SuperPro Designer Research Articles

Development of a novel process towards an l-malate biorefinery using methanol as feedstock

Malate is primarily obtained from fossil resources. However, growing environmental concerns are rerouting chemical manufacturing to biomanufacturing. Despite significant ‘discovery research’ efforts for sustainable malate production, a successful industrial implementation remains elusive. A novel methanol-based l-malate biomanufacturing process using the methylotrophic bacterium Bacillus methanolicus is designed and the relationship between R&D and techno-economic feasibility is assessed. Two scenarios are modeled and compared using SuperPro Designer®. First, with limited R&D success a 65 g/L titer is achievable. Then with further strain improvement and process development titer is increased to 100 g/L. Four independent design parameters; biomass formation, CO2 evolution, methanol loss and selling price are selected to analyze techno-economic metrics of interest (yield per batch, yield on methanol, unit production cost, and net present value). Sensitivity analysis reveals the dependence of techno-economic feasibility to R&D success, while uncertainty analysis quantifies how uncertainty in process development propagates into uncertainty in process performance.

Efficient β-carotene recovery from surfactant-based aqueous solutions: Advancing from experimental to process simulation

β-carotene is a carotenoid present in the human diet with numerous functions in the body. This work suggests a new platform for efficiently recovering this bioactive compound from aqueous solutions. For the first time, a ternary deep eutectic solvent (DES) is proposed to promote phase separation in aqueous solutions of non-ionic surfactants (Triton X-102 and Tween 20). The influence of temperature on the miscibility regions was investigated from 298.15 K to 308.15 K as a preliminary step. The obtained phase diagrams at three temperatures were accurately correlated using four empirical equations. The extraction capacity of these novel combinations was analysed by means of the Tie-Lines (TL) and their derived magnitudes: Tie-Line Length (TLL) and Slope (S). The reliability of the TLs was ascertained through three empirical equations. Analysis of the data showed that more than 99 % of the model carotene could be extracted using ChCl:U:Gly from a Triton X-102 aqueous solution at 308.15 K. Process simulation using SuperPro Designer confirmed that an effective and sustainable process for recovering β-carotene from algal biomass can be designed using a simple approach.

Technoeconomic analysis of alternatives to improve Cuban sugarcane wax‐refining technology using Superpro Designer

AbstractSugarcane wax is a co‐product with strong potential. It contains several bioactive components that can be used for pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes. It is also considered a substitute for leading vegetable waxes in the international market. The extraction and refining technologies that have been reported in Cuba do not always manage to deliver a wax that meets the quality demanded by the market. This problem can be solved with the development of innovative technologies that allow increasing yields, higher quality, and the reduction of costs. The main objective of this work was to achieve a validated model of the Cuban sugarcane wax‐refining process using the SuperPro Designer simulator, and to evaluate the alternatives in order to reduce consumption rates and increase stability in the final product quality, as customers demand. The model successfully replicated 39 out of 44 variables used for process validation, with values falling within the historical range of the process. Deviations from historical values were less than 4 percentage points. Among the proposed modifications, the second of the two alternatives proposed resulted in lower consumption rates and more consistent quality of refined wax.

Prospective life cycle assessment of an integrated biorefinery for production of lactic acid from dairy side streams

In Ireland, the world's first-of-a-kind integrated dairy biorefinery has been developed to address waste disposal challenges in the dairy industry by converting dairy side streams into high-value biochemicals, specifically lactic acid (LA). This study aims to assess the environmental impacts of this innovative technology at a commercial scale through a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) study. Experimental data from a pilot-plant facility was scaled up to a production capacity of 20,000 tons of LA per year using SuperPro Designer®. This data was combined with information from upstream processes such as milk production, cheese production, and transport, using OpenLCA. The cradle-to-gate LCA revealed that milk production had the greatest overall impact across all categories. Enteric fermentation has the most significant impact on climate change, while fertilizer and concentrate feed production primarily contributed to non-renewable energy demand, ozone formation, human toxicity, water consumption and fossil depletion. Fertilizer application substantially influenced eutrophication, acidification and ecotoxicity indicators. However, scenario analysis showed that implementing strategies like substituting biorefinery byproducts with fossil-based products, increasing renewable energy penetration, and integrating dairy beef production could result in significant environmental savings across all impact categories. Moreover, the findings highlighted that the handling of co-products would determine the magnitude of the system's impact. This study concludes that combining process design analysis with accessible data at a higher Technology readiness level (TRL) 7 offers an opportunity to identify hotspots and recommend alternative strategies to improve the environmental sustainability of the whole system at the design stage. Additionally, this study provides valuable guidance for minimizing environmental impacts during the design phase, enabling informed investment decisions before construction. Ultimately, it plays a crucial role in establishing a circular bioeconomy within the dairy industry by effectively utilizing the side streams to produce sustainable biobased chemicals, specifically LA.

Mass balance and economic study of a treatment chain for nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements recovery from Ni-MH batteries

ABSTRACT The aim of this project is to develop and evaluate the economic performance of a complete process for recovering nickel, cobalt, and rare earths (REEs) from nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery waste. The main elements contained in the battery powder are Ni (523 g/kg), La (58 g/kg), Co (39 g/kg), Zn (21 g/kg), Nd (19 g/kg), Sm (19 g/kg) and Ce (14 g/kg). Metal leaching was carried out with 2 M sulfuric acid, solubilising 100% of Ni, 93% of Co and 94% of REEs. Rare earths were precipitated with NaOH, then purified after resolubilization in nitric acid. Solvent extraction with bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) followed by bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) phosphinic acid (Cyanex 272) was used to separate Ni and Co. At the end of the process, REEs, nickel, and cobalt were recovered as oxides after precipitation as oxalates. The REE, nickel and cobalt oxides obtained have purities of 97.6%, 97.2% and 93.2% respectively. A techno-economic study was carried out using SuperPro Designer software. In this scenario, plant capacity was set at 1.0 t of used battery powder per hour for an operating period of 8 h/d and 250 days per year. The total investment was estimated at $26.9 million, with a payback period of 1.58 years. For a 15-year life, the net present value of this project is estimated at $95.9 million, with an interest rate of 7%. The internal rate of return is estimated at 46.1%, which is considered acceptable and economically viable.

Design of a sustainable biorefinery for the valorization of waste from the baker’s yeast industry through process simulation: A case study for the production of animal feed, fertilizers, and biofuels from vinasse

The present work deals with the biotechnological valorization of the vinasse through a sustainable biorefinery. The aim was to design and analyze, through process simulation, a biorefinery for the valorization of vinasse in products such as organo-mineral fertilizers, supplements for animal feed, and biogas. For this purpose, the SuperPro Designer software was used, and a modified hierarchical decomposition method was applied. One base case and three scenarios were techno-economically assessed, and the net present value was used as a selection criterion. The technological configuration with the best techno-economic criterion was analyzed socially and environmentally. The results suggest that the best configuration of the biorefinery corresponded to scenario 3, with a net present value of USD$73,364,000, a number of direct employees of 38, and a blue water footprint of 16.16 m3/h. These findings highlight the potential of the design of biorefineries to address the valorization of vinasses in Colombia and worldwide.

Mass balance and economic study of a treatment chain for rare earths, base metals and precious metals recovery from used smartphones

In the present study, a comprehensive hydrometallurgical process was developed for the recovery of several types of metals from used cell phone printed circuit board assemblies. The overall process is divided into four stages of selective leaching of rare earth elements (REE), copper, nickel, silver and finally gold. After solubilization, the metals were purified using precipitation, solvent extraction, electrodeposition, and cementation techniques. Laboratory pilot-scale tests of the complete smart phone printed circuit board processing line showed REE, copper, nickel, silver, and gold recovery efficiencies of 78.0 %, 98.8 %, 81.8 %, 100 % and 96.1 %, respectively. The purity of the products obtained is evaluated at 94.8 % for rare earth oxides (70.0 % Nd2O3, 18.5 % Pr2O3, 2.8 % Dy2O3 and 2.4 % Sm2O3), 99.8 % for elemental copper, 94.3 % for nickel oxide, 93.8 % for silver and 89.3 % for gold. A scenario involving the installation of a plant processing 1 t/h of waste was evaluated using SuperPro Designer software. For a total investment of $53.22 million and an operating cost of $18.23 million per year, the main revenue is $65.77 million per year, with a return on investment of 91.6 % and a payback period of 1.1 years.

Evaluation of biohydrogen production from rice straw hydrolysate via Clostridium sp. YM1: In-lab fermentation and techno-economic study

This study investigates the potential of rice straw (RS) to be used as a feedstock for the production of biohydrogen (BioH2). To simplify the structure of the RS, thermochemical treatment is applied using HNO3 and NaOH at different concentrations. At a concentration of 1% (v/v) nitric acid (HNO3), the highest sugar concentration achieved was 27.73 g/L. This condition was utilized in dark fermentation with Clostridium sp. YM1 at 30 °C in an anaerobic environment, resulting in a biohydrogen production that surpasses the yield of the control sample by 27%. Furthermore, supplementation of 20 mg of ferrous and magnesium ions enhanced the biohydrogen yield (HY), which achieved 1.12 molH₂/molsugar and 1.19 molH₂/molsugar, respectively. This study demonstrated that butyric acid fermentation was the main pathway for Clostridium sp. YM1 to produce BioH2 from HNO3-treated RS. The findings were further evaluated for their economic profitability using SuperPro designer in batch production mode to treat 100 kgRS/batch that demonstrated the feasibility of the project with payback period (PBP), and net present value (NPV) of 3.78 years and USD 4,722,929, respectively. The study herein provides valuable insights and recommendations aimed at enhancing the feasibility of the conversion of RS into BioH2, thereby advancing the potential for sustainable bioenergy production.

Increasing sustainability in the tomato processing industry: environmental impact analysis and future development scenarios

IntroductionThe agri-food sector has been identified as one of the most significant contributors to environmental degradation and emissions. Thus, in order to respond to the societal demand for cleaner and greener products, in recent years, the food industry has been striving to identify and apply more sustainable practices to minimize the negative impact on the environment. Within the agri-food sector, one of the industries requiring efforts to mitigate its environmental footprint is the tomato processing industry, which represents an important industry within the Italian industrial food processing sector. Efficient utilization of resources and adoption of innovative methods in the production lines of the tomato processing industry can be envisaged as strategic measures to increase sustainability. This study aims to discuss the results of the case study in which an Italian tomato processing company has been analyzed by applying the LCA methodology.MethodForeground data were obtained from the tomato processing facility located in southern Italy, and Ecoinvent database was the source of background data. The assessment was carried out by SimaPro software using ReCiPe 2016 (V1.03). The feasible conservation strategies in the production line have been evaluated through water-energy nexus simulation by SuperPro Designer® before the implementation, and different scenarios have been evaluated by SimaPro to decrease the environmental load.Results and conclusionThis study demonstrates that the production of 1 kg of peeled tomatoes and tomato puree leads to greenhouse gas emissions of 0.083 kg CO2 eq and 0.135 kg CO2 eq, respectively. A deeper analysis to evaluate the contribution of the different tomato processing stages indicated that the thermal units are the main ones responsible for adverse effects on the environment, and any improvement in their performance can be seen as an unmissable opportunity. The conservation strategies identified resulted in considerable water (23.4%), electricity (14.7%), and methane (28.7%) savings and, consequently, in 16 and 19% reduction of global warming potential in peeled tomato and tomato puree production lines, respectively. These findings provide new insights for tomato processing companies wishing to adopt more sustainable processing practices, reducing their environmental impact to a considerable extent and improving their economic performance.

Transformation of Palm Oil Mill Effluent: Simulating High-Purity Biogas Production Process for Power Generation

Abstract As the largest palm oil producer in the world, Indonesia is currently facing environmental challenges associated with the produced Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME), which can pollute the environment. To address this issue, one practical approach is to convert POME into a valuable resource through appropriate techniques. POME contains high organic content that can be processed and utilized for biogas power generation. This study aims to design an effective biogas production process from POME for industrial-scale high-purity biogas power generation. The design process uses SuperPro Designer v13 to simulate the production process and economic evaluation. Decomposing organic materials in POME to produce biogas uses anaerobic microorganisms. This process involves several stages: hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis. The result from this study shows that the plant can operate 182.5 batches/year with a batch time of 42.50 h, producing biogas with the composition of 3.86% carbon dioxide, 0.164% hydrogen sulfide, 0.089% hydrogen, 78.51% methane, and 2.028% water. Based on the analysis of economic indicators, such as Net Present Cost (NPC), Internal Return Rate (IRR), and Payback Period (PBP), it has been suggested that these projects are economically feasible. By utilizing methane gas generated from POME as biogas power generation, the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere can be significantly reduced. The Biogas power plant from POME can be an alternative solution for electricity generation and sustainable palm oil industrial waste management.

Exploring the economic viability of Jatobá (Hymenaea courbaril L.) bark extraction: A comparative study

The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive economic evaluation for the transition from lab-scale to large-scale production of jatobá bark extracts containing phenolic compounds. Building upon previous technical research, the present work compares conventional agitation (AG) to modern supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). SuperPro Designer was used to estimate the project’s economic indicators. Moreover, freeze drying and spray drying were evaluated as possible operations for water removal from the extract. The operating costs (OPEX) analysis at the most economical process condition showed the primary influence of raw material cost (CRM), regardless of the technique. Additionally, utilities cost (CUT) had a greater impact on UAE and AG than SFE. A sensitivity analysis revealed that extract selling price and productivity significantly impacted return on investment (ROI), followed by CRM and CUT. In summary, SFE, AG, and UAE were feasible for the recovery of phenolic extracts from jatobá bark, with payback times of 4.2, 2.0, and 3.4 years, respectively. This work shows the economic feasibility and potential scalability of these extraction processes, laying a foundation for future industrial implementation and commercialization of jatobá bark extracts.

Technoeconomic Analysis of Intensified PEGylated Biopharmaceutical Recombinant Protein Production: Alpha Antitrypsin as a Model Case

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a genetic disorder characterized by the insufficient production of the AAT protein. Due to availability limitations, not all AATD patients receive protein therapy treatment. In this study, the technoeconomic analysis of different processes (conventional and intensified) producing 200 kg/year of PEGylated recombinant AAT (PEG-AAT) using a Chinese hamster ovary cell line was investigated. All bioprocesses consist of upstream, downstream, and PEGylation sections. A base-case model (process A) of the conventional fed-batch production bioreactor was developed using SuperPro Designer software (Version 13) to evaluate the economic feasibility of the process. The cost of goods (COG) was estimated to be approximately USD 387.6/g. Furthermore, an intensified process (B) was modeled and evaluated to reduce the COG. Process intensification was implemented in the process (N-1 perfusion bioreactor). The specific operating COG for process B was found to be 10% less than that of process A. Scenario analysis was performed to assess the impact of process capacity (100–1000 kg/year) and cell-specific productivity (30–90 pg/cell/day). With an increase in process capacity, the specific operating COG was reduced for all processes. Increasing cell-specific productivity decreases the specific operating COG at different rates for each process, depending on the titer level. Future investigations into the PEGylation section are required since it has the highest COG of all the sections.

Techno economic analysis of the production of potato powder applying potato starch purification system in Japan

To implement the technology for producing potato powder, significant investment is required. This study evaluated the techno-economic feasibility of the dried potato powder production process, based on a scenario developed in a starch plant process in Japan. The simulation was performed with SuperPro Designer® software. The annual production volume and the unit production cost were estimated to be 15,786,585 kg and 1056 Japanese yen/kg, respectively. According to economic evaluation indicators—the gross margin, return on investment, payback time, internal rate of return, and net present value (at a 7% interest rate)—the scenario was profitable and investment worthwhile. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of the variable parameters (the purchasing price of raw potatoes, the selling price of potato powder, and labor and electricity costs) on the net present value (at the 7% interest rate). The analysis suggested that the purchasing price of raw potatoes and the selling price of potato powder had particularly large impacts on the net present value.

Simulation and conceptual design of a dl-methionine production process by the chemical synthesis route

Methionine is one of the two sulfur-containing amino acids demanded in the diet of humans, other mammals and avian species, while most of the produced methionine is consumed as an animal feed additive, especially in livestock production and the poultry market. In this paper, the techno-economic assessment and conceptual design of an industrial scale, feed grade dl-methionine production process was carried out using SuperPro Designer simulator. The plant was designed to produce 109 tons of dl-methionine per year through the chemical synthesis route. The total capital investment and annual operating cost of the proposed plant were USD $ 8.282 million and USD $ 1.323 million, respectively, while the net present value, the internal rate of return and payback time of the project were USD $ 4.436 million, 20.33 % and 4.74 years, respectively. The findings indicated that the proposed production process is feasible and profitable for a dl-methionine selling price of USD $ 35/kg. The innovative simulation model obtained in this work could be used for further optimization studies, as well as to increase the productivity and profitability of the proposed plant.

Using low-shear aerated and agitated bioreactor for producing two specific laccases by trametes versicolor cultures induced by 2,5-xylidine: Process development and economic analysis

Laccase isoforms from basidiomycetes exhibit a superior redox potential compared to commercially available laccases obtained from ascomycete fungi, rendering them more reactive toward mono-substituted phenols and polyphenolic compounds. However, basidiomycetes present limitations for large-scale culture in liquid media, restraining the current availability of laccases from this fungal class. To advance laccase production from basidiomycetes, a newly designed 14-L low-shear aerated and agitated bioreactor provided enzyme titers up to 23.5 IU/mL from Trametes versicolor cultures. Produced enzymes underwent ultrafiltration and LC/MS-MS characterization, revealing the predominant production of only two out of the ten laccases predicted in the T. versicolor genome. Process simulation and economic analysis using SuperPro designer® suggested that T. versicolor laccase could be produced at US$ 3.60/kIU in a 200-L/batch enterprise with attractive economic parameters and a payback period of 1.7 years. The study indicates that new bioreactors with plain design help to produce low-cost enzymes from basidiomycetes.

Techno-economic analysis of electron beam irradiation pretreatment of corn straw for anaerobic digestion

The complexity of anaerobic digestion process and the risks of investing in new technologies are the main obstacles to improving anaerobic digestion technology. There is still a gap between research results and commercial applications. This study investigated the techno-economic feasibility and bottlenecks of introducing electron beam irradiation pretreatment technology into the commercial-scale anaerobic digestion plant. Model construction, parameter initialization and economic analysis were performed in SuperPro Designer software. The parameters used in the model were derived from experimental results, software built-in model and recent literature. The results show that the gross margin, return on investment, payback time, internal rate of return, and net present value of the system with electron beam irradiation pretreatment are 4.4 %, 9.8 %, 10.1 years, 8.0 % and $0.6 million, respectively. The corresponding values of the system without electron beam irradiation pretreatment are 9.9 %, 11.1 %, 8.9 years, 9.7 % and $1.5 million, respectively. The main factor affecting gross profit is tipping fee of liquid anaerobic digestion effluent, followed by plant size of anaerobic digestion, degradation efficiency of corn straw, and compost price. This study has guiding significance for the application of electron beam irradiation pretreatment technology in the production of renewable energy from lignocellulosic biomass.

Development of a simulation model to carry out technical-economic analysis of a food waste valorization process.

Worldwide interest in food waste has been grown over the years. According to the FAO about one third of all food produced for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted each year, amounting to about 1,6 billion tons per year. Food waste can become a source of valuable compounds which may be used as ingredients in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, or food products. This study aims to evaluate the use of a process simulation software, specifically SuperPro Designer®, to carry out a technical-economic analysis of an orange waste valorization process. Specifically, the extraction of free sugars, essential oils, antioxidant phenolic compounds and pectin were digitally replicated by reproducing the corresponding material and energy balances. An economic and environmental assessment were carried out to evaluate the feasibility of the biorefinery modeled. The amount of orange peel processed, utilities and raw material costs were identified as significant parameters in the analyses performed. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to evaluate the profitability patterns under different operating conditions. Meanwhile, the aim of the environmental assessment is to define a disposal inventory, which is the starting point for a life cycle assessment. As a result, SuperPro Designer® can be a valuable tool in the designing and optimizing food waste treatment systems, providing detailed descriptions of the process performance, and enabling cost-effective and sustainable waste management practices. Indeed, the simulation accurately reproduced all the steps involved, identifying the total investment and the related economic parameters, as well as the outputs and the resulting disposal inventory.

Towards a biorefinery processing Sargassum seaweed: Techno-economic assessment of alginate and fucoidan production through SuperPro Designer® process simulation

The emergence of Sargassum spp. (brown seaweed) along the coasts of the Mexican Caribbean poses a significant challenge because of climate change, which affects various economic sectors in the region. To address this issue, it is crucial to adopt a comprehensive and multifaceted approach to mitigate its effects and find sustainable solutions. This study focused on exploring the biotechnological potential of Sargassum through a waste upcycling approach, specifically utilizing a biorefinery scheme. The aim of this study was to extract valuable biotechnological products, primarily alginate and fucoidan. Alginate extraction was performed at a laboratory scale and then simulated at an industrial scale (base case) to assess the economic and technical viability. A second approach incorporating fucoidan extraction was evaluated. The simulation results in SuperPro Designer® showed that the base case is not economically viable, with a net present value (NPV) of -$2,736,000 USD, a gross margin of 4.89 %, and an internal rate of return of 2.20 %. This is due to the excessive ethanol solvent use and the low selling price of alginate. However, the second approach is economically feasible, with an NPV of $3,844,000 USD, representing a 3.27-fold increase in the gross margin and a 4.23-fold increase in the internal rate of return. Therefore, including more Sargassum-derived value-added products in the base case scenario can lower the operating costs and initial investment, making the biorefinery process economically viable. These findings emphasize the potential of the biorefinery scheme in addressing Sargassum emergence in the Mexican Caribbean, contributing to sustainable solutions.

Recombinant proteins production in Escherichia coli BL21 for vaccine applications: a cost estimation of potential industrial-scale production scenarios

Recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic elevated research interest in microorganism-related diseases, and protective health application importance such as vaccination and immune promoter agents emerged. Among the production methods for proteins, recombinant technology is an efficient alternative and frequently preferred method. However, since the production and purification processes vary due to the protein nature, the effect of these differences on the cost remains ambiguous. In this study, brucellosis and its two important vaccine candidate proteins (rOmp25 and rEipB) with different properties were selected as models, and industrial-scale production processes were compared with the SuperPro Designer® for estimating the unit production cost. Simulation study showed raw material cost by roughly 60% was one of the barriers to lower-cost production and 52.5 and 559.8 $/g were estimated for rEipB and rOmp25, respectively.

Evaluating the environmental impact of crude glycerol purification derived from biodiesel production: A comparative life cycle assessment study

In recent decades, surplus crude glycerol has been generated in large amounts as a waste product of biodiesel production, leading to bottlenecks in the supply chain of the biodiesel industry. This waste glycerol represents an important potential renewable feedstock and platform chemical; however, its purification is often needed for further processing. Advancements towards glycerol purification are being made using sustainable purification techniques aimed at improving the biodiesel industry's environmental footprint. Many studies focussing on various techniques to purify glycerol can be found in the literature; however, very few studies to evaluate the environmental impacts of the purification processes have been reported. This paper provides a critical investigation on the cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of three different processes for purifying crude glycerol, namely, physicochemical treatment and membrane purification (PMP) processes, vacuum distillation purification (VDP) processes and ion exchange purification (IEP) processes having a functional unit (FU) of 1000 kg of purified glycerol. These purification processes were modelled using Aspen plus software v12.1 in combination with Super Pro Designer v13. CCaLC2 (Carbon Calculations over the Life Cycle of Industrial Activities) was used to measure the environmental impacts associated with each process. By following the ISO 14044:2006 methodology and utilising the CCaLC2 tool, seven different types of potential environmental impacts have been investigated, which include carbon footprint, water footprint, acidification, eutrophication, ozone layer depletion, photochemical smog and human toxicity. Sensitivity analysis of the LCA was carried out using the response surface method (RSM) to determine the most effective parameter within the LCA. The total carbon footprint of the PMP, VDP and IEP processes are 3466.82, 1745.72 and 2239.71 kg CO2 eq. FU−1 respectively. The LCA study determined that waste generated as a result of crude glycerol impurities from the three processes had one of the highest environmental impacts on the overall process. For the PMP and IEP processes, the raw materials used in the physicochemical treatment also contribute significantly to the carbon footprint and other environmental impacts. Lastly, aspects concerning the environmental impacts from the PMP glycerol purification process have been addressed by analysing the raw materials from different sources accompanied by altered waste disposal methods (i.e. the incineration of generated wastes as opposed to landfilling) in an attempt to reduce the overall environmental impacts. For the PMP process, which has the highest carbon footprint, usage of differently sourced raw materials and altered waste disposal treatments resulted in 39% reduction in total carbon footprint and 54% reduction in the total ozone layer depletion. Sensitivity analysis of the LCA shows that the glycerol content within the crude glycerol was the most significant parameter.