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Technoeconomic and Environmental Assessment of Alternative Biorefineries for Bioenergy and Polyphenolic Production from Pomace Biomass

par Okoro, Oseweuba ;Nie, Lei;Podstawczyk, Daria;Shavandi, Armin
Référence Bioenergy Research
Publication Publié, 2022-11-01

Article révisé par les pairs

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Résumé :

Pomace is generated during fruit processing and is regarded as a highly polluting waste stream due to its high moisture content, biological instability, and acidic properties. To facilitate pomace management, this study has applied the biorefinery concept to develop systems that facilitate value extraction. To this regard, alternative scenarios for the production of polyphenolic compounds and bioenergy from apple pomace were investigated using ASPEN Plus for process modeling, simulation, and analysis. Systems facilitating the production of polyphenols via the use of the green solvents (i.e. subcritical water in scenario (a) and ethanol in scenario (b)), while also co-producing bioenergy, were compared to a system that produced only bioenergy (i.e. scenario (c)). Comparisons of profitabilities and environmental performances were achieved via considerations of the net present values (NPVs) and potential environmental impacts (PEIs) of all scenarios. The study was able to show that scenario (a) constituted the only economically viable strategy, with a NPV of US$ 19.86 million, while scenarios (b) and (c) were determined to have NPVs of US$ − 88.12 million and US$ − 4.05 million respectively. Scenario (b) was also determined to have the poorest environmental performance with a PEI of 148 kPEI/h. Notably, although scenario (c) (PEI of 0.21 kPEI/h) was determined to present a better environmental performance than scenario (a) (PEI of 47 kPEI/h), its economic infeasibility indicated that it will be impractical to consider it as a viable pomace valorization strategy in a scaled-up system. This study therefore proposed that scenario (a) may constitute a preferred pomace valorization strategy provided technological innovations, i.e., use of alternative energy sources and gas filters, are explored to reduce the major existing challenge of enhanced global warming potential due to greenhouse gas emissions. This study therefore provides information regarding the sustainability implication of executing different biorefinery scenarios for pomace management in the fruit processing industry. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]