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Techno-economic analysis for the comparison of biorefinery scenarios annexed to an existing South African sugarcane mill for the production of adipic acid
Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2023
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| _version_ | 1867613783299457024 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Cronje, Yakim |
| author2 | Görgens, Johann Ferdinand |
| author_browse | Cronje, Yakim Görgens, Johann Ferdinand |
| author_facet | Görgens, Johann Ferdinand Cronje, Yakim |
| author_sort | Cronje, Yakim |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/127291 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:37.777Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/127291 Techno-economic analysis for the comparison of biorefinery scenarios annexed to an existing South African sugarcane mill for the production of adipic acid Cronje, Yakim Görgens, Johann Ferdinand Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Chemical Engineering. Adipic acid Greenhouse gas mitigation Sugar plantations Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In recent years, the sugar industry has faced significant financial challenges due to low international sugar prices and higher global supply than demand. A possible solution to fight these financial challenges is to diversify the products produced by the sugar industry. Adipic acid is one such possible product and has been announced to be the most important dicarboxylic acid by the United States Department of Energy with the greatest market value. Multiple bio-based routes toward adipic acid have been developed and investigated in literature. The aim of this study was to investigate the techno-economics of a first generation and a first- and second-generation scenario for the four best adipic acid production routes identified through a technical screening annexed to a typical South African sugar mill under self-sufficiency circumstances. The routes investigated are the direct conversion of sugar to adipic acid and the conversion of intermediate chemicals produced from sugar namely, glucaric acid, cis,cis-muconic acid, and glycerol. Literature data on each conversion route was collected and used to build AspenPlus® models to obtain the required mass and energy balances to perform an economic and greenhouse gas emissions analysis for each scenario. The minimum selling price of adipic acid was determined to give an acceptable return on investment for each scenario which was used as the profitability indicator and compared to the current selling price of fossil based adipic acid of US$ 2 198 /t. The production of adipic acid through glycerol was the worst performing with no foreseeable improvements to better the performance of this pathway as theoretical yields have been reached at high titres and high productivities. The production of adipic acid through the 1G cis,cis-muconic acid scenario provided the best economic outcome with a minimum selling price of US$ 2 573/t however, this is still 16% above the fossil based adipic acid selling price. This pathway also performed the best overall in terms of utility usage, greenhouse gas emissions and specific capital expenditure and operating expenditure. The direct first generation (1G) production scenario is a close second with a minimum selling price of US$2 932/t, which could result in a better economic and environmental outcome if improvement can be made in the titre at which adipic acid is produced. None of the first- and second-generation scenarios were able to outperform the 1G scenarios in terms of the minimum selling price. AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: In die laaste jare het suikerindustrieë beduidende finansiële uitdagings in die gesig gestaar as gevolg van lae internasionale suikerpryse en hoër globale verskaffing as aanvraag. ’n Moontlike oplossing om hierdie finansiële uitdagings te beveg is om die produkte van die suikerindustrie te diversifiseer. Adipiensuur is een so ’n moontlike produk en is bekend gemaak as die belangrikste dikarboksielsuur deur die Departement van Energie met die grootste markwaarde. Verskeie bio-gebaseerde roetes na adipiensuur is in literatuur ontwikkel en ondersoek. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die tegnoëkonomieë van ’n eerste-generasie en ’n eerste-en-tweede-generasie scenario vir die vier beste adipiensuurproduksieroetes te ondersoek, deur ’n tegniese keuring geannekseer aan ’n tipiese Suid-Afrikaanse suikermeul onder selfonderhoudende omstandighede. Die roetes ondersoek is die direkte omsetting van suiker na adipiensuur en die omsetting van intermediêre chemikalieë geproduseer vanuit suiker, naamlik glukaarsuur, cis, cismukonsuur, en gliserol. Literatuurdata van elke omsettingsroete is bymekaargemaak en gebruik om AspenPlus®-modelle te bou om die vereisde massa-en energiebalanse te verkry om ’n ekonomiese- en groenhuisgasemissie-analise vir elke scenario uit te voer. Die minimum verkoopsprys van adipiensuur is bepaal om ’n aanvaarbare opbrengs op belegging vir elke scenario te gee, wat gebruik is as die winsgewindheidsa anduider en vergelyk met die huidige verkoopsprys van fossiel-gebaseerde adipiensuur van $2 198/t. Die produksie van adipiensuur deur gliserol was die slegste presteerder met geen voorsienbare verbeteringe vir die doeltreffendheid van hierdie roete aangesien teoretiese opbrengste bereik is by hoë titers en hoë doeltreffendhede. Die produksie van adipiensuur deur die 1G cis, cismukonsuurscenario het die beste ekonomiese uitkomste met minimum verkoopsprys van $2 573/t, maar dit is egter steeds 16% bo die fossiel-gebaseerde adipiensuur verkoopsprys. Hierdie roete het ook die beste oor die algemeen presteer in terme van utiliteitsverbruik, groenhuisgasemissies en spesifieke kapitale uitgawes en bedryfsuitgawes. Die direkte 1Gproduksiescenario is ’n naby tweede met ’n minimum verkoopsprys van $2 932/t, wat kan lei tot ’n beter ekonomiese en omgewingsuitkoms as verbeteringe gemaak kan word in die titer waarby adipiensuur geproduseer word. Geen van die eerste-en-tweede-generasie scenario’s kon die 1G-scenario’s oortref in terme van minimum verkoopsprys nie. Masters 2023-03-03T11:58:31Z 2023-05-18T07:14:23Z 2023-03-03T11:58:31Z 2023-05-18T07:14:23Z 2023-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127291 en_ZA en_ZA Stellenbosch University xiv, 194 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Adipic acid Greenhouse gas mitigation Sugar plantations Cronje, Yakim Techno-economic analysis for the comparison of biorefinery scenarios annexed to an existing South African sugarcane mill for the production of adipic acid |
| title | Techno-economic analysis for the comparison of biorefinery scenarios annexed to an existing South African sugarcane mill for the production of adipic acid |
| title_full | Techno-economic analysis for the comparison of biorefinery scenarios annexed to an existing South African sugarcane mill for the production of adipic acid |
| title_fullStr | Techno-economic analysis for the comparison of biorefinery scenarios annexed to an existing South African sugarcane mill for the production of adipic acid |
| title_full_unstemmed | Techno-economic analysis for the comparison of biorefinery scenarios annexed to an existing South African sugarcane mill for the production of adipic acid |
| title_short | Techno-economic analysis for the comparison of biorefinery scenarios annexed to an existing South African sugarcane mill for the production of adipic acid |
| title_sort | techno economic analysis for the comparison of biorefinery scenarios annexed to an existing south african sugarcane mill for the production of adipic acid |
| topic | Adipic acid Greenhouse gas mitigation Sugar plantations |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127291 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cronjeyakim technoeconomicanalysisforthecomparisonofbiorefineryscenariosannexedtoanexistingsouthafricansugarcanemillfortheproductionofadipicacid |