title: A novel process for recovery of fermentation-derived succinic acid: process design and economic analysis.
abstract: Recovery and purification of organic acids produced in fermentation constitutes a significant fraction of total production cost. In this paper, the design and economic analysis of a process to recover succinic acid (SA) via dissolution and acidification of succinate salts in ethanol, followed by reactive distillation to form succinate esters, is presented. Process simulation was performed for a range of plant capacities (13-55 million kg/yr SA) and SA fermentation titers (50-100 kg/m(3)). Economics were evaluated for a recovery system installed within an existing fermentation facility producing succinate salts at a cost of $0.66/kg SA. For a SA processing capacity of 54.9 million kg/yr and a titer of 100 kg/m(3) SA, the model predicts a capital investment of $75 million and a net processing cost of $1.85 per kg SA. Required selling price of diethyl succinate for a 30% annual return on investment is $1.57 per kg.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, Michigan State University, 2527 Engineering Building, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States.
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orjuela
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orjuela
authors.forename: Carl T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lira
authors.forename: Dennis J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D057168:Distillation; D004951:Esterification; D000431:Ethanol / Q000191:economics / Q000378:metabolism; D005285:Fermentation; D013386:Succinates / Q000191:economics / Q000378:metabolism; D019802:Succinic Acid / Q000191:economics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013386:Succinates; D000431:Ethanol; D019802:Succinic Acid; C052819:diethyl succinate