective optimization for an innovative process of biomass-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of value-added linear alpha-olefins. Optimal design and operation solutions with heat-exchange network integration taken into account are obtained that minimize total annual costs (TAC), generalized energy consumption ( GEC ), greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and maximize product yields (eta). Compared to the benchmark case, this optimization leads to a 9.93 % reduction in TAC, a 21.76 % reduction in GEC , a 19.23 % reduction in GHG, and increases eta by 1.41 %. Additionally, a comprehensive factor analysis of the optimal design and operation parameters in the Pareto front helps to discover patterns related to energy consumption, environmental impact, or economy. This allows to maximize a specific key process performance metric while minimizing the loss in the other, thus enabling flexible process design and operation under diverse manufacturing environments.