Potato peel integrated biorefinery design for succinic acid and bioethanol production: technoeconomic and environmental analysis

Abstract

The increasing demand for energy and chemical products, coupled with the depletion of fossil resources, underscores the need for sustainable biorefinery alternatives. Potato peel (PP), an abundant agro-industrial residue, represents a promising feedstock due to its valuable biochemical composition. This study evaluates two PP valorization strategies: (i) Scenario 1, involving the microbial fermentation for the production of succinic acid (SA), and (ii) Scenario 2, a coupled system integrating bioethanol production where CO2 emitted during bioethanol fermentation is reutilized as a substrate for SA synthesis. A techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) were conducted using SuperPRO designer process simulation, experimentally validated yields, literature-derived kinetic data, and cost estimations based on a 30-year plant lifetime. Scenario 1 yielded a minimum selling price (MSP) of $3.77 per kg of SA, along with a net present value (NPV) of $81.35 million and an internal rate of return (IRR) of 11.21 %, confirming its economic feasibility. In contrast, Scenario 2 resulted in negative NPV values and significantly higher MSPs for both SA and bioethanol, indicating that economic feasibility was not achieved under the current assumptions. However, Scenario 2 exhibited superior environmental performance, achieving more than a 20 % reduction in global warming potential (GWP) and fossil resource use per metric ton of PP processed. Sensitivity analysis showed that SA market price and fixed capital investment were the dominant parameters influencing profitability in both scenarios. Overall, while Scenario 1 is the economically preferable option, Scenario 2 highlights the environmental benefits of incorporating carbon-reuse strategies into emerging biorefineries