Pra-Rancangan Pabrik Gamma Valerolactone (GVL) dari Jerami Padi dengan Metode Formic Acid Assisted Hydrogenation (FAH) Kapasitas 70.000 Ton/tahun

Abstract

γ-Valerolactone (GVL) is a biomass-derived compound with significant potential as a fuel additive, environmentally friendly solvent, and raw material for various chemical products. The abundant availability of rice straw waste in Indonesia provides the basis for designing a GVL production plant using the Formic Acid Assisted Hydrogenation (FAH) method with a production capacity of 70,000 tons per year. The proposed plant is located in Lamongan Regency, East Java, requiring approximately 263,000 tons of rice straw annually as the main feedstock. The production process consists of pretreatment, delignification using NaOH, hydrolysis of cellulose into levulinic acid using H₂SO₄, neutralization with Ca(OH)₂, and the conversion of levulinic acid into GVL through the FAH method using a heterogeneous MO-Ru catalyst. The resulting product is then purified in a flash drum before being stored as the final product. The FAH method was selected due to its high yield and selectivity, relatively short reaction time, and the absence of an external hydrogen supply requirement. Based on the preliminary plant design, the proposed γ-valerolactone production plant from rice straw with a capacity of 70,000 tons per year shows strong potential to enhance the utilization of agricultural waste as a renewable chemical feedstock and to support the development of a sustainable green chemical industry in Indonesia