Selective or partial oxidation of organic compounds has great industrial significance and the intermediates formed in oxidation reactions are used to synthesize pharmaceuticals, perfumes, plastics, pesticides, petrochemicals, dyes, and agrochemicals.

Glycerol is a valuable feedstock, produced in biorefineries as a byproduct of biodiesel production. Esterification of glycerol with acetic acid yields a mixture of mono-, di-, and triacetins. The acetins are commercially important value-added products with a wide range of industrial applications as fuel additives and fine chemicals. Esterification of glycerol to acetins substantially increases the environmental sustainability and economic viability of the biorefinery concept. Among the acetins, diacetin (DA) and triacetin (TA) are considered high-energy-density fuel additives. Herein, we have studied the economic feasibility of a facility producing DA and TA by a two-stage process using 100,000 tons of glycerol per year using Aspen Plus. The capital costs were estimated by Aspen Process Economic Analyzer software. The analysis indicates that the capital costs are 71 M$, while the operating costs are 303 M$/year. The gross profit is 60.5 M$/year, while the NPV of the project is 235 M$ with a payback period of 1.7 years. Sensitivity analysis has indicated that the product price has the most impact on the NPV.

Acetic acid is a commodity chemical with the global demand of approximately 15 million tons per year with several applications in the chemical and food industry. The production of acetic acid can be widely categorized into chemical and fermentative routes, with the chemical route being the predominant one in the current industrial practice. In this chapter, we have reviewed the most recent developments in acetic acid production and applications over past two decades, including process intensification and catalysis by keeping the main emphasis on process sustainability. Acetic acid is used in several industrial sectors such as chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, polymer and paints, food and beverages. Furthermore, acetic acid has several applications in food industry and is traditionally known as vinegar. In addition, it is an acidulant, which is used to give a characteristic flavor profile to food. It can be used for microbial decontamination of meat and as a mild descaling agent in the food industry. More recently, acetic acid is reported to be used as an antimicrobial edible food coating agent. The diversified food culture has a significant demand in the development of such kind of innovation and acetic acid can be an efficient solution.

Sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is a significant agricultural residue generated by sugar mills based on sugarcane crop. Valorizing carbohydrate-rich SCB provides an opportunity to improve the profitability of sugar mills with simultaneous production of value-added chemicals, such as 2,3-butanediol (BDO). BDO is a prospective platform chemical with multitude of applications and huge derivative potential. This work presents the techno-economic and profitability analysis for fermentative production of BDO utilizing 96 MT of SCB per day. The study considers plant operation in five scenarios representing the biorefinery annexed to a sugar mill, centralized and decentralized units, and conversion of only xylose or total carbohydrates of SCB. Based on the analysis, the net unit production cost of BDO in the different scenarios ranged from 1.13 to 2.28 US$/kg, while the minimum selling price varied from 1.86 to 3.99 US$/kg. Use of the hemicellulose fraction alone was shown to result in an economically viable plant; however, this was dependent on the condition that the plant would be annexed to a sugar mill which could supply utilities and the feedstock free of cost. A standalone facility where the feedstock and utilities were procured was predicted to be economically feasible with a net present value of about 72 million US$, when both hemicellulose and cellulose fractions of SCB were utilized for BDO production. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted to highlight some key parameters affecting plant economics.