Techno-economic analysis of Cellulase Production by Trichoderma reesei in Submerged Fermentation Processes using a Process Simulator

Abstract

Enzymes are valuable in many biofuels production processes, and their wide application has generated significant market demand in recent years. To develop lignocellulosic fuels in a biorefinery, high cost and low catalytic efficiency of cellulase are a major obstacle in the industrial use of this enzyme. A techno-economic assessment of cellulase production by Trichoderma reesei in submerged fermentation (SmF) processes was carried out in this study. SuperPro Designer Software was used to develop a process model that estimated the economic analysis of the fermentation processes by creating alternative schemes (batch and fed-batch) to improve the process. Sensitivity analysis study was carried out using Monte Carlo Software. Economic profitability indicators were used to assess cellulase yield, productivity, aeration rate, and specific power input on the unit production cost (UPC) of cellulase enzyme. Results show that the batch process had a higher aeration requirement when compared to the fed-batch process. Fed-batch process route had a shorter payback time (1.88 years), higher internal rate of return IRR (36.95%), and a more positive Net present value ($140,328,000) than the batch process. In addition, the Fed-batch process route is more economically viable than the batch process route, since the certainty of achieving its base case value of UPC is at the optimum. This study has been able to design a process route that reduces the production cost of cellulase, while increasing its availability in the market for sustainable fuel production in a biorefinery.