A Prospective Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Monomer Synthesis: Comparison of Biocatalytic and Oxidative Chemistry.

ABSTRACT: Biotechnological processes are typically perceived to be greener than chemical processes. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to compare the chemical and biochemical synthesis of lactones obtained by Baeyer-Villiger oxidation. The LCA is prospective (based on experiments at a small scale with primary data) because the process is at an early stage. The results show that the synthesis route has no significant effect on the climate change impact [(1.65±0.59) kg CO 2  g_product ^-1 vs. (1.64±0.67) kg CO 2  g_product ^-1 ]. Key process performance metrics affecting the environmental impact were evaluated by performing a sensitivity analysis. Recycling of solvents and enzyme were shown to provide an advantage to the enzymatic synthesis. A

SUBMITTER: Delgove MAF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6563695 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature