Sustainable production of xylose ester biosurfactant: a techno-economic-environmental analysis

Author(s)

Cansian, Ana Barbara Moulin ; Goncalves, Maria Carolina Pereira ; Elias, Andrew Milli ; Furlan, Felipe Fernando ; Tardioli, Paulo Waldir ; de Sousa Junior, Ruy

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering; v. N/A, p. 21-pg., 2024-11-05.

Abstract

The search for alternatives that make the concept of a sustainable future conceivable and the possibility of having industries with low impact on global warming is among the most significant challenges today. The enzymatic production and application of xylose esters fit into this scenario as a potential sustainable biosurfactant with low environmental impact. Although several authors describe different possible operating conditions for the enzymatic production of xylose esters, studies that carry out techno-economic-environmental analysis (TEEA) for biosurfactant production are rare, and those that specifically apply TEEA for xylose esters production are even scarcer. In this context, this work aims to contribute to the development and scaling of the xylose ester production process by providing a TEEA of the biosurfactant production through enzymatic route using xylose and oleic acid as reagents. Phenomenological models were used to describe the process through mass and energy balances. The proposed process was simulated using EMSO, an equation-oriented simulator, from the esterification reaction to the downstream step, obtaining a biosurfactant with 96% purity. An economic analysis was also performed, which covered the installation and operating costs for a plant working throughout 25 years, obtaining a minimum biosurfactant selling price of US$ 392.98 per kg of biosurfactant produced. The process production cost obtained is justified by high biosurfactant purity and applicability in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the life cycle assessment, the product showed low levels of ozone layer depletion (9.70x10-7\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$9.70\times {10}<^>{-7}$$\end{document} kg CFC-11 eq/ kg), human toxicity (16.8\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$16.8$$\end{document} kg 1,4-DB eq/ kg), aquatic marine ecotoxicity (1.06x104\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$1.06\times {10}<^>{4}$$\end{document} kg 1,4-DB eq/ kg), photochemical oxidation (3.96x10-2\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$3.96\times {10}<^>{-2}$$\end{document} kg C2H4 eq/ kg), acidification (1.07x10-1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$1.07\times {10}<^>{-1}$$\end{document} kg SO2 eq/ kg), and eutrophication (5.44x10-2\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$5.44\times {10}<^>{-2}$$\end{document} kg PO4 eq/ kg), highlighting its environmental viability and lower impact. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/10636-8 - From the cell factory to the Biodiesel-Bioethanol integrated biorefinery: a systems approach applied to complex problems in micro and macroscales
• Grantee: Roberto de Campos Giordano
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 20/15450-5 - Bioprocesses systems engineering applied to the production of biofertilizers: from integrated biorefinery to microorganisms
• Grantee: Andrew Milli Elias
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 22/10900-8 - Multi-objective optimization of biofertilizer production considering economic and environmental aspects
• Grantee: Andrew Milli Elias
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor