title: Carboxylate platform: the MixAlco process part 2: process economics.
abstract: The MixAlco process employs a mixed culture of acid-forming microorganisms to convert biomass to carboxylate salts, which are concentrated via vapor-compression evaporation and subsequently chemically converted to other chemical and fuel products. To make alcohols, hydrogen is required, which can be supplied from a number of processes, including gasifying biomass, separation from fermentor gases, methane reforming, or electrolysis. Using zeolite catalysts, the alcohols can be oligomerized into hydrocarbons, such as gasoline. A 40-tonne/h plant processing municipal solid waste ($45/tonne tipping fee) and using hydrogen from a pipeline or refinery ($2.00/kg H(2)) can sell alcohols for $1.13/gal or gasoline for $1.75/gal with a 15% return on investment ($0.61/gal of alcohol or $0.99/gal of gasoline for cash costs only). The capital cost is $1.95/annual gallon of mixed alcohols. An 800-tonne/h plant processing high-yield biomass ($60/tonne) and gasifying fermentation residues and waste biomass to hydrogen ($1.42/kg H(2)) can sell alcohols for $1.33/gal or gasoline for $2.04/gal with a 15% return on investment ($1.08/gal of alcohol or $1.68/gal of gasoline for cash costs only). The capital cost for the alcohol and gasification plants at 800 tonne/h is $1.45/annual gallon of mixed alcohols.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3122, USA.
authors.forename: Cesar B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Granda
authors.forename: Mark T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Holtzapple
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Luce
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Searcy
authors.forename: Darryl L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Mamrosh
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols; D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources / Q000191:economics*; D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000191:economics*; D002264:Carboxylic Acids; D005285:Fermentation; D005740:Gases / Q000191:economics*; D005742:Gasoline / Q000191:economics*; D006859:Hydrogen; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000191:economics*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000191:economics*
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D002264:Carboxylic Acids; D005740:Gases; D005742:Gasoline; D006859:Hydrogen