Abstract

This research focuses on shifting vital chemical production from fossil fuels to renewable alternatives,
particularly through biomass-based pathways. Promising methods using agricultural waste show
potential for sustainable production, contributing to a resilient, resource-conscious future for the
chemical sector and supporting climate targets through innovative bio-based solutions. The current
research focuses on utilizing bio-based production routes, particularly biochemical pathways
originating from agricultural biomass to derive bio-polyethylene. Six production pathways are analyzed
base on different pretreatment methods: dilute acid, hot water, ammonia fiber explosion, steam
explosion, organic solvent and alkaline. The primary objective is to provide a decision support system
among the available process options and identify promising integrated production routes based on costs,
resources, and energy demands inherent in these processes. This evaluation is conducted using mixed�integer linear programming modeling techniques, which enables the selection of technologies from a
broader range of production routes and optimizes their integration. The results from this modeling
indicate that the dilute acid pretreatment production route proves to be the most cost-efficient, followed
by steam explosion. The findings offer valuable insights into variations in primary resource usage and
energy demands based on the pretreatment methods employed to yield the final product. Investment
costs associated with each process unit facilitate a comparative economic analysis and highlight avenues
for potential cost reduction. This approach aids in assessing the feasibility and advantages of various
bio-based processes toward industrial production, to be complemented by thorough environmental
assessment in future work.