A simplified and integrated separation strategy for high-purity furfural and valuable coproducts

The production of high-value chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass is a cornerstone of sustainable biorefineries focused on value-added products. In this study, a detailed process simulation of multiproduct purification was performed using Aspen Plus, with the NRTL-HOC thermodynamic model employed to capture the non-ideal behavior of the multicomponent system accurately. A multiproduct biorefinery based on biomass hydrolysis is analyzed, emphasizing its techno-economic performance, life-cycle assessment, and exergy efficiency across alternative separation strategies. The base scenario consists of a separation train with three distillation columns, achieving exergy efficiencies of 93.8%, 99.3%, and 73.6%, respectively. This configuration enabled the production of high-purity products, including furfural at 99.0% purity and methanol at 99.85% purity. Additionally, acetic acid was recovered at 80% purity, representing a strategic opportunity to reduce reliance on external supply chains and strengthen process integration within the national chemical market. Overall, the results demonstrate that integrating simplified separation schemes with the valorization of coproduct streams significantly enhances both the thermodynamic efficiency and economic viability of furfural purification in lignocellulosic biorefineries.