Dynamic simulation and Residence time Optimization of an Autohydrolysis Reactor for the Valorization of Lignocellulosic Waste

Lignocellulosic residues from agricultural and food-processing activities are increasingly recognized as promising feedstocks for the development of bio-based materials and sustainable energy carriers. In this framework, the Cyclevit project investigates a hybrid valorization approach combining autohydrolysis and organosolv treatments to extract cellulose and lignin, which are precursors for vitrimers—recyclable polymer networks. This study had two primary goals: to carry out a dynamic simulation in the Pomodoro toolkit of the autohydrolysis process using a previously established kinetic model, and to optimize the residence time in the reactor. The kinetic model accounts for heat and mass transfer and simulates the thermal degradation of hemicellulose and cellulose. Regarding optimization, the results showed sigmoidal degradation trends and stressed the need to fine-tune residence time to enhance hemicellulose solubilization while minimizing cellulose loss. These results lay the groundwork for a full dynamic optimization of the investigated reactor, including a possible extension to multi-objective optimization to explore the trade-offs with energy consumption with a systematic approach.