Technoeconomic assessment of a sorghum-based biorefinery using DWSIM Pro: A comparative study with Aspen Plus.

PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH

This study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of using DWSIM Pro, an extension to the open-source process simulation software DWSIM, for modelling a bio-refinery co-producing bio-ethanol and biodiesel from genetically modified lipid-producing sorghum. The primary aim is to compare its performance and economic analysis capabilities with the Aspen Plus.

BASIC PROCEDURES FOLLOWED

A detailed flowsheet was designed in DWSIM to simulate key unit operations. Material and energy balances were conducted to evaluate process efficiency. Economic assessments involved estimating capital and operational cost and comparing Minimum Ethanol Selling Prices (MESP) in DWSIM Pro. Sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the impact of varying parameters like feed flow rate and ethanol production volume on economic indicators.

MAIN FINDINGS

DWSIM provided comparable results to Aspen Plus for material and energy balances, with differences typically within 2-10 %. The capital costs, operating costs and minimum ethanol selling price calculated by DWSIM Pro were lower by USD 240.3 M, USD 12.6 M/year and USD 3/gal, respectively. Sensitivity analysis revealed that increasing feed flow rates improved ethanol production efficiency and lowered MESP, indicating the scalability of the process.

PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS

DWSIM Pro is a cost-effective alternative to Aspen Plus for conducting techno-economic analyses of bio-fuel production processes.

NEW AND IMPORTANT ASPECTS

This study highlights the potential of DWSIM Pro as an accessible and cost-effective tool for bioprocess simulation. It brings out the software's flexibility in modeling biorefinery processes while identifying key areas for further optimization, particularly in energy recovery and enzyme utilization.