Journal article
Economic and environmental analysis of bio-succinic acid production: from established processes to a new continuous fermentation approach with in-situ electrolytic extraction
KT Consortium, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark1
PROSYS - Process and Systems Engineering Centre, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark2
Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark3
Lahore University of Management Sciences4
Department of Technology, Management and Economics, Technical University of Denmark5
Quantitative Sustainability Assessment, Sustainability, Society and Economics, Department of Technology, Management and Economics, Technical University of Denmark6
Technical University of Denmark7
Chinese Academy of Sciences8
Many recent attempts to commercialize bio-succinic acid (bio-SA) ended to be unsuccessful after a start flourishing moment. Furthermore, the improved environmental performance of bio-SA production processes compared to petroleum-based SA is still uncertain. In this study a techno-economic analysis was conducted comparing four bio-SA manufacturing processes in terms of net present value and minimum selling price.
Two of the simulated processes are based on patents released by bio-SA manufacturing companies (I) Roquette/DSM (Reverdia) and (II) DNP Green Technology /ARD (BioAmber). A third process is based on a Michigan State University patent (III) and a fourth process is conceptual (IV). The conceptual process IV was demonstrated to have < 50% lower capital costs and ∼40 to 55% lower manufacturing costs than the other processes.
With a minimum selling price of 1.4 USD kg-1, process IV would be cheaper than petroleum based succinic acid (∼2.0 USD kg-1). The Reverdia-based process can also be competitive, while process III and particularly the BioAmber-based process II are not profitable. Ion-exchange columns, nanofiltration and anion exchange membranes are shown to be key technologies for lowering bio-SA manufacturing costs.
Continuous bio-SA fermentation with in situ-like extraction can change the bio-SA market, but the environmental sustainability assessment reveals only marginal differences compared with petroleum-based SA. Low pH “aerobic fermentation” is likely to be a more sustainable strategy compared to neutral pH “aerobic fermentation”.
| Language: | English |
|---|---|
| Year: | 2022 |
| Pages: | 401-414 |
| ISSN: | 17443563 and 02638762 |
| Types: | Journal article |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cherd.2022.01.040 |
| ORCIDs: | Mancini, Enrico , Fabbri, Serena , Udugama, Isuru A. , Gernaey, Krist V. , Pinelo, Manuel and Mansouri, Seyed Soheil |
