Synthesis of 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran from various lignocellulosic feedstocks: Sustainability assessment via LCA

Abstract This work highlights that bio-based chemicals may not automatically be synonymous with “green”, and efforts to generate the quantitative environmental performance of bio-products via LCA are crucial in ensuring their sustainable attributes. 2-Methyl tetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF) is a new solvent derived from natural product sources. A relative LCA comparing 2-MeTHF manufacture originating from different biomass resources was carried out to investigate the sustainability of each feedstock. The biofine process was employed as a model for the production of levulinic acid from a mixture of C 5 and C 6 sugars before the final synthesis of 2-MeTHF. A new perspective of LCA impact, land footprint (total land area required), is proposed as a result of our evaluation, taking into account the viewpoint of competing land use options in the LCAs of green chemicals.