TY - JOUR
T1 - Process Design and Techno-Economic Analysis for Bio-Based Graphite and Liquid Hydrocarbons Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass
T2 - Article No. 133156
AU - Gonzalez-Aguirre, Jose
AU - Dey, Shaikat
AU - Sagues, William
AU - Combs, Zachary
AU - Rowland, Steven
AU - Dutta, Abhijit
AU - Park, Sunkyu
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - The worldwide demand for graphite, as the main anode material for Li-ion batteries, is expected to double by 2028 since it supports the use of electricity, including transient renewable sources, for energy storage, sustainable mobility, and automation. However, the dependence on non-renewable and external resources jeopardizes the world supply chain. This study explores the technical and economic performance of transforming lignocellulosic biomass into biographite and fuel-grade hydrocarbons through pyrolysis bio-oil upgrading. According to simulation results, the total power demand for the biorefinery reached 10,784 kWh per tonne of biographite, of which 36 % can be supplied by the heat integration network and power plant. Sensitivity and risk analyses were conducted to evaluate the economics, with process yields identified as the most relevant indicators to the minimum selling price (MSP). The analysis revealed a promising cost-competitive range for biographite MSP against fossil-based graphite (medium quality synthetic graphite Chinese market price ~$4.2/kg). Case D, which includes biofuels as a byproduct, presents the best metrics, reaching a MSP of $3.3/kg of anode-grade biographite with a profit margin of 27 %. While including biofuels in the product slate provides the best economic performance, the uncertainty associated with the big capital investment makes its risk 13 % higher to attain an IRR >20 % than the case in which biographite is produced as a standalone product. Overall, this study demonstrates that integrated biorefineries can produce a cost-competitive bio-based anode material for Li-ion batteries.
AB - The worldwide demand for graphite, as the main anode material for Li-ion batteries, is expected to double by 2028 since it supports the use of electricity, including transient renewable sources, for energy storage, sustainable mobility, and automation. However, the dependence on non-renewable and external resources jeopardizes the world supply chain. This study explores the technical and economic performance of transforming lignocellulosic biomass into biographite and fuel-grade hydrocarbons through pyrolysis bio-oil upgrading. According to simulation results, the total power demand for the biorefinery reached 10,784 kWh per tonne of biographite, of which 36 % can be supplied by the heat integration network and power plant. Sensitivity and risk analyses were conducted to evaluate the economics, with process yields identified as the most relevant indicators to the minimum selling price (MSP). The analysis revealed a promising cost-competitive range for biographite MSP against fossil-based graphite (medium quality synthetic graphite Chinese market price ~$4.2/kg). Case D, which includes biofuels as a byproduct, presents the best metrics, reaching a MSP of $3.3/kg of anode-grade biographite with a profit margin of 27 %. While including biofuels in the product slate provides the best economic performance, the uncertainty associated with the big capital investment makes its risk 13 % higher to attain an IRR >20 % than the case in which biographite is produced as a standalone product. Overall, this study demonstrates that integrated biorefineries can produce a cost-competitive bio-based anode material for Li-ion batteries.
KW - bio-based anode material
KW - economic feasibility study
KW - energy integration
KW - fast pyrolysis
KW - iron-catalyzed graphitization
KW - risk assessment
U2 - 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.133156
DO - 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.133156
M3 - Article
SN - 0960-8524
VL - 438
JO - Bioresource Technology
JF - Bioresource Technology
ER -