UCLA

Driven by population growth and technological advancements, the energy landscape of the world is advancing rapidly. This ever-evolving progress has been accompanied by environmental and ecological harm, thus necessitating the reduction of our dependence on fossil fuels and the exploration of bio-renewable energy resources. One of these sources is biomass. This thesis explores expanding the potential of producing ethanol from biomass to be used not just as a fuel source but also as a useful reagent to create a valuable product such as ethyl formate. Using UniSim® Design simulation software, this study models and analyzes the production process of biomass-derived ethanol and zero-emissions formic acid (based on the 2011 and 2018 studies performed by Pena Lopez et al.) reacting together to produce ethyl formate [1] [2]. The thesis investigates the feasibility and sustainability of this approach, analyzing the material and energy streams from UniSim®. By utilizing a semi-batch approach, the simulation demonstrates the production of 3,609 kg of 98.8% ethyl formate per year, which based on the cost analysis and current market prices would be a significant revenue stream. This research hopes to shed light on exploring more environmentally friendly energy sources by not only examining the energy aspect of these sources but also the production avenue associated with generating these chemicals. The approach offers economic benefits while reducing environmental impact, showing a road for potential implementation in the bio-renewable field. Future research for this approach would focus on optimizing the process for continuous production and exploration of different catalysts throughout the production stages.