Conceptual design of integrated production of arabinoxylan products using bioethanol pinch analysis

This paper presents the application of mass pinch analysis for integration of bioethanol streams in biorefineries. A new case study is presented, comprising a wheat-based bioethanol production process retrofitted to produce arabinoxylan oligosaccharides (AXOS) precipitated using ethanol at different concentrations, in addition to the co-production of arabinoxylan (AX), giving more ethanolic streams and greater scope for integration. The application of mass pinch analysis reduced the amount of fresh, high purity bioethanol by up to 95% compared to a non-integrated system. The work illustrates how major advances in biorefineries could be achieved by retrofitting existing biorefineries using well-established process integration techniques for integrated value-added production. The work also highlights the potential to co-produce a range of AX and AXOS fractions, made feasible through the judicious integration of the ethanolic streams, and offering the potential for a new class of food ingredients arising from the opportunity afforded from integration with bioethanol production.