Abstract
A techno-economic and environmental assessment of a di-rhamnolipid production process is presented. The process was designed based on patents describing industrial-scale glycolipid production. Glucose, glycerol, soybean oil, and stearic acid were tested as feedstocks. Maximum theoretical substrate-to-product yields were used. The simulation process was simulated using Aspen Plus v9.0. The techno-economic assessment was performed to elucidate the best feedstock. In addition, an environmental analysis was conducted using SimaPro v8.3. The highest productivity was calculated for stearic acid (3.57 kg di-rhamnolipid/t/d). The specific energy consumption and capital investment ranged from 1.8 MJ/kg to 6.1 MJ/kg and 1.8 to 2.8 M.USD, respectively. Stearic acid was identified as the most suitable raw material since the production cost was 12 USD/kg and the carbon footprint was 7.58 kgCO2-eq/kg. The environmental results elucidated that energy consumption as the most important hotspot. As conclusion, stearic acid is a promising option for producing di-rhamnolipids.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
