Techno-economic analysis of levoglucosan production via fast pyrolysis of cotton straw in China

Pyrolysis of cotton straw is a promising technology because of the large variety of chemical species that can be produced. A more promising chemical-levoglucosan, is the subject of this study. The techno-economic feasibility of producing levoglucosan via fast pyrolysis and extraction was evaluated by modeling a 200,000 dry ton cotton straw/year facility. Experimental and modeling data were gathered from recent publications and used for analysis. For the modeled feedstock handling capacity, the results indicated that levoglucosan production could reach around 18,000 ton/year. The estimated levoglucosan production cost, including byproduct credits, was $3.3 per kg. Additionally, sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the effect of variability in different system parameters on the levoglucosan production cost