Techno-economic analysis of lactic acid production from methanol

Jerina, Ana (author), Moškon, Miha (mentor), Virant, David (comentor)

In this work, we employ BioSTEAM to perform techno-economic analysis of lactic acid production with methanol as feedstock. We modify the feedstock of a system from the Biorefineries library, which incorporates esterification as a downstream process. In another system, we explore how the ion exchange downstream process adapts to large-scale production. We evaluate minimal product selling prices and net present values of both systems and achieve promising results for the esterification example with a minimal product selling price between 1.0 and 1.4 USD per kilogram and net present value between 100 and 850 million USD.

• Language: English
• Keywords: techno-economic analysis, bioprocess simulation, BioSTEAM
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.09 - Master's Thesis
• Organization: FRI - Faculty of Computer and Information Science
• Year: 2025
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-175191
• COBISS.SI-ID: 255616771
• Publication date in RUL: 21.10.2025

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Tehnoekonomska analiza proizvodnje mlečne kisline iz metanola

Abstract

V tem delu uporabimo knjižnico BioSTEAM za izvedbo tehno-ekonomske analize proizvodnje mlečne kisline z metanolom kot vhodno surovino. Prilagodimo vhodno surovino sistema iz knjižnice Biorefineries, ki kot postopek izolacije uporablja esterifikacijo. V drugem sistemu raziskujemo, kako se ionska izmenjava obnese kot postopek izolacije pri produkciji v velikih količinah. Ocenimo minimalne prodajne cene izdelka in neto sedanjo vrednost obeh sistemov ter dosežemo obetavne rezultate za primer esterifikacije z minimalno prodajno ceno med 1,0 in 1,4 USD na kilogram in neto sedanjo vrednostjo med 100 in 850 milijoni USD.

• Keywords: tehnoekonomska analiza, simulacija bioprocesa, BioSTEAM