Technical, Environmental, and Process Safety Assessment of Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol Fermentation of Cassava Residues

Samir Meramo (), Arturo Gonzalez-Quiroga and Angel Gonzalez-Delgado ()
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Samir Meramo: Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Building 220, Kemitorvet Kgs., 2800 Lyngby, Denmark
Arturo Gonzalez-Quiroga: UREMA Research Unit, Mechanical Engineering Department, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla 25138, Colombia
Angel Gonzalez-Delgado: Nanomaterials and Computer-Aided Process Engineering Research Group (NIPAC), Chemical Engineering Department, University of Cartagena, Consulado Avenue, St. 30 #48-152, Cartagena 130015, Colombia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 23, 1-18

Abstract: The North-Colombian region has enormous potential for producing bioproducts and bioenergy from agricultural residues. Yet, scaling bioproducts and bioenergy to industrial practice requires further investigation, especially for environmental impact minimization and improved process safety. This work assesses two alternatives for valorizing cassava residues via acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) fermentation. Two ABE fermentation routes are assessed. In Route 1, pretreatment and purification involve dilute-acid pretreatment and multi-effect distillation and decantation operations, while Route 2 includes steam explosion and reactive distillation. Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) and Waste Reduction Algorithm (WAR) were applied to assess ABE fermentation. Simulation results indicate butanol yields of 0.10–0.12 kg/kg feedstock and net energy ratio (NER) <1. Route 2 shows the highest total output of Potential Environmental Impacts (PEI) with 5.56 PEI/kg butanol. Both ABE fermentation routes obtained Fire and Explosion Damage Index (FEDI) values above 300 for acetone and ethanol recovery/purification stages. Both routes are classified as “hazardous” considering the flammability of handled substances, and their relative safety performance is remarkably similar. These results pave the way toward deploying both routes for adding value to the cassava residues in North Colombia by applying safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly transformation technologies.

Keywords: ABE fermentation; hazard identification; environmental assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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