Cost and carbon implications of flexible biomanufacturing to produce bio-based gasoline, jet fuel, and platform chemicals

Most biorefineries rely on fermentation to produce a single molecule, such as ethanol. This exposes facilities to price volatility and limits their flexibility to respond to market shifts and critical domestic supply chain needs. Reorienting biomanufacturing toward greater flexibility necessitates the development of versatile production platforms and chemicals with multiple upgrading options to broaden the suite of products. This study presents a design that leverages biomass ensiling, ionic liquid pretreatment, industrial microbial hosts, and catalytic upgrading. The result is a platform to convert sorghum to organic acids, indigoidine (an example of a polymer precursor and alternative to a textile dye), and varying ratios of gasoline and jet fuel blendstocks. The facility can reach net average profits above $111 per bone-dry metric ton of biomass, but only if industrial-grade organic acids are recovered and indigoidine can be used as a one-to-one replacement for synthetic indigo dye at current market prices. Results further demonstrate that economic performance is strongly governed by product allocation decisions, particularly the balance between fuels and higher-value chemical products. Rather than relying on single-product optimization, this work highlights a portfolio-based production strategy that enables dynamic adjustment of product outputs in response to market conditions. Overall, the integrated use of flexible feedstock processing, multiproduct upgrading, and selective valorization pathways provides a framework for improving the economic resilience and adaptability of future lignocellulosic biorefineries.