Biorefinery design from agroindustrial by-products and its scaling-up analysis

Abstract

Lignocellulosic residues can yield high-value products, but commercial implementation requires careful process design and assessment and supports sustainability goals. This paper presents a Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) to obtain bioethanol, biochar, silica, and bio-oil from Rice Husk (RH), evaluating the economic indicators and developing the scaling-up analysis. For a capacity of 100,000 tons per year, the Total Capital Investment (TCI) was 342 million USD, with an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 10%. By increasing the production capacity (125,000 to 200,000 tons per year), the Net Present Value (NPV) ranges from 15 to 179 million USD, and TCI ranges from 387 to 504 million USD. Scaling factor selection was critical for the TEA, and the selected factors significantly affect economic indicators. By providing new insights into the scale-up implications, this study contributes original and practical knowledge to support the commercial viability of sustainable biorefineries.