A Techno-Economic Analysis of Integrating an Urban Biorefinery Process Within a Wastewater Treatment Plant to Produce Sustainable Wood Adhesives

Blake Foret, William M. Chirdon, Rafael Hernandez, Dhan Lord B. Fortela, Emmanuel Revellame, Daniel Gang, Jalel Ben Hmida, William E. Holmes and Mark E. Zappi ()
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Blake Foret: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70504-3602, USA
William M. Chirdon: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70504-3602, USA
Rafael Hernandez: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70504-3602, USA
Dhan Lord B. Fortela: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70504-3602, USA
Emmanuel Revellame: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70504-3602, USA
Daniel Gang: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70504-3602, USA
Jalel Ben Hmida: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70504-3602, USA
William E. Holmes: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70504-3602, USA
Mark E. Zappi: Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70504-3602, USA

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-24

Abstract: Societies are aiming to have a higher ecological consciousness in wastewater treatment operations and achieve a more sustainable future. With this said, global demands for larger quantities of resources and the consequent waste generated will inevitably lead to the exhaustion of current municipal wastewater treatment works. The utilization of biosolids (particularly microbial proteins) from wastewater treatment operations could generate a sustainable bio-adhesive for the wood industry, reduce carbon footprint, mitigate health concerns related to the use of carcinogenic components, and support a more circular economic option for wastewater treatment. A techno-economic analysis for three 10 MGD wastewater treatment operations producing roughly 11,300 dry pounds of biosolids per day, in conjunction with co-feedstock defatted soy flour protein at varying ratios (i.e., 0%, 15%, and 50% wet weight), was conducted. Aspen Capital Cost Estimator V12 was used to design and estimate installed equipment additions for wastewater treatment plant integration into an urban biorefinery process. Due to the mechanical attributes and market competition, the chosen selling prices of each adhesive per pound were set for analysis as USD 0.75 for Plant Option P1, USD 0.85 for Plant Option P2, and USD 1.00 for Plant Option P3. Over a 20-year life, each plant option demonstrated economic viability with high NPVs of USD 107.9M, USD 178.7M, and USD 502.2M and internal rates of return (IRRs) of 24.0%, 29.0%, and 44.2% respectively. The options examined have low production costs of USD 0.14 and USD 0.19 per pound, minimum selling prices of USD 0.42–USD 0.51 per pound, resulting in between 2- and 4-year payback periods. Sensitivity analysis shows the effects biosolid production fluctuations, raw material market price, and adhesive selling price have on economics. The results proved profitable even with large variations in the feedstock and raw material prices, requiring low market selling prices to reach the hurdle rate of examination. This technology is economically enticing, and the positive environmental impact of waste utilization encourages further development and analysis of the bio-adhesive process.

Keywords: wastewater biorefinery; sustainable adhesive; protein-based adhesive; waste-to-products process; biosolid valorization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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