Bio-Dodecanedioic Acid (DDDA) Production

University of Pennsylvania
ScholarlyCommons
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular
Senior Design Reports (CBE)
Engineering
4-20-2018
Bio-Dodecanedioic Acid (DDDA) Production

Brandon M. Mills
University of Pennsylvania, [email protected]
Meghavi M. Talati
Gregory A. Winter
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Part of the Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering Commons
Mills, Brandon M.; Talati, Meghavi M.; and Winter, Gregory A., "Bio-Dodecanedioic Acid (DDDA) Production" (2018). Senior
Design Reports (CBE). 100.
https://repository.upenn.edu/cbe_sdr/100
This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/cbe_sdr/100

For more information, please contact [email protected].
Abstract
The demand for dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) is steadily increasing each year with demand expected to exceed
90.4 kilotons per month in 2023.1.1 DDDA is an intermediate chemical used in a variety of end products.
Thus, the increase in DDDA demand can largely be attributed to increasing demand for manufacturing nylon,
paints, adhesives, and powder coatings. Regionally, Asia Pacific has been observing the fastest growth of all
regions at over 6% CAGR.1.2 The robust manufacturing base for nylon, along with a growing automotive
industry in India and China, will propel DDDA growth into the next decade. The current synthesis process for
DDDA relies on a multi step butadiene process. This pathway has large price volatility and supply/demand
imbalances due to using a petrochemical feedstock. This proposed process outlines a biologically-sourced
alternative to conventional DDDA production, and would be located in Malaysia to access regional organic
feedstocks. The proposed DDDA plant is designed to produce 14,000 metric tons per year of DDDA using
palm oil, and would be strategically located near rapidly expanding Asia Pacific markets. This project has an
estimated IRR of 24.12%, ROI of 18.20%, and a NPV of approximately $54.1 MM.
Disciplines
Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering | Chemical Engineering | Engineering
This working paper is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/cbe_sdr/100

University of Pennsylvania, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
220 South 33rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
April 17, 2018
Dear Dr. Raymond Gorte and Professor Bruce Vrana,
Enclosed is a a design for the industrial production of dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) using
biological feedstocks. This design is based off of patented process technology developed by
biotechnology company Verdezyne, Inc. The proposed plant is to be located in an industrial
complex in Malaysia with adequate access to palm oil production and treatment infrastructure.
The plant is designed to produce 14,000 metric tons of DDDA per year that is competitive with
conventionally produced DDDA at a weight purity greater than 99%.
In order to produce DDDA, a genetically altered strain of Candida yeast will be grown on
a glucose feed of 70.5 g/L within progressively larger fermentation vessels. This cell mass will
then be transferred into one of six production fermentation vessels and induced to convert the
long chain fatty acids present in a palm oil feedstock into diacid products via changes in
environmental pH. Palm oil is to be fed at 120.5 g/L in line with lab-scale patent information.
After 24 hours in each of three growth fermenters and 120 hours converting feedstock to diacid
products in the production fermenter, the fermentation broth is fed to a surge tank for feed to
continuous downstream filtration of biomass. The resulting biomass cake, rich with DDDA and
other diacid impurities, is then dried and enters a dissolution stage to solubilize the desired
product. The ethyl acetate is the filtered and sent to the crystallization process. Ethyl acetate is
evaporated to crystalize the diacids, and is then condensed for recycle back to the dissolution
stage. The diacids are then separated using melt crystallization, where liquid DDDA is separated
from unmelted diacid impurity. The liquid DDDA is then cooled and fed to a flaker for final
collection of 99% pure DDDA crystals.
This report contains detailed process designs and descriptions, equipment and utilities
costing, economic analysis, and recommendations for the implementation of the proposed
design. The proposed plant was found to be economically viable, with an estimated IRR of
24.12% and a total NPV of approximately $54.1 MM. We recommend investing in this project.
The upstream batch processes were modeled using Excel mass balance and process scheduling,
while the continuous downstream processes were modeled using Aspen Plus v10. Cost estimates
for all equipment were obtained using Process Design Principles 3rd Edition, by Seider, Seader.
Sincerely,
Brandon Mills Meghavi Talati Greg Winter

__________________ ___________________ __________________
2
Brandon Mills | Meghavi Talati | Greg Winter
Senior Design Project, 459

Project submitted to: Dr. Sean Holleran
Prof. Bruce Vrana
Project proposed by: Dr. Stephen Tieri
Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
School of Engineering and Applied Science
University of Pennsylvania
April 17, 2018
3
Table of Contents
Section 1: Abstract……………………………………………………………………………….7
Section 2: Introduction and Objective Time Chart....................................................................9
Section 2.1:Introduction………………………………………………………………….10
Section 2.2: Objective Time Chart……………………………………………………….14
Section 3: Innovation Map……………………………………………………………………..15
Section 4: Market and Competitive Analysis............................................................................16
Section 5: Custom Requirements……………………………………………………………...21
Section 6: Critical to Quality (CTQ) Variables.........................................................................24
Section 6.1: Fermentation Temperature, Pressure, pH, and Dissolved Oxygen…………25
Section 6.2: Palm Oil Feed………………………………………………………………26
Section 6.3: Ethyl Acetate Recycle…………..…………………………………………..26
Section 6.4: Filtration…………….………………………………………………………27
Section 7: Product Concepts……………………………………...............................................29
Section 8: Superior Product Concepts.......................................................................................30
Section 9: Competitive Patent Analysis……….........................................................................31
Section 10: Preliminary Process Synthesis ...............................................................................34
Section 10.1: Growth Fermenter…………………………………………………………35
Section 10.2: Production Fermenter……………………………………………………..35
Section 10.3: Biomass Separation & Dissolution………………………………………..38
Section 10.4: Evaporative Crystallization………………………………………………..39
Section 10.5: Melt Crystallization……………………………………………………….40
Section 11: Assembly of Database..............................................................................................42
Section 11.1: Input Costs………………………………………………………………...43
Section 11.2: Aspen Simulation Specifications………………………………………….43
Section 12: Process Flow Diagrams and Material Balance......................................................47
Section 13: Process Description..................................................................................................61
Section 13.1: Feed & Feed Storage………………………………………………………62
Section 13.2: Growth Fermenters………………………………………………………..62
Section 13.3: Production Fermenters…………………………………………………….64
Section 13.4: Separations/Filtration……………………………………………………...65
Section 13.5: Crystallization……………………………………………………………..67
Section 14: Energy Balance and Utility Requirements ...........................................................70
Section 14.1: Process Utilities…………………………………………………………...71
Section 15: Equipment List and Unit Descriptions...................................................................73
Section 15.1: Seed/Growth Fermenters………………………………………………….74
Section 15.2: Production Fermenters…………………………………………………….75
Section 15.3: Air Compressors…………………………………………………………..77
Section 15.4: Mixers……………………………………………………………………..77
Section 15.5: Storage Vessels……………………………………………………………78
Section 15.6: Rotary Drum………………………………………………………………79
Section 15.7: Centrifuges………………………………………………………………...80
Section 15.8: Heat Exchangers…………………………………………………………..80
4
Section 15.9: Kettle Evaporator………………………………………………………….81
Section 15.10: Diacid Dryer……………………………………………………………..82
Section 15.11: Melting Tank……………………………………………………………..83
Section 15.12: Flaker…………………………………………………………………….83
Section 15.13: Conveyor Belt……………………………………………………………84
Section 15.14:
Pumps…………………………………………………………………….84
Section 16: Unit Specification Sheet...........................................................................................87
Section 17: Equipment Cost Summary....................................................................................141
Section 17.1: Unit Costing Considerations……………………………………………..145
Section 17.1.1: Pumps, Compressors, and Agitators…………………………...145
Section 17.1.2: Heat Exchangers and Condensers……………………………...145
Section 17.1.3: Kettle Evaporator and Diacid Dryer…………………………...146
Section 17.1.4: Melting Tank and Flaker……………………………………….146
Section 17.1.5: Rotary Filter, Conveyor Belt, and Centrifuges………………...147
Section 17.1.6: Storage
Tanks…………………………………………………..148
Section 17.1.7: Fermenters and Mixing Vessels………………………………..148
Section 18: Fixed Capital Investment Summary………………….........................................150
Section 19: Operating Costs- Cost of Manufacturing............................................................153
Section 19.1: Variable Operating Costs………………………………………………...154
Section 19.2: Fixed Operating Costs…………………………………………………...156
Section 20: Profitability Analyses - Business Case.................................................................159
Section 20.1: Plant Base Case Profitability…………………………………………….160
Section 20.2: Fixed & Variable Cost Sensitivity……………………………………….165
Section 20.3: DDDA Scale Price Sensitivity…………………………………………...166
Section 20.4: Palm Oil Scale Price Sensitivity…………………………………………167
Section 20.5: Palm Oil vs Butadiene Price Variability…………………………………169
Section 21: Other Important Considerations..........................................................................171
Section 21.1: Environmental Considerations…………………………………………...172
Section 21.2: Process Controller Considerations……………………………………….172
Section 21.3: Safety and Health Concerns……………………………………………...173
Section 21.4: Plant Location, Startup, and Layout……………………………………..173
Section 22: Conclusion and Recommendations.......................................................................175
Section 23: Acknowledgements.................................................................................................178
Section 24: References...............................................................................................................180
Section 25: Appendix.................................................................................................................191
Appendix A:Sample Calculations………………………………………………………192
Appendix B: Aspen Plus Input Summary, Block Report, Stream Report……………...197
Appendix C: Material Safety Data Sheets……………………………………………...354
Tables
Table 10.1: Diacid Melting

Temperatures………………………………………………………..40
5
Table 12.1: Batch Growth Fermentation Section Stream Report………………………………..52
Table 12.2: Batch Production Fermentation Section Stream Report…………………………….54
Table 12.3: Biomass Filtration Stream
Report…………………………………………………...58
Table 12.4: Crystallization Section Stream Report………………………………………………60
Table 14.1: Net Utility Requirements……………………………………………………………71
Table 17.1: Equipment Costing Summary……………………………………………………...142
Table 17.2: Fermentation Agitator Sizing
Table………………………………………………..149
Table 18.1: Total Capital Investment
Components……………………………………………..151
Table 18.2: Investment Summary………………………………………………………………152
Table 19.1: Raw Materials Cost………………………………………………………………...154
Table 19.2: Utilities Cost……………………………………………………………………….155
Table 19.3: General Expenses…………………………………………………………………..155
Table 19.4: Operation
Costs…………………………………………………………………….156
Table 19.5: Maintenance
Cost…………………………………………………………………..157
Table 19.6: Operating Overhead Cost, Taxes, and Insurance…………………………………..157
Table 20.1: Working Capital
Requirements…………………………………………………….160
Table 20.2: Profitability Measures……………………………………………………………...161
Table 20.3: Cash Flow Summary……………………………………………………………….164
Figures & Process Flow Diagrams
Figure 4.1: Global DDDA Market, by Product, 2012-2022……………………………………..17

Figure 10.1: Palm oil fatty acid content………………………………………………………….36
Figure 10.2: Fractional Conversion of Mixed Chain Length Fatty Acids……………………….37
Figure 10.3: Fermentation Stoichiometry………………………………………………………..38
Figure 10.4: Diacid Solubility in Ethyl Acetate………………………………………………….39
Figure 12.0: Full Process Flow Diagram………………………………………………………...49
Figure 12.1: Section 000- Upstream Storage/Mixing……………………………………………50
Figure 12.2: Section 100- Growth Fermenters…………………………………………………..51
Figure 12.3: Section 200- Diacid Production Fermenters……………………………………….53
Figure 12.4: Section 300- Plant-wide Production/Storage………………………………………55
Figure 12.5: Fermentation Batch Gantt Chart…………………………………………………...56
Figure 12.6: Section 400- Biomass Filtration……………………………………………………57
Figure 12.7: Section 500- Crystallization………………………………………………………..59
Figure 17.1: Total Bare Module Cost for Plant Equipment…………………………………….144
Figure 20.1: Cash Flow for DDDA Production Plant…………………………………………..163
Figure 20.2: Cash Flow vs Fixed and Variable Costs…………………………………………..165
Figure 20.3: DDDA Sale Price Sensitivity……………………………………………………..166
6
Figure 20.4: Palm Oil Price Sensitivity………………………………………………………...167
Figure 20.5: Palm Oil Pricing for 15 years……………………………………………………..168
Figure 20.6: Feedstock Price
Volatility………………………………………………………....169
7
Section 1
Abstract
8
The demand for dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) is steadily increasing each year with
demand expected to exceed 90.4 kilotons per month in 2023.1.1 DDDA is an intermediate
chemical used in a variety of end products. Thus, the increase in DDDA demand can largely be
attributed to increasing demand for manufacturing nylon, paints, adhesives, and powder coatings.
Regionally, Asia Pacific has been observing the fastest growth of all regions at over 6%
CAGR.1.2 The robust manufacturing base for nylon, along with a growing automotive industry in
India and China, will propel DDDA growth into the next decade.
The current synthesis process for DDDA relies on a multi step butadiene process. This
pathway has large price volatility and supply/demand imbalances due to using a petrochemical
feedstock. This proposed process outlines a biologically-sourced alternative to conventional
DDDA production, and would be located in Malaysia to access regional organic feedstocks. The
proposed DDDA plant is designed to produce 14,000 metric tons per year of DDDA using palm
oil, and would be strategically located near rapidly expanding Asia Pacific markets. This project
has an estimated IRR of 24.12%, ROI of 18.20%, and a NPV of approximately $54.1 MM.
9
Section 2
Introduction & Objective Time Chart
10
DDDA is a C12 dicarboxylic acid that is an intermediate in the production of antiseptics,
top-grade coatings, painting materials, corrosion inhibitors, and surfactants. Most notably,
DDDA is a major component of engineering plastics such as nylon 6,12.2.1 Driven by growth in
these industrial goods, especially in Asian Pacific markets, the demand for DDDA is projected to
grow by approximately 6% through 2023.2.2
DDDA’s conventional synthesis pathway requires butadiene. Butadiene is first converted
to cyclododecatriene through a cyclotrimerization process. Additional multi-step chemical
processes including hydrogenation, air oxidation in the presence of boric acid, and further
oxidation by nitric acid, are required to reorganize and cleave the cyclic compound to produce
DDDA. This conventional petrochemical synthesis, while the industry standard, has several
negative externalities. As a feedstock, butadiene suffers from price volatility tied to crude oil
pricing. Low oil prices, expensive shipping costs, and supply-demand imbalances have serious
repercussions on the butadiene and elastomers markets. Roughly 98% of butadiene is produced
as a coproduct of ethylene, another major petrochemical product.2.3 Therefore, trends in
petrochemical product markets, such as softening demand in automotive-ethylene markets
compared to the rubber-butadiene markets, result in constant supply imbalances. Additionally,
butadiene rubber is used as a major feedstock in tires, with over 70% of available polymer
produced going into sidewalls and treads.2.4 This results in high prices for DDDA producers who
must compete with the automotive sector for feedstock. Bill Hyde, senior director of olefins and
elastomers for IHS Markit, points out of butadiene prices surges that “(it is) a combination of
planned or unplanned outages at butadiene plants, with strong demand at a time when inventories
11
were low… I wouldn't say there was panic buying, but there was desperation throughout the
industry to get the material and do whatever they had to do to get it”.2.5
Competition for available butadiene supply raises prices and ultimately drives up the
production cost of downstream products. As the demand for DDDA increases, conventional
synthesis pathways using butadiene are not expected to meet demand in a cost-effective manner.
This has driven interest in decoupling DDDA production form petrochemical pricing and
regional availability. Renewably sourced DDDA using plant-oil feedstocks has emerged as a
viable industrial alternative
This project proposes a Malaysian-based plant using fermentation processes to produce
DDDA using regionally sourced palm oil as a feedstock. Palm oil contains a combined 89%
Palmitic saturated acid, oleic monounsaturated acid, and linoleic polyunsaturated acid.2.6 These
fatty acids are specifically desirable for this fermentation pathway due to the need for long chain
fatty acids (C16-C18) for breakdown into to DDDA (C12 saturated diacid). The fermentation
pathway is discussed in greater detail in Section 10.2.
Palm oil is an ideal feedstock for this process, being a readily available and commercially
produced carbon source in the region. The project aims to situate the DDDA production plant
close to growing Asian markets via Malaysia. Considering that Malaysia currently accounts for
39% of the world’s palm oil production and 44% of exports, much of the processing,
distribution, and treatment infrastructure for this renewable process is already in place and ready
to be utilized.2.7 The creation of a DDDA production hub situated in these markets serves to
extract added value from existing agricultural development.
12
The size of the global DDDA market is predicted to reach $450MM-$600MM by the year
20222.8. Considering the growing demand for DDDA-derived products in rapidly expanding East
Asian markets, and the relative availability and lower cost of palm oil compared to butadiene, the
economic opportunities become apparent. Additional macro trends that this project’s
biosynthesis pathway addresses include flexible production, food vs. fuel/bio-materials
mitigation, and “green” manufacturing. The genetically engineered yeast used in the
fermentation can theoretically be fed any long chain fatty acid feedstock (coconut oil, corn oil,
palm kernel oil, soybean oil, etc.). This flexibility then allows for feedstocks not largely
consumed by humans to be strategically utilized. This further enables low-value byproducts of
palm oil processing to become a high-value “green” products, while reducing the demand for and
use of fossil resources.
The process begins with aerobic fermentation. Three growth fermenters are placed in
series and feed genetically engineered Candida sp, a yeast strain that displays high yield and
selectivity for DDDA production, into three production fermenters. Multiple fermenter trains are
required to meet the project’s annual production output of 14,000 metric tons (MT) per year. The
fermentation broth containing the secreted DDDA product is then fed to a surge tank for
continuous downstream separation and processing.
To achieve the desired product purity of 99%, several separation operations are done to
extract the DDDA from the fermentation broth and separate it from the biomass and diacid
coproducts that are produced. The fermentation broth is first filtered for cake, biomass and
insoluble DDDA. This cake is then dried and mixed with ethyl acetate to solubilize and separate
the valuable diacids. This feed is then processed to ensure only DDDA and no other diacids are
13
present in the final crystallized product. The final product is of industrial-use purity and is sold at
a competitive price point to Asia Pacific markets. The proposed plant is to be located close to
sustainably sourced palm oil extraction and processing farms due to feedstock viability and
wastewater treatment.
14
Project Name Bio-Dodecanedioic Acid (DDDA) Production
Project Champions Dr. Sean Holleran, Professor Leonard Fabiano, Dr. Stephen Tieri
Project Leaders Meghavi Talati, Greg Winter, Brandon Mills
Specific Goals Develop a bio-based DDDA plant with a capacity of 14,000 MT/year
using regionally sourced palm oil as a feedstock
Project Scope In-scope:
● Cell growth
● Sterilization of media and water fermenter feeds and fermenter
sterilization
● Design of fed-batch fermentation processes
● Design of continuous separation process to meet 99% DDDA purity
● Market and profitability analysis
Out-of-scope:
● Procurement of genetically engineering yeast strain

● Packaging/distribution of DDDA powered product
Deliverables Business Opportunity Assessment
● Examine the market for DDDA

● Comparison of bio-DDDA to conventionally produced competitors
Manufacturing Capability Assessment:
● Is the capital investment for plant development/construction

reasonable?
Timeline Complete design and economic analysis due by April 17, 2018
15
Section 3: Innovation Map
N/A
16
Section 4
Market and Competitive Analysis
17
The global commercial market for DDDA is expected to significantly grow over the next
decade due to its variety of applications and the expansion of Asian markets. In 2015, the total
market size for DDDA was 58.8 kilotons; by 2023, this market is expected to reach 90.4
kilotons, driven by estimated 5.5% CAGR.4.1 On a USD basis, this represents $599.5MM in
sales. Figure 4.1 shows the projected increase in the global DDDA market broken down by
market sector.4.2 DDDA is used in a wide variety of chemical applications, and growth across
industrial chemicals markets including coatings, adhesives, corrosion inhibitors, and plastics all
contribute to the growth of demand for DDDA. Specifically, growth in markets for resins
constituted the majority of the DDDA market share, making up roughly 60% of the total
production on a mass basis in 2015.4.3
Global DDDA Market, by Product, 2012-2022 (Kilotons)
Figure 4.1: DDDA market size and growth projections
One specific resin, nylon 612 is a leading driver in DDDA market growth due to
increasing demand and wide applicability in end-use industries such as fragrances, detergents,
greases, polyesters, coatings and adhesives. Nylon 612 is known to have optimal heating
18
properties, allowing it to also be used in the production of engineering thermoplastics. Powder
coating and paint applications have also largely influenced DDDA market growth; these markets
are projected to grow at a 6.2% CAGR over the next decade, largely driven by expansion in
construction and automobile industries in emerging markets.4.4
Regionally, North America and Europe are the largest consumers of DDDA; collectively,
these regions accounted for 45% of the total mass of DDDA consumed in 2014.4.5 The North
American market is expected to see substantial growth, while the European market expects only
modest growth due to the high manufacturing cost of nylon curbing manufacturing in Italy,
Germany and France.4.6 Growth in the Asia Pacific market is anticipated to have the greatest
growth potential of all regional markets. The emergence of industrial manufacturing hubs in
China and India and the rapid growth in demand for industrial paints and powder coatings are
responsible for this global trend.4.7 Due to its proximity to these markets, Malaysia was selected
as the location of the plant described in this project.
Trends toward environmentally-conscious manufacturing practices have emerged within
the chemical intermediates industry. This allows for innovations in biologically-sourced DDDA
to be both economically favorable, as well as forward-thinking in regards to regulatory
constraints. The first-mover advantage in regards to sustainably-sourced DDDA can be expected
to be of much interest within this market sector in near future.
The principal competitors present in the DDDA market are Invista, Cathay Industrial
Biotech, Sigma-Aldrich, Evonik, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, UBE Industries and Verdezyne.4.8
Traditionally, these incumbent manufacturers produce DDDA from butadiene using a multi-step
chemical process. Some disadvantages associated with this feedstock serve to highlight the
19
benefits of a biologically-sourced alternative. Butadiene is a material that competes with fuel
applications; thus, petrochemical synthesis of DDDA competes for raw materials. Therefore,
butadiene faces extreme price volatility driven by its constrained supply and increasing demand
across other markets. Lastly, because petrochemicals are inherently unsustainable and energy
independence is becoming a topic of increased discussion, butadiene may not be the most
reliable and secure feedstock in decades to come.
Recently, government subsidies and consumer demand are shifting towards bio-based
and sustainable production. The proposed process of producing DDDA using renewable
feedstocks and a yeast catalyst, is more sustainable and has the opportunity to be economically
viable. This process is competitive with traditional butadiene production. In addition, the
possibility to utilize different commercial feedstocks (not examined in this report), offers added
flexibility that conventional production lacks. Feedstock flexibility further allows for the
elimination of food versus fuel conflicts should they arise and further isolation from price
volatility and supply constraints. Lastly, the proprietary biological engineering technology allows
for a high level of selectivity of the diacid produced.4.9 Should market trends cause increased
price in short length diacids, a yeast strain selective to that diacid can be selected for with
minimal changes to downstream plant operations. With this in mind, bio-based DDDA is
projected to replace about 30% of the butadiene-based industry in the next few years.4.10
One potential disadvantage of using this bio-based route is deforestation and high water
usage. This process will incorporate palm oil as a main feedstock and the use of palm oil is a
leading cause of tropical deforestation. To combat claims of unsustainable practices, palm oil
should be purchased from vendors that are certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
20
(RSPO). RSPO Certification ensures that producers limit the land that may be developed for
palm oil, curbing deforestation according to the RSPO principles and Criteria (P&C)
standards.4.11
21
Section 5
Customer Requirements
22
The objective of this project is to produce 14,000 metric tons of DDDA per year. Several
co-products of DDDA, including adipic acid, suberic acid, and sebacic acid, are created as
undesired products of the fermentation process. While the genetically altered yeast strains can be
highly selective for the DDDA pathway, shorter length diacids (C6, C8, and C10 respectively)
will be made as well. The standard product purity of competitors for DDDA are as follows:
Cathay Industrial Biotech and Sigma-Aldrich, two major current incumbents, produce DDDA
with product purities of >99%.5.1,5.2 The remaining <1% of the product remain as unspecified
impurities. Thus, it can be concluded that the industry standard of DDDA purity using the
traditional butadiene method appears to be greater than 99%. In order to compete with
established competitors and meet customer requirements, it is essential that the bio-based
production route also have product purity near 100%.
The bio-DDDA produced in this process has a projected purity of approximately 99.8%.
The anticipated main impurities would consist of the other diacid by-products (suberic acid,
sebacic acid, and adipic acid) that were not successfully separated from the DDDA in the
crystallization operation, which is seen in Figure 12.7 - Section 500
This constructed process will produce an estimated 14,211 metric tons of DDDA per
year, meeting the target production goal of 14,000 metric tons of DDDA per year. This meets the
production target, while also building in a 1% buffer should there be unexpected downtime in the
batch operations.
Another general customer consideration includes the sustainability of DDDA. The
traditional butadiene pathway is non-renewable, while the palm oil pathway discussed is both
23
biomass-derived and renewable. While not without its environmental impacts, which are
discussed in Section 21.1, this production pathway has several transportational and sourcing
benefits. Sustainable production allows governments and companies to address their ecological
impact while sourcing the same quality of material from their prior petrochemical-reliant
process. Should governments require the incorporation of more biomass-derived and sustainable
materials, this newly developed process more appropriately fits customer requirements than the
traditional butadiene process does.
24
Section 6
Critical-to-quality (CTQ) Variables
25
Section 6.1: Fermentation Temperature, Pressure, pH and Dissolved Oxygen
Patented information demonstrates the optimal fermentation conditions to be roughly 37
°C, 1 atm, and 0.5 -1.0 VVM.6.1 The fermentation process utilizes a genetically modified
Candida sp. yeast strain that can be fragile and susceptible to temperature, pressure, and
dissolved oxygen level changes. Deviations from ideal reactor conditions could lead to excessive
loss of yeast biomass due to death. Deviating from ideal conditions has been also been shown
from patented data to largely decrease the yield of DDDA while increasing the yield of other
unwanted diacids such as suberic acid, sebacic acid and adipic acid.6.2 This decrease in reaction
selectivity in the fermentation process is undesirable, as this would significantly raise energy
requirements and capital expenditures in the downstream filtration processes, which intend to
separate DDDA from unwanted byproducts.
Maintaining pH is also extremely important in the fermentation process, as yeast strains
typically have an optimal operating pH range. The patented data recommends operating at a pH
between about 5.5 to 7.5, while our specific production process is in the range of 5.8 to 6.0 using
a pH inducer.6.3 pH largely affects the metabolic processes of enzymes that are used in breaking
down sugars; thus, deviating from ideal pH conditions would significantly reduce the resulting
fermentation rate. pH is also used as the inducer for the metabolic switch from production of
biomass in the more grow fermenters (more basic) to production of diacid metabolites in the
production fermenter. This ability to transition metabolic conversion is due to the selective
engineering of the yeast strains. The process is detailed in patent US9517996B2, Purification of

Polycarboxylic Acids.6.4
26
Section 6.2: Palm Oil Feed
Palm oil composition is important in order to ensure that an adequate supply of highly
saturated long-chain fatty acids is available for the biomass in the production fermenter. As
shown in Figure 10.1, palm oil is made up of largely saturated and monosaturated fatty acids
presented as triglyceride esters.6.5 This allows for high availability of carboxylic acids for
conversion to dicarboxylic acids. Due to the variability in biological feed stocks influenced by
conditions such as temperature, nutrient availability, and age at harvest, the distribution of
saturated versus unsaturated alkane chains can vary. Less saturated feedstocks would ultimately
require additional metabolic activity to hydrogenate, and can influence DDDA yields relative to
other diacid impurities. In order to ensure optimal conversion of palm oil, various feedstocks
should be sourced and distributor requirement sheets should be utilized. All feedstock deliveries
are to be homogeneously mixed prior to feed into the fermenters in order to further reduce
variation between batches. Mixing and aeration would also ensure that the water-palm oil
interface is increased and would prevent it from simply separating into distinct layers. This
ensures interfacial interactions between the biomass and the feedstock; for the purposes of this
process, the biomass can be thought of as a biocatalyst on which conversion of palm oil to
diacids occurs.
Section 6.3: Ethyl Acetate Recycle
Downstream crystallization vessels are optimized with design specifications. These
specifications specify a recycle stream that contains 99% of the condensed ethyl acetate and an
accompanying purge stream to stop accumulation. This is vital because the upstream
fermentation process requires a large amount of ethyl acetate in order to solubilize DDDA.
27
Specifically, the total amount of ethyl acetate fed in is 27,809 kg/hr, with 11,830 kg/hr of new
ethyl acetate and 15,979 kg/hr of recycled ethyl acetate, indicating that recycled ethyl acetate
accounts for 57.4% of the total ethyl acetate required. In order to avoid the cost of purchasing
large amounts of fresh ethyl acetate upstream, an ethyl acetate recycle stream is utilized.
Section 6.4: Filtration
In between the fermentation and crystallization processes, filtration steps are included to
ensure optimal recovery of DDDA from biomass. The process includes two separate filtration
steps to recover the optimal amount of DDDA.
The first of the two steps involves drying the cake of all water content. The water present
in the slurry must be removed for the dissolution step later in the process. Water removal is
accomplished via vacuum rotary drum filters and evaporators. The vacuum rotary drums account
for 91.5% of water removal and the evaporator accounts for the remaining 8.5%. Specifically,
the water inlet to the drums is 12,822 kg/hr and the waste water outlet is 11,735 kg/hr. The
remaining 1,087 kg/hr of water left in the cake is removed by the evaporator. A dissolution step
is required to simplify the second step of the process, removing the biomass.
The dissolution step adds a substantial amount of ethyl acetate to convert DDDA and
other diacids from their solid state to their liquid state. The liquid diacids allow for the
centrifugation required to remove the remaining biomass. Design specifications require the ethyl
acetate flow rate to be 7 times greater than that of the diacids flow rate at 70°C to convert them
from the solid to liquid state.6.6 The diacids flow rate after the removal of water is 2,375 kg/hr;
therefore, the ethyl acetate needed is 16,625 kg/hr. The ethyl acetate flow rate meets design
28
specifications, as the stream is 16,629 kg/hr. After the dissolution step, the stream is fed through
a decanter centrifuge to remove the biomass.
The decanter centrifuge is assumed to be 99.5% efficient in separating the diacids from
the biomass based on advice from industry consultants. The diacids flow rate out of the
centrifuge (liquid outlet) is 2,363 kg/hr with no biomass, while the solid outlet has all of the
biomass and a small percentage of diacids. The small percentage of diacids in the solid outlet
stream are passed through another centrifuge to recover as much DDDA and other diacids as
possible to meet production goals. The addition of a second centrifuge requires another
dissolution step prior to feeding into the centrifuge. The dissolution step falls under the same
design specifications as previously explained. The ethyl acetate recycle stream from
crystallization is mixed with a smaller ethyl acetate stream that is heated via heat exchanger. The
combined stream is split to provide at least 7 times ethyl acetate flow rate for dissolution. The
second decanter centrifuge is also assumed to be 99.5% efficient and removes all biomass from
the diacids. The two liquid outlets from the centrifuges are combined and fed into the
downstream crystallization process.
29
Section 7
Product Concepts
N/A
30
Section 8
Superior Product Concepts
N/A
31
Section 9
Competitive Patent Analysis
32
DDDA is an intermediate chemical used in a variety of end products, such as antiseptics,
top-grade coatings, surfactants, painting materials, plastics and more. As previously mentioned,
the global DDDA growth is expected to grow 5-6% annually, with much of this growth
stemming from increased demand for nylon 6,12.9.1 Traditionally, the synthetic route of
production has been the predominant method to produce DDDA, which is based on using
butadiene as the starting material. This synthesis is a multi-step chemical process. Outlined in a
patent owned by Invista Technologies, the process begins with a cyclotrimerization step, in
which butadiene is contacted with a catalyst which is responsible for trimerization and formation
of cyclododecatriene.9.2 Next, a reagent that contains oxygen oxidizes the cyclododecatriene into
epoxycyclododecatriene. Then, this substance undergoes reduction and rearrangement steps to
form a mixture of alcohol and ketone, or cyclododecanol and cyclododecanone, respectively.
Finally, another catalyst is introduced to the process with nitric acid, which together react with
the aforementioned products to form dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) and other unwanted
byproducts such as adipic acid, etc.9.3 Similarly, other patents outlining this process from
companies such as Exxon Mobil and DuPont have been in existence since 1959 and 1972
respectively.9.4,9.5
The main disadvantage associated with the traditional synthesis process is the utilization
of butadiene as a starting material. As previously mentioned, butadiene is a petrochemical that
suffers extreme price volatility and uncertainty of supply because of a serious supply-demand
imbalance. In addition, butadiene is a material that competes with fuel applications, further
limiting the supply that is available for processes like DDDA synthesis. Lastly, the butadiene
pathway presents a large environmental burden as it is associated with fossil fuel resources and
33
higher greenhouse gas emissions. It is clear that the traditional DDDA synthesis is not the ideal
method of production in a climate where consumer demand is shifting to favor more sustainable
and bio-based chemicals.
To meet the consumer requirements of chemicals that are more sustainably produced and
renewable, a company called Verdezyne developed the first-ever DDDA production process that
does not utilize butadiene as a starting point. This fermentation process utilizes a microorganism
or yeast as the basis for the bio-based production route. Outlined in a patent filed in 2014 by
Verdezyne, the yeast can be used across a multitude of different commercial feedstocks.9.6 This
allows the flexibility to choose feedstocks that do not compete with food or fuel applications,
leading to the utilization of feedstocks that cost less and are not subject to price volatility or
uncertainty of supply. This flexibility also allows for the use of renewable and bio-based
feedstocks, which provides a huge competitive advantage over the traditional petrochemical
process. Ensuring the performance of the technology, Verdezyne’s patent also claims to target
DDDA with exceptionally high selectivity.9.7 Lastly, the DDDA produced from this process is
identical in functionality and structure to the DDDA produced from the traditional butadiene
process.9.8 Thus, there is no change required to the downstream equipment or processes for
filtration and crystallization. If time were available for further economic analysis, the recovery of
adipic acid, suberic acid and sebacic acid from this process could be investigated in order to sell
these byproducts for profit. From both a chemical and an economic standpoint, the process
developed by Verdezyne has extreme advantages over the traditional process. This report will
further investigate the economic viability of scaling up and utilizing this process to produce
14,000 metric tons of DDDA per year.
34
Section 10
Preliminary Process Synthesis
35
Section 10.1: Growth Fermenter
In order to produce DDDA through metabolism of palm oil, cell biomass must first be
accumulated in the preceding three growth fermenters. All three growth fermenters (1m3, 10m3,
and 100m3) rely on the same assumptions regarding metabolism and conversion of the glucose
feed stock into biomass. It was determined that conventional dry mass conversion rates of
glucose substrate to cell mass would apply for the genetically modified Candida sp yeast strain.
Therefore the consumption of glucose was modeled using the stoichiometric balances below,
with a 0.4 selectivity towards Metabolic Pathway (1) and a 0.6 selectivity toward Metabolic
Pathway (2). Metabolic Pathway (2) represents conversion to biomass, where biomass is
modeled as CH 2 O . These balances were developed with the aid of Professor Vrana.
M etabolic P athway (1) : C 6 H 12 O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H 2 O Selectivity = 0.4
M etabolic P athway (2) : C 6 H 12 O6 → CH 2 O Selectivity = 0.6
It is assumed that all nitrogen needs of the cell mass are met by the media and solubilized
gases supplied to the fermentation vessel via the agitator.
Section 10.2: Production Fermenter
Once adequate cell mass has accumulated in the growth fermenter and is transferred into
the 500m3 production fermenter, the pH of the broth can be set to approximately 5.8 using NaOH
and a feed of long chain fatty acid feedstock (in this case palm oil) in order to induce a metabolic
shift towards diacid production.10.1 Unlike the consumption of glucose, information surrounding
36
the stoichiometric conversion of palm oil is not readily available. Additional complications arise
when taking into consideration the inhomogeneous nature of this feed stock.
Figure 10.1: Table of palm oil fatty acid content
Palm oil is composed of a variety of fatty acids esterified with glycerol to form
triglycerides. These fatty acids concentrations vary depending on a multitude of environmental
factors. Therefore, in order to produce stoichiometric conversions, palm oil was modeled as
being a triglyceride consisting of its major component, the 16-carbon saturated fatty acid,
palmitic acid.10.2 As shown in Figure 10.1, palm oil also has high concentrations of
monounsaturated C18 oleic acid, but for clarity and due to these fatty acids’ similarity, this was
omitted in the calculations. As seen in Figure 10.2, the fractional conversion of palm oil to diacid
products was based upon available patent information that highlight the yeast strains’ high level
of specificity surrounding conversion to an individual diacid.10.4 Through inhibition of
β-oxidation metabolic pathways, the mixed chain-length fatty acid feedstock can be converted to
a single diacid product with a specificity of upwards of 90%.10.5
37
Figure 10.2: Diacid Product Distribution. Graph indicating the high fractional conversion of mixed chain-length
fatty acid feedstock to the desired diacid. In this case C14 diacid was selected, however this can changed through
selective genetic engineering of the inoculated yeast strain.
The production of DDDA and associated diacid coproducts was modeled using four
reactions, which are shown in Figure 10.3. The production of DDDA makes up the majority
(>90%) of the reactions taking place in the vessel once the diacid production has been induced
via the the pH change. The remaining coproduct reactions were determined by patent
information to be relatively evenly distributed.10.6 It is important to note that the production of
additional biomass is considered to be negligible within the production fermenter and was thus
omitted. These reactions outlined in Figure 10.3 are believed to provide an adequate
approximation of palm oil conversion and are consistent with the extremely aerobic nature of the
process.
38
Figure 10.3: Indication of fermentation stoichiometry used for feedstock conversion
Section 10.3: Biomass Separation & Dissolution
Due to the nature of the yeast strain used, all polycarboxylic acids formed in production
fermenter are produced extracellularly and precipitate into the fermentation broth. This broth is
then fed into a surge tank for continuous downstream processing. Determined from ASPEN data,
DDDA’s solubility in water is extremely low at 30 mg/L at 25°C. This is consistent for all
diacids within the broth. Therefore, the first stage of continuous downstream processing is the
filtration of the broth in order to cake the diacids and biomass. This was accomplished through
the use of two vacuum rotary drum filters operated in parallel. The resulting cake is roughly 30%
by weight water, and thus is conveyered to an evaporator operation in order to produce dry cake
for the dissolution operation. This water is can be vented to the atmosphere, while the filtered
water from the fermentation broth is safe for downstream sterilization and disposal in line with
industry standards for palm oil extraction and processing. This will be discussed in greater depth
in later sections.
While the diacids in this operation are extremely insoluble in water at all temperatures,
their solubility is much higher in heated organic solvents, as seen from ASPEN data in Figure
39
10.4. By mixing the dry cake with 70°C ethyl acetate, the desired product is solubilized and then
the non-diacid impurities and cell mass are filtered off. This ethyl acetate can then be processed
to recover the final DDDA product. Further processing is required to purify the DDDA from
other diacid impurities.
Figure 10.4: Graph of diacid solubility in ethyl acetate as a function of temperature
Section 10.4: Evaporative Crystallization
The downstream processing of the ethyl acetate and solubilized diacid relies on the
evaporation of the organic solvent in order to crystallize out the product from a supersaturated
solution. The boiling point of ethyl acetate is 77°C at 1 atm. Using a evaporative crystallizer, the
mixture is heated to produce ethyl acetate vapor to be condensed and recycled, and a
supersaturated ethyl acetate slurry is fed to a direct heat rotary drier to fully dry the powered
ethyl acetate. Ths crystal mixture contains DDDA and quantities of sebacic acid, suberic, acid,
40
and adipic acid. Unfortunately, due to the extremely similar solubilities of all four diacids, it was
infeasible to purify the DDDA during the evaporative crystallizer process. In order to produce
the desired >99% purity DDDA required of the project statement, a final downstream unit
operation is required to separate the various diacids by melting point.
Section 10.5: Melt Crystallization
As stated above, solubility variations were not deemed as an adequate or feasible method
by which to separate the diacid impurity (sebacic acid, suberic, acid, and adipic acid). The
cross-over between the DDDA and adipic acid solubility curves in Figure 10.4 further illustrates
this point. Therefore, the diacid separation took inspiration from the separation of para-xylene
from xylene mixture via crystallization as discussed by H.A. Mohameed.10.7 By taking advantage
of the melting point variation between the diacids, liquid DDDA can be separated from the
higher melting point diacids. As shown in Table 10.1, DDDA has the lowest melting point of the
four diacids of interest. This runs opposite the para-xylene separation process (paraxylene has the
highest melting point); however, the same principle applies.
Table 10.1: Illustrates the variation of diacid melting temperatures
Diacid Melting Point [°C]
DDDA 127
Suberic Acid 141
Adipic Acid 152
Sebacic Acid 268
41
The melt crystallizer tank receives the powered diacids via conveyer belt and
continuously agitates them while heating them to a homogenous temperature of 135°C. This
allows for the DDDA to melt while minimizing the diacid impurity. However, this relies on the
assumption that the solubility of the other diacids in the liquid DDDA is negligible. While this is
a large assumption, no readily available information contradicts this statement. For the purposes
of the DDDA separation to achieve >99% purity, additional lab scale research is required.
42
Section 11
Assembly of Database
43
Section 11.1: Input Costs
In order to produce DDDA through this process, palm oil, glucose, water and media are
required as inputs. The water purchase price was obtained from Chapter 16 of Seider et. al,
2017.11.1
The prices of palm oil and glucose were found to be $0.696 per kg and $0.180 per kg
from commodity markets.11.2,11.3 The price of media was priced as $0.027 per kg, as derived from
patent data11.4. In addition, we found the palm oil price through online markets to range between
$5/kg to $10/kg, and utilized a middle price of $7/kg to provide a more realistic estimation.11.4
Section 11.2: Aspen Simulation Specifications
This process required modeling of the upstream fermentation process in Excel, whereas
the downstream filtration and crystallization processes were modeled in ASPEN Plus v10. Our
team first modeled the upstream batch process with SuperPro Designer v7.5; however, due to the
lack of kinetic information, it was more appropriate to model the process stoichiometry in Excel.
Our team then used ASPEN Plus v10 to model the entire continuous downstream process
consisting of filtration and crystallization. In order to account for non-ideal properties in the
simulation, the non-random two-liquid model (NRTL) was used. Following a guide to choose the
correct model from Separation Process Engineering written by Wankat, NRTL was chosen
because of the presence of water as a second liquid phase, the higher molecular weight
compounds present in our process, and the polar interactions that exist between the
compounds.11.6 Our process consists of solid, liquid and gaseous interactions. For example,
DDDA product is recovered as a solid, the slurry entering the crystallization unit is in the liquid
phase, and the ethyl acetate is in the vapor phase after being evaporated from the crystallization
44
unit. Because of all of these considerations, the equations of state generated by the NRTL model
most accurately match and represent the phase equilibria considerations in our process.11.7
The downstream design simulation is broken up into a filtration and crystallization
section. The filtration section mainly consists of four rotary drum filters and an evaporator in
order to separate out water and biomass from the mixture and recover DDDA into the ethyl
acetate stream; the final stream leaving this ASPEN simulation thus contains diacids solubilized
in ethyl acetate. Primarily, the four rotary drum filters are modeled by SSplit blocks. The first
SSplit block B1 models two rotary drum filters in series, in which water is separated out of the
incoming stream. The evaporator modeled by Flash2 block B2 is then necessary to remove all of
the remaining water after the first SSplit block. The heat exchanger used to model the heating up
of the ethyl acetate temperature to its optimal temperature is modeled by the Heater block B11.
The RStoic block B4 is used to model the solubilization of diacids into the ethyl acetate. The last
two SSplit blocks B5 and B7 then effectively separate the biomass out of the process and help
recover any DDDA that did not solubilize into the ethyl acetate in the previous steps.
The operating conditions for the rotary filters and the incoming ethyl acetate streams are
determined by the utilization of design specifications. The vacuum rotary drum filter is set to
operate so that the resulting wet cake contains 30% water by mass flow. The fresh ethyl acetate
stream is set to feed at a rate that will allow the combined ethyl acetate stream to be at a mass
flow rate that is seven times the flow of the solubilized diacids. This allows our team to control
for the solubility of diacids in the ethyl acetate stream.
45
The downstream crystallization portion mainly is modeled by an initial evaporation stage,
an additional evaporation stage, a melting stage, a filtration step, and a cooling step. The primary
evaporative crystallization step is modeled mainly by RStoic block B1, Flash2 blocks B3 and B9
and SSplit block B7. These blocks collectively model the evaporation of most of the ethyl acetate
in the process and the subsequent crystallization of the DDDA and other diacids. Additionally,
Flash2 block B10 accounts for the condensation of the ethyl acetate vapor into liquid so that it
may be recycled earlier in the upstream filtration process. The next step contains another
evaporation process, in which the remaining ethyl acetate is vaporized from the remaining wet
cake of diacids. This process is modeled primarily by Flash2 blocks B13 and B14. After all of
the ethyl acetate is separated from the solid diacids, it is essential to separate DDDA from the
remaining diacids. This is depicted by the melt tank stage, in which RStoic block B18 models the
phase change of DDDA from solid to liquid. The tank is at a temperature in between the melting
point of DDDA and the other three diacids, which allows for the melting of solid DDDA into a
liquid. Next, the direct-heat rotary drum filter is modeled by SSplit block B20, which separates
the liquid DDDA from the rest of the diacids which are in solid form. Lastly, the flaker is
modeled by RStoic block B24. The main purpose of this block is to cool the DDDA liquid into a
solid to recover it as a final solid product. The reactor is set at 60°C. In addition to these main
blocks, there are several other pumps throughout the process to carry the streams through pipes.
These pipes are all operating at 3 bar.
Operating conditions for the evaporative crystallizers were determined by utilization of
design specifications and specifying the temperature. The evaporative crystallizer blocks were
modeled so that the resulting slurry contained 25% solid and 75% liquid ethyl acetate, in order
46
for the mixture to be transported. The temperature was also specified to be 86 °C to be above the
boiling point of ethyl acetate and ensure evaporation of the substance.
47
Section 12
Process Flow Diagrams and Material Balance
48
The process flow diagrams presented in the below Figures illustrate the process of
DDDA production and purification. Figures 12.1 through to 12.5 illustrate the batch-wise
production of biomass and DDDA and associated media sterilization process. Figures 12.1-12.3
shows a closeup of a single fermentation train, including all equipment required for a single seed
fermenter and pair of production fermenters. Figures 12.3-12.4 indicate how these batches are
scheduled and integrated into a continuous downstream purification process. Figures 12.6-12.7
outline the downstream purification and crystallization of DDDA. Associated Tables outlining
flow rate information are also included.
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
Section 13
Process Description
62
Section 13.1: Feed & Feed Storage
Storage tanks are employed in order to ensure adequate supply of water and feedstock to
the fermentation process. The storage tanks were sized in such a way to ensure a one and a half
days supply of water, glucose solution, and palm oil to the process. This sizing ensures that with
a 24 hour cycle time, the storage tanks should never be much more than 50% depleted. This is
vital for ensuring that the annual batch goal is not affected by a shortage of available feedstock to
the fermenters. All feedstocks are mixed prior to feed to the fermenter in order to ensure
homogenous distribution of metabolites. All fermenters are filled prior to inoculation and are
supplied with the appropriate quantities of media and salts. See the scheduling Gantt chart in
Figure 12.5 for more information around the staggered nature of the batch feeding.
Section 13.2: Growth Fermenters
The fermentation process begins with the loading of 2.0 kg of genetically modified
Candida sp. yeast with appropriate media into the 1 m3 fermenter. For the purposes of this report,
this supply of starting biomass is assumed to be an upfront cost of lab scale production in rotary
flasks that does not factor into plant-scale production. This biomass is inoculated into a
continuously-agitated fermenter with a cooling jacket to ensure a stable temperature of 37°C and
adequate aeration of the vessel. Ambient air passes continuously through a multistage air
compressor at a rate of 34 m3/hr. This equates to just upwards of 0.57 VVM and is in line with
lab scale aeration rates outlined in patent material. These flow rate were analyzed to ensure
adequate supply of solubilized oxygen for conversion by the yeast strain; ten times the required
stoichiometric requirement of oxygen was bubbled into the fermenter at the advice of industry
63
consultants. Biomass was considered to act as a biocatalyst and oxygen and substrate conversion
rates were determined to be within expected ranges for the yeast strain selected. Based on
lab-scale patent information, the feed concentration of solubilized glucose fed was 70.5 g/L.13.1
This supply was expected to be nearly fully depleted at the onset of unloading from the current
tank to the loading of the next growth fermenter.
These conditions, as well as the feedstock and air flow rates were maintained for each
subsequent growth fermenter. That is, each ten times scale up of the fermenter was accompanied
by a ten times scale up of the ambient air and glucose feed. The 1m3 growth fermenter, as well as
the 10m3 and 100m3 growth fermenter, has a holding time of 24 hours and produces biomass,
carbon dioxide, and water as outlined in Section 10.1. The growth rates in each of the fermenters
fell within the expected specific growth rate range (0.4-0.6 hr-1) for yeast strains. In addition to
the 24-hour fermentation time, the Gantt chart in Figure 12.5 accounts for the loading, unloading,
and cleaning/steaming time for each fermenter. The heat produced as a product of aerobic
combustion is managed by cooling jackets supplied with chilled water. This is vital for ensuring
adequate temperature control on vessels due to the relative fragility of the genetically altered
yeast strain used. Each batch, these chilled water jackets remove, 3.6 kW, 35.9 kW, and 358.9
kW of heat from the 1m3, 10m3, and 100m3 fermenter respectively. These three fermenters
cumulative produce 3,608 kg for feed to the production fermenter. This mass, along with an
accompanying 83,295 kg of fermentation broth, is then pumped into the production fermenter for
conversion of palm oil feedstock into diacid feed stock. As shown in Figure 12.4 and Figure
12.5, two of these growth trains provide biomass to three production fermenter trains each. This
64
is made possible due to the relative holding time of the growth fermenters compared to the
production fermenters.
Section 13.3: Production Fermenters
Each 500 m3 production fermenter is inoculated with 3,608 kg of cell mass supplied by a
100 m3 growth fermenter. Using pH control, these genetically engineered yeast cells can be
induced to convert carbon feed stocks into specific metabolites.13.2 As seen in patent data, long
chain fatty acids such as palm oil can be metabolized into extracellular diacid metabolites as a
product of pH induction to more basic conditions.13.3 Keeping in line with lab scale reports,
conversion to biomass is bypassed within the production fermenter and the cells are modeled to
exclusively convert palmitic triglyceride to diacids, carbon dioxide, and water as outlined in
Section 10.2. The fermentation holding time is approximately 120 hours, over which ambient air
is fed at approximately 0.6 VVM (See Table 12.2). Similarly to the growth fermenters, the
feedstock/water mixture is continuously agitated and bubble in order to provide adequate mixing.
This is especially important for the palm oil/water interface due to their low solubility in each
other. For the purposes of modeling the fatty acid conversion within the fermenter, it is presumed
that the mass transfer interface between the yeast cell and the feedstock is adequate for full
conversion of palm oil during the 120 hour fermentation period. Further research to validate this
interfacial assumption should be done prior to project implementation. Should the palm oil not
fully be consumed, it is reasonable to assume, due to their relative specific gravities that
unconverted palm oil could be skimmed off the surge tank for recycle. After fermentation, the
diacid-rich broth of the six production trains is pumped to a surge tank for continuous
downstream filtration. These fermentation trains are scheduled in such a way that the surge tank
65
is sized to accommodate two full batches while as the same time discharging broth at a rate of
one batch per 24 hours. This allows for accumulation variability and adds a volume buffer
should upstream or downstream complications arise.
Section 13.4: Separations/Filtration
The effluent stream from Section 300 is seen as a slurry and enters section 400 to remove
water and biomass. In practice, there is a high possibility the slurry contains monoacids and
hydroxy acids in addition to the biomass and diacids impurities. More data and equipment is
needed to remove all these impurities so for simplicity, it is assumed biomass, adipic acid (C6),
suberic acid (C8), and sebacic acid (C10) are the only impurities that need to be filtered from the
DDDA product.
Stream 1 is split evenly into two vacuum rotary drum filters. The drum filters collectively
remove 11,734 kg/hr of water out of the initial 12,822 kg/hr. In practice, a sample of the slurry is
tested to optimize what size drum and material is needed to perform the necessary filtration.
These drums can also be accompanied with a filter aid (diatomaceous earth or perlite) but we
have chosen not to utilize a filter aid due to the unknown effects of filter resistance, cake
resistance, and cake thickness.13.4 The drums also remove a small amount of biomass and diacids,
0.7 kg/hr and 12 kg/hr respectively. The diacids lost will try to be recovered further downstream
in the centrifuges. Stream 2 and Stream 3 are recombined into Stream 4 and are now seen as a
wet cake. The wet cake is transported on a conveyor through an evaporator where it removes the
remaining 1,088 kg/hr of water (Stream 5). The now dried cake (Stream 6) is transported into a
mixing vessel to undergo dissolution.
66
Stream 7 is introduced into Stream 6 in accordance with the design specifications
explained in Section 6.4. The ethyl acetate solubilizes DDDA and other diacids leaving the
biomass as the only solid left in the stream to be filtered A similar process occurs between
streams 11 and 15. Stream 7 is the result of the splitting of stream 14. The split on stream 14 is
0.99 to stream 7 and 0.01 to stream 15. The ethyl acetate in the process is a mix of the recycle
stream from section 500 (Stream 24) and an external feed passing through a heat exchanger
(Streams 12, 13). The pure ethyl acetate streams in this process after the heat exchanger are all at
70°C (Streams 7, 13, 14, 15, 24). 1,469.9 kg/hr of steam is required at 186 C to heat 737.26 kg/hr
of ethyl acetate from 25°C (Stream 12) to 70°C (Stream 13). The steam temperature is reduced
163°C after passing through the heat exchanger. Stream 14 is split to add ethyl acetate into
streams 6 and 11 before centrifugation.
After the dissolution step streams 8 and 16 are passed through a centrifugal pump
to prepare for centrifugation. Streams 9 goes through a large decanter centrifuge that separates
99% of the product DDDA from the biomass. Specifically, 2,126.6 kg/hr of DDDA is recovered
from the initial 2,137.8 kg/hr. The lost 11.2 kg/hr of DDDA goes through another dissolution
step (stream 15) and passes through a similar smaller centrifugal pump (stream 16). Stream 17,
the stream entering the decanter centrifuge effectively separates similarly to stream 9. The
centrifuge that stream 17 goes through is much smaller than the centrifuge stream 9 goes through
due to the lower flow rate. The total flow rate of stream 9 is 19154.5 kg/hr while stream 17 is
336 kg/hr. It is assumed both centrifuges operate equally efficient despite their different sizes.
The larger decanter centrifuges separates stream 9 into stream 10 (liquid outlet) and
stream 11 (solid outlet). The liquid outlet has ethyl acetate and now liquid DDDA and other
67
diacids. The solid outlet has all the biomass and a small percentage of DDDA and diacids. The
option to recover this small percentage of diacids are considered due to the losses in the vacuum
rotary drum filters and the market price DDDA and its byproducts. The solid biomass in stream
11 is fed to the minor mixing tank in order to solubilize any remaining DDDA before treatment
in the smaller decanter centrifuge. The liquid outlets of both centrifuges (Stream 10, 18) are
combined (Stream 19) and sent downstream to the crystallization process (section 500). Stream
19 has a flow rate of 19,090 kg/hr. This flow rate is required to solubilize the 2,132 kg/hr of
DDDA that is leaving this process. The solubility of DDDA in this stream is upwards of 130
g/L. This is comparable to available patent regarding polycarboxylic acid purification
techniques.13.5
Section 13.5: Crystallization
The effluent stream from Section 400, Stream 19, enters Section 500 in order to initiate
crystallization and separate the DDDA from the ethyl acetate and three other diacids. Stream 19
enters the kettle evaporator and is heated to 86°C to evaporate 16,622 kg/hr ethyl acetate in
Stream 20 and send forward a 189,524 kg/hr mixture in Stream 21 containing crystallized
DDDA, suberic acid, sebacic acid and adipic acid in ethyl acetate. A temperature of 86°C was
used to ensure that the ethyl acetate in the mixture would sufficiently vaporize. Stream 20 is then
passed through a condenser in order to liquify the ethyl acetate into Stream 22 to allow it to be
recycled into Section 400 for reuse in filtration. Prior to recycling, Stream 22 first is combined
with Stream 40, which will be discussed later in this section; these two streams combine into
Stream 41 which is stored in a storage tank. The storage tank is maintained at 70°C and ambient
pressure in order to ensure the ethyl acetate remains in liquid form. Each tank is constructed so
68
that it can contain two days flow to account for variability in upstream and downstream
production. The stream effluent, Stream 23, from the storage tank is then passed through a pump
at 3 bar, and this resulting Stream 24 is sent to Section 400 for recycle in filtration section.
Stream 21 is then split into two streams, 95% of which is recycled to the kettle
evaporator via Stream 25, and 5% continues onto the rotary filter via Stream 26. The purpose of
the recycle stream is to provide sufficient liquid to allow for 25% solids slurry in the effluent of
the kettle evaporator (Stream 21) so that it can transport co-product diacid solids. The recycle is
also present to provide a stream to pass the heat exchanger and heat the kettle evaporator. Next,
the rotary filter is intended as a secondary method to further separate out ethyl acetate before the
slurry is sent to the diacid dryer, recuing energy requirements needed to vaporize off more ethyl
acetate. Leaving the rotary filter as supernatant, there is 5,528 kg/hr of ethyl acetate that is
recycled via Stream 27 into the kettle evaporator. The purpose of this recycle stream is also to
provide sufficient liquid to allow for a 25% solids slurry in the effluent of the kettle evaporator
(Stream 21) so that it can transport co-product diacid solids. Next, Stream 28 also leaves the
rotary filter and contains a 3,948 kg/hr slurry of diacids and ethyl acetate which continues onto
the diacid dryer.
Stream 28 continues to the diacid dryer, where it is at a temperature of 115°C and
pressure of 1 bar. This diacid dryer is present in order to evaporate off the remaining ethyl
acetate from the wet cake of solid diacids. The vaporized ethyl acetate leaves in Stream 38, most
of which is combined with nitrogen gas in Stream 36 to create Stream 37. This incoming stream
commences the drying operation to evaporate the remaining ethyl acetate from the wet cake; it is
69
used as a gentle nitrogen sweep to help keep the ethyl acetate flowing out of the dryer. The dry
cake of solid diacids leaves the diacid dryer in Stream 29.
The melt tank is intended to take advantage of the diacid melting points in order to
separate the DDDA from the other diacids. The melt tank is kept at a temperature of 135°C,
which, as mentioned previously, is maintained because it is between the melting points of DDDA
and the other diacids (see Table 10.1).Then, Stream 28, the slurry of solid diacids in liquid
DDDA, is pumped forward to the rotary filter in order to separate the two phases. The rotary
filter results in two streams, Stream 31 and Stream 32. Stream 31, containing the solidified diacid
impurities leaves the system. Stream 32 leaves the rotary filter as liquid DDDA. It is split into
Stream 34 that is then sent forward to the flaker in order to chill the liquid DDDA into solid
DDDA and Stream 33 which is recycled to the melt tank in order to allow for enough liquid to
carry the solid co-product diacids. Stream 34 enters the flaker as a liquid and exits as solidified
DDDA in Stream 35 by maintaining the stream at a temperature of 60°C. The flow rate of solid
DDDA leaving the flaker for packaging and distribution is 1974 kg/hr. These meets the yearly
production goal of 14,000 MT/year assuming full plant capacity and a 300 day production year.
70
Section 14
Energy Balance and Utility Requirements
71
Section 14.1: Process Utilities
Table 14.1: Net utility requirements per batch/hour (where applicable) and per operating year by process unit and
utility type
Utility Process Equipment ID Quantity Quantity Quantity

(per hour) (per year) (Annual Cost)
Electricity P-001 42.9 (kWh) 154,486 (kW) $10,814
($0.07/kWh) P-002 4.5 16,043 $1,123
P-003 47.4 170,529 $11,937
P-004 178.0 640,939 $44,866
P-005 41.0 147,673 $10,337
P-006 219.1 788,612 $55,203
( 2 fermentation trains) P-101 1.8 x2 6,466 x2 $905
( 2 fermentation trains) P-102 18.0 x2 64,937 x2 $9,091
( 2 fermentation trains) P-204 180.4 x2 649,619 x2 $90,947
( 6 fermentation trains) P-205 872.4 x6 3,140,706 x6 $1,319,097
P-301 191.4 688,912 $48,224
P-401 238.6 859,105 $60,137
P-402 4.2 15,070 $1,055
P-501 2,361.2 8,500,357 $595,025
P-502 49.2 177,077 $12,395
P-503 199.1 716,699 $50,169
P-504 54.1 194,795 $13,636
( 2 fermentation trains) CP-101 3.4 x2 12,402 x2 $1,736
( 2 fermentation trains) CP-102 34.6 x2 124,667 x2 $17,453
( 2 fermentation trains) CP-103 346.3 x2 1,246,561x2 $174,519
( 6 fermentation trains) CP-201 979.2 x6 6,119,424 x6 $2,570,158
CP-501 979.2 3,523,996 $246,750
M-001 3.7 13,482 $944
M-002 17.3 62,346 $4,364
M-401 3,086.6 11,111,679 $777,818
M-402 0.7 2,685 $188
RF-401 8.2 29,530 $2,067
72
RF-402 8.2 29,530 $2,067
RF-501 8.2 29,530 $2,067
RF-502 3.0 10,738 $752
CB-401 11.2 40,268 $2,819
CB-402 11.2 40,268 $2,819
CB-501 7.5 26,845 $1,879
CF-401 14.9 53,690 $3,758
CF-402 11.2 40,268 $2,819
FL-501 8.9 32,214 $2,255
Total $6,152,192
Nitrogen RD-501 7.33 (lb/hr) 52,780 (lb/year) $590
($0.01/lb) Total $590
Low Pressure Steam E-001 183 (lb/hr) 1,319,137 (lb/year) $7,915
(50 psig) E-002 2,549 18,352,002 $110,112
($7/1000 lb) E-401 2,850 20,517,039 $123,102
E-402 70 506,483 $3,039
KE-501/E-501 6,022 43,355,801 $260,135
RD-501 632 4,551,280 $27,308
MT-501 360 2,588,613 $15,532
Total $547,142
Chilled Water F-101 (x2) 98 (gal/hr) 7.03E+05 (gal/year) $70
(gal) F-102 (x2) 980 7.06E+06 $706
($0.1/1000 gal) F-103 (x2) 9,803 7.06E+07 $7058
F-201 (x6) 48,120 3.46E+08 $34647
C-501 43,073 3.10E+08 $31013
C-502 5,010 3.61E+07 $3607
Total (cost w/duplicates) $258,168
73
Section 15
Equipment List and Unit Descriptions
74
Section 15.1: Seed/Growth Fermenters
F-101, F-102 & F-103
Each seed fermenter (1m3) and both the small and large growth fermenters (10m3 and
100m3) were designed to ensure appropriate scale-up to avoid stationary phase cell growth.
Following specifications in the patented processes, the growth retention time in each fermenter
was set to 24 hours.15.1 This is in line with the the accepted specific growth rate of 0.5 hr-1 and
results in an approximate 10 times scale up in total biomass. The working volume for each
fermenter was set to 85% of its total capacity and was sized in such as way that the water
produced in fermentation did not exceed these threshold. The glucose feedstock was fed into the
process at 70.5 g/L water and air was continuously feed at 0.5-0.6 VVM. The pH of the
fermenter is maintained at 5.8 using pH control systems and NaOH salts found in the
fermentation media. The conversational yield of glucose to biomass using the stoichiometry and
selectivity discussed in Section 10.1 was found to be 0.62 g dry cell mass/g glucose fed. The
exhaust gas (excess air and produced carbon dioxide) were vented to the atmosphere.
The heat produced via metabolism of the glucose feed was calculated based upon oxygen
consumption rates in each fermenter. The temperature of the seed fermenters were maintained at
37°C using an appropriately sized heating jacket fed with 98 gal/hr of chilled water entering at
7.22°C (45°F) and leaving at 15.56 (60°F). The area of the cooling jacket for the seed fermenter
was sized and found to require 4.12 ft2 for appropriate heat transfer. This area supports the use of
a jacket to maintain temperature and did not require additional cooling coils to meet required
75
heat transfer. This was found to be the case for all fermenters, and the 10 times scale up of each
growth fermenter was associated with a 10 times scale up of associated utilities.
The seed fermenters (F-101) are 2 feet in diameter by 14 feet tall. The first growth
fermenters (F-102) are 4 feet in diameter by 33 feet tall. The second growth fermenters (F-103)
are 12 feet in diameter by 33 feet tall. All fermenters are constructed of stainless steel 316 in
order to prevent against rust and corrosion.15.2 The total bare module cost of the fermenters
indicated on their Unit Specification Sheet and in the Equipment Costing Summary (Table 17.1)
include the agitator and chilled water jackets. The combined total bare module cost for all growth
fermenter trains is roughly $5MM.
Section 15.2: Production Fermenters
F-201
In order to meet project production output, six production fermentation vessels are
utilized. Three production fermenters are fed using a single growth fermentation train and are
scheduled (see Figure 12.5) in such a way to produce an average of one batch per 24-hour
period. The growth retention time for the production fermenter set to 120 hours. This increased
length of time relative to the growth fermenters allows for the biomass present in the 500 m3
production vessels to consume and convert 79,000 kg/batch of palm oil into the diacid products
outlined in Section 10.2. The conversion of palm oil to DDDA was determined to be 0.75 g
DDDA/g palm oil fed and produced a diacid yield of approximately 130 g/L of diacid in the
fermentation broth. This represents a productivity of 0.9 g DDDA/L-hr over the 144 run time for
76
a single production fermenter. This is in line with the expected fermentor productivity of 1
g/L-hr indicated by industry consultants.
Similar to the growth fermenters, the production fermenters were sized to ensure working
volume that did not exceed 85% total capacity. The palm oil feedstock was fed into the process
at 120.5 g/L water and air was continuously feed at 0.5-0.6 VVM. The pH of the fermenter is
maintained at 6.0 using pH control systems and NaOH salts found in the fermentation media.
The exhaust gas (excess air and produced carbon dioxide) were vented to the atmosphere.
The heat produced via metabolism of the glucose feed was calculated based upon oxygen
consumption rates in each fermenter. The temperature of the production fermenters were
maintained at 37°C using an appropriately sized heating jacket fed with 48,120 gal/hr of chilled
water entering at 7.22°C (45°F) and leaving at 15.56 (60°F). The area of the cooling jacket for
the production fermenter was sized and found to require 2,814 ft2 for appropriate heat transfer.
This area supports the use of a jacket to maintain temperature and did not require additional
cooling coils to meet required heat transfer. Each production fermenter (F-201) is 18.6 feet in
diameter and 65 feet tall. All fermenters are constructed of stainless steel 316 in order to prevent
against rust and corrosion.15.3 The total bare module cost for each production fermenter includes
the associated cost of its agitator and chilled water jackets. As indicated in the Unit Specification
Sheet and in the Equipment Costing Summary (Table 17.1), each production fermenter costs
$5.9MM. The combined total bare module cost for all production fermenter trains is
approximately $35.4MM.
77
Section 15.3: Air Compressors
CP-101, CP-102, CP-103, & CP-201
The air compressors for the fermenters are required to feed air into each fermenter at 3.0
bar absolute. Pressure losses located between the air compressors and fermenters due piping,
control systems, filters, and the air spargers are accounted for and are estimated to represent a 1
bar pressure drop. This results in each compressor to have a requirement of 4.5 bar. Each
compressor was modeled as a multistage (two-stage) compressor. The air compressors in the
fermentation sections serve to sterilize and feed their associated volumetric flow rate of air into
the fermentation vessels via the agitators. In this section, air compressors CP-101, CP-102,
CP-103, and CP-201 each serviced two fermentation trains. Thus, each of these pumps was
costed for requiring twice the amount of utilities. In total, CP-101 requires 6.9 kWh, CP-102
requires 69.3 kWh, and CP-103 requires 692.5 kWh. This utility requirement is associated to the
required 10 times volumetric scale up of flow of air sparged into each fermentation tank.
Similarly, Pump-201 services the six production fermentation trains and was costed for requiring
six times the amount of utilities for a single production fermenter. In total, P-205 requires 4,000
kWh. Total, compressors account for approximately $3.5MM annually in utilities. Stainless steel
316 was selected for reliability and resistance to weathering.15.4
Section 15.4: Mixers
M-001 & M-002
These two mixing vessels create a stream of water and glucose (M-001) and palm oil and
water (M-002). The mixing vessels were sized and cost as pressure vessels with agitators made
78
of stainless steel due to high corrosion and rust resistance.15.5 The maximum volume in M-001
and M-002 is 500 gallons and 2300 gallons respectively. M-001 is 7 feet in diameter, 33 feet in
length, and costs $21,6000. M-002 is 10 feet in diameter, 40 feet in length, and costs $3,84,500.
M-401 & M-402
These two mixing vessels are used to solubilize the diacids from the biomass. The mixing
vessels contain diacid and ethyl acetate at 70°C per operation recommendations.15.6 These mixing
vessels also contain agitators to ensure the proficient mixing of the cakes. The vessels were sized
and cost as vertical pressure vessels made of stainless steel. Both of these mixing tanks will be
constructed out of stainless steel to avoid corrosion from the heated ethyl acetate.15.7 The
maximum volume in M-401 and M-402 is 100 gallons and 2 gallons respectively. The M-401 is
3.3 feet in diameter, 16.4 feet in length, and costs $66,700. M-402 is 2 feet in diameter, 8 feet in
length, and costs $28,430.
Section 15.5: Storage Vessels
TK-001, TK-002, TK-003, TK-004, TK-501
Upstream storage vessels TK-001, TK-002, TK-003, and TK-004 were all sized in order
to ensure one and a half days supply of water, glucose solution, and palm oil. These sizes were
based upon the required volumes of associated feed required for the three growth ferments
(F-101, F-102, and F-103) and the production fermenter (F-201) and the cycle time of 24 hours.
The total storage of the four upstream tanks are 130m3, 15m3, 530 m3, and 145 m3 respectively.
Each tank was constructed from 316 stainless steel to ensure minimal corrosion.15.8 TK-501, the
ethyl acetate recycle tank, is insulated and sized to feed 15,979 kg/hr of ethyl acetate back to the
79
dissolution process in M-401. This vessel assumes a retention time of 30 min and is 7.7 feet in
diameter and 77 feet in height. The cost of all associated storage tanks in this plant is just under
$20MM.
Section 15.6: Rotary Drum
RF 401 & RF 402
The purpose of these two drums is to remove 70% of the water from the incoming slurry.
Professor Vrana recommended a capacity of 6,000 lb solids/ft2/day to calculate the size of the
drums. Although only a fraction of the drum is full at a given time the whole drum area is used
for estimated size. Calculations can be found in Appendix A. The filtering area was found to be
26 ft2. Two drums made of stainless steel will be purchased that meet the criteria of the
calculated filter area. In the event of failure, the drums are large enough where one drum can
remove the water from the slurry. Alar Corp. model AV330 was selected for these two drums.15.9
Because this model is a self-cleaning rotary filter, dead time to clean the drum is not considered.
This model drum cost is $116,900.
RF-501
The purpose of this drum is to remove a majority of ethyl acetate from the stream to
purify the DDDA before crystallization. A capacity of 6,000 lb solids/ft2/day was used to
calculate the size of the drum. The filtering area was found to be 35.4 ft2 and Alar Corp model
AV340 was selected for this drum.15.10 The cost of this drum is $127,700.
80
RF 502
The purpose of this drum is to remove liquid DDDA from the other diacid impurities.
Similarly to RF-401 and RF-402, a capacity of 6,000 lb solids/ft2/day was used to calculate the
size of the drum. See the Appendix for this calculation. The filtering area was found to be 2.4 ft2
and Alar Corp model AV110 was selected for this drum.15.11 This model drum cost is $114,850.
Section 15.7: Centrifuges
CF-401 & CF-402
These two centrifuges are used to filter off the biomass from the diacids. The streams
introduced into these centrifuges contain diacids in the liquid state due to dissolution as well as
solid biomass. The models for the centrifuges were selected based upon a volumetric flow rate
capacity. The volumetric flow rate into CF-401 is 97 gpm so a centrifuge with capacity of 120
gpm was selected. The model for CF-401 is Alfa Laval NX 418 Decanter.15.12 Similarly, the
volumetric flow rate into CF-402 is 1.5 gpm so a centrifuge with a capacity of 40 gpm was
selected. The 40 gpm capacity is the smallest decanter centrifuge Dolfin Centrifuge provides.15.13
The model for CF-402 is Alfa Laval NX 314 Decanter. The costs of CF-401 and CF-402 are
$312,600 and $126,200 respectively.
Section 15.8: Heat Exchangers
E-001 & E-002
These two heat exchangers heat streams from 25°C to 37°C, the recommended
fermentation temperature.15.14 The design of the heat exchangers is fixed head shell-and-tube.
81
Both sides are constructed with stainless steel to prevent rusting from the high temperature
steam.15.15 E-001 heats a stream containing water and glucose and E-002 heats a stream
containing water and palm oil. The steam required for both of these heat exchangers is calculated
as utility costs and can be found in Appendix A. The costs of E-001 and E-002 are $88,100 and
$38,900 respectively.
E-402
The purpose of this heat exchanger is to heat the ethyl acetate from 25°C to 70 °C so the
diacids can be dissolved in mixing vessel M-401 and M-402. This is accomplished with a fixed-
head shell-and-tube heat exchanger. Both sides were constructed of stainless steel to prevent rust.
Steam at 168°C would be introduced on the shell side of the exchanger. The heat duty required to
heat ethyl acetate was calculated was found to be 65000 BTU/hr. The log mean temperature
calculated was found to be 126.7 °C. Assuming an overall heat transfer coefficient of 120
BTU/hr-ft2-°F the heating area required was found to be 2.4 ft2. The cost of this equipment is
$150,800.
Section 15.9: Kettle Evaporator
KE-501
The kettle evaporator KE-501 is intended to evaporate ethyl acetate from the mixture of
diacids in ethyl acetate and to correspondingly crystallize the diacids. The kettle evaporator was
maintained at 86°C to be above the boiling point of ethyl acetate. In addition, the evaporator was
designed on ASPEN to result in an effluent stream that is at least 75% liquid ethyl acetate in
order to allow for the transport of diacid solids. This was designed on the advice of industry
82
consultants. The evaporator was costed as a shell-and-tube heat exchanger. The total heat duty
required for evaporation of ethyl acetate was determined to be 1,629 kW and the log mean
temperature was found to be 174°F. Taking these two values into account and assuming an
overall heat transfer coefficient of 120 BTU/hr-ft2-°F, the heating area required was found to be
267 ft2. 6,022 lb/hr of low pressure 50 psig steam was condensed at 137°C in order to meet the
heat duty required. The material of construction used was stainless steel because of its high
resistance to rusting and corrosion. The calculations for heat transfer associated with this piece of
equipment can be found in Appendix A and the total fixed and variable costs can be found in
Sections 17 and 14 respectively.
Section 15.10: Diacid Dryer
RD-501
The purpose of the diacid dryer is to evaporate the remaining ethyl acetate from the wet
cake of diacids. The dryer is maintained at a temperature of 115°C and atmospheric pressure.
The diacid dryer was modeled as a direct-heat rotary dryer and the cost was determined based on

guidelines in Chapter 16 of Seider et. al.15.16 The total heat duty required to evaporate the ethyl
acetate was 171 kW and the heat transfer coefficient was 120 BTU/hr-ft2-°F. Based on these
values, the surface area and log mean temperature were found to be 28 ft2 and 173°F. In addition,
632 lb/hr of 50 psig low pressure steam were supplied to meet the heat duty required for
evaporation. These calculations can be found in Appendix A. Lastly, the material of construction
was stainless steel because of its high resistance to corrosion and rusting.15.17
83
Section 15.11: Melting Tank
MT-501
The input to the melting tank consists of dry diacid solids. The purpose of the melting
tank is to melt the solid DDDA into liquid, while retaining the rest of the diacids as solids. In
order to maintain a temperature in between the diacid melting points, the melting tank is
maintained at 135°C and 3.4 bar. Based on the advice of Professor Vrana, the melting tank was
modeled as a vertical pressure vessel with an agitator. The diameter and length of the pressure
vessel were determined to be 1 and 10 meters based on a volumetric flow rate through the vessel
of 3.8 m3/hr and a length to diameter ratio of 10:1 . The agitator was modeled as a turbine and
was also costed according to the volumetric flow rate through the tank and a residence time of 30
minutes. In order to maintain the melting tank at the specified conditions, 360 lb/hr of 50 psig
low pressure steam were utilized. Lastly, the material of construction was chosen to be stainless
steel 316 because of the high resistance to corrosion and rusting.15.18
Section 15.12: Flaker
FL-501
The purpose of the flaker was to allow the liquid DDDA to cool to solid DDDA in order
to recover it as a final product. The flaker was maintained at a temperature of 60°C and
atmospheric pressure in order to ensure that the equipment was appropriately below the freezing
point of DDDA. Based on the advice of Professor Vrana, the flaker was modeled as a conveyor
belt with a bare module factor of 10 in order to account for the costs all of the peripheral
equipment. The volumetric flow rate of solids through the belt was 2.04 m3/hr and a residence
84
time of 15 minutes was assumed. The length and width of the conveyor belt were then
determined to be 46 ft and 4.6 ft respectively based on the volumetric flow rate, the residence
time, and a length to width ratio of 10:1. Lastly, the electrical requirement was associated with
the motors to run the flaker and was approximated to be 8.9 kWh.
Section 15.13: Conveyor Belt
CB-401, CB-402 & CB-501
The three conveyor belts used in this process are CB-401, CB-402 and CB-501. These
conveyor belts are used in the transportation of solids. CB-501 is used in in order to transfer the
dry cake of diacids from the diacid dryer to the melt tank. It was maintained at 115°C and
atmospheric pressure. CB-401 is used to transfer the diacid cake from the rotary drums to the
evaporator and CB-402 is used to transfer the cake from the evaporator the mixer in the filtration
process. CB-401 was designed at a temperature of 37°C and pressure of 3.43 bar. CB-402
transports evaporator effluent and thus was designed to operate at a temperature of 70°C and
atmospheric pressure. The conveyor belts were costed according to Chapter 16 of Seider et. al,
2017; a residence time of 15 minutes was assumed in order to find the length and width of each
belt.15.19 These calculations can be found in Appendix A. The electrical requirement for CB-501,
CB-401 and CB-402 were found to be 7.5 kWh, 11.2 kWh and 11.2 kWh respectively.
Section 15.14: Pumps
P-001, P-002, P-003, P-004, P-005, P-006, P-101, P-102, P-204, P-205 & P-301
The pumps involved in fermentation were intended to maintain a specific flow rate of
fluid through the pipes. In this section, Pumps P-101, P-102 and P-204 each serviced two
85
fermentation trains. Thus, each of these pumps was costed for requiring twice the amount of
utilities. In total, P-101 requires 3.6 kWh, P-102 requires 36 kWh and P-204 requires 361 kWh.
Similarly, Pump-205 serviced six fermentation trains and was costed for requiring six times the
amount of utilities. In total, P-205 requires 5,234 kWh. A material of stainless steel 316 was
selected as it is more rust and corrosion resistant than most metals. In order to cost the pumps,
guidelines in Seider et. al were followed and centrifugal pump of Horizontal Split Case (HSC)
with 1 stage and a shaft rpm of 3,600 was chosen.15.20 The total fixed and variable costs of each
pump are outlined in sections 17 and 14 respectively.
P-401 & P-402
The pumps P-401 and P-402 were also intended to maintain a specific flow rate of fluid
through the pipes in the filtration portion of the process. Pump P-401 was modeled with ASPEN
to maintain a flow of 84 gpm using 239 kWh of electricity. Pump P-402 was also modeled with
ASPEN to maintain a flow rate of 1.5 gpm using 4.2 kWh of electricity. A material of stainless
steel 316 was selected as it is more rust and corrosion resistant than most metals. In order to cost
the pumps, guidelines in Seider et. al were followed and centrifugal pump of Horizontal Split
Case (HSC) with 1 stage and a shaft rpm of 3,600 was chosen.15.21 The total fixed and variable
costs of each pump are outlined in sections 17 and 14 respectively.
P-501, P-502, P-503 & P-504
The pumps P-501, P-502, P-503 and P-504 were intended to maintain a specific flow rate
of fluid through the pipes using a specific amount of electricity in the crystallization portion. For
example, pump P-503 was modeled with ASPEN to maintain a flow of 86 gpm in the
86
crystallization process using 200 kWh of electricity. A material of stainless steel 316 was
selected as it is more rust and corrosion resistant than most metals. In order to cost the pumps,
guidelines in Seider et. al were followed and centrifugal pump of Horizontal Split Case (HSC)
with 1 stage and a shaft rpm of 3,600 was chosen.15.22 The total fixed and variable costs of each
pump are outlined in sections 17 and 14 respectively.
87
Section 16
Unit Specification Sheets
88
Water Storage Tank
Identification: Item Storage Tank
Item No. TK-001
No. Required 1
Function: Store Supply Water
Operation: Batch
Materials Handled: Feed (Stream In) Discharge (Stream Out)
Stream ID Supply 1
Temperature (°C) 25
Pressure (bar) 1
Mass Flow (kg/hr) 3444.4
Component Mass Flow (kg/hr)
Water 3444.4
Glucose 0
Palm Oil 0
Design Data: Material of Construction: 316 Stainless
Diameter (ft) 8
Length (ft) 90
Total storage volume (ft3) 4523.9

Purchase Cost $482,300
Bare Module Cost $2,006,300
Comments:
89
Water Storage Tank
Item No. TK-002
No. Required 1
Function: Store Supply Water
Operation: Batch
Stream ID Supply 25
Pressure (bar) 1
Water 14290.3
Glucose 0
Palm Oil 0
Diameter (ft) 13
Length (ft) 140

Purchase Cost $1,313,200
Comments:
90
Glucose Solution Storage Tank
Item No. TK-003
No. Required 1
Function: Store Supply Glucose Solution
Operation: Batch
Stream ID Supply 3
Pressure (bar) 1
Water 107.3
Glucose 250.4
Palm Oil 0
Diameter (ft) 4
Length (ft) 40

Bare Module Cost $546,900
Comments:
91
Palm Oil Storage Tank
Item No. TK-004
No. Required 1
Function: Store Supply Palm Oil
Operation: Batch
Stream ID Supply 27
Pressure (bar) 1
Water 0
Glucose 0
Palm Oil 3292.5
Design Data: Material of Construction: 316 Stainless 316 Stainless
Diameter (ft) 8
Length (ft) 100

Comments:
92
Water Pump
Identification: Item Pump
Item No. P-001
No. Required 1
Function: Pump Water from TK-001
Operation: Batch
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID 1 2
Pressure (bar) 1 3
Water 3444.4
Glucose 0
Palm Oil 0
Head (ft) 100
Max Motor HP: 1560

Cost of Utilities/year: 42.9 kWh electricity $10,800
Bare Module Cost: $39,900
Comments:
93
Water Pump
Item No. P-004
No. Required 1
Function: Pump Water from TK-002
Operation: Batch
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID 25 26
Pressure (bar) 1 3
Water 14290.3
Glucose 0
Palm Oil 0
Head (ft) 100
Max Motor HP: 1560

Cost of Utilities/year: 178.0 kWh $44,900
Comments:
94
Glucose Pump
Item No. P-002
No. Required 1
Function: Pump Glucose Solution from TK-003
Operation: Batch
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID 3 4
Pressure (bar) 1 3
Water 107.3
Glucose 250.4
Palm Oil 0
Head (ft) 100
Max Motor HP: 1560

Comments:
95
Palm Oil Pump
Item No. P-005
No. Required 1
Function: Pump Palm Oil from TK-004
Operation: Batch
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID 27 28
Pressure (bar) 1 3
Water 0
Glucose 0
Palm Oil 3292.5
Head (ft) 100
Max Motor HP: 1560

Comments:
96
Growth Feed Mixing Vessel
Identification: Item Vertical Vessel
Item No. M-001
No. Required 1
Function: Mix water and glucose solution
Operation: Batch
Materials Handled: Inlet Outlet
Stream ID 2,4 5
Temperature (°C) 25 25
Component Mass Flow (kg/batch)
Water 85242 85242
Glucose 6010 6010
Design Data: Material of Construct 316 Stainless

Vessel Diameter (ft) 7
Vessel Height (ft) 33
Final Working Volume (ft3) 1109.4
Pressure at Vessel Base (psia) 115
Resonance Time (hr) 0.5
Cost of Utilities/year: 3.7 kWh $944
Associated Cost: Agitator $126,100
Total Bare Module Cost: $980,700
Comments:
97
Production Feed Mixing Vessel
Item No. M-002
No. Required 1
Function: Mix Water and Palm Oil
Operation: Batch
Stream ID 26,28 29
Water 342967 342967
Palm Oil 79020 79020

Bare Module Cost: $1,497,000
Total Bare Module Cost: $1,799,000
Comments:
98
Growth Fermenter Feed Pump
Item No. P-003
No. Required 1
Function: Pump Water/Glucose Mixture to E-001
Operation: Batch
Type: Centrifugal
Materials Handled: Feed (Stream Out)
Stream ID 5
Pressure (bar) 3
Water 3551.7
Glucose 250.4
Palm Oil 0
Design Data: Material of Construction 316 Stainless
Head (ft) 100
Max Motor HP: 1560

Comments:
99
Production Fermenter Feed Pump
Item No. P-006
No. Required 1
Function: Pump Palm Oil/Water Mixture to E-002
Operation: Batch
Type: Centrifugal
Materials Handled: Feed (Stream Out)
Stream ID 29
Pressure (bar) 3
Water 14290.3
Glucose 0
Palm Oil 3292.5
Head (ft) 100
Max Motor HP: 1560

Comments:
100
Growth Feed Heat Exchanger
Identification: Item Shell and tube heat exchanger
Item No. E-001
No. Required 1
Function: Heat Water/Glucose Mixture
Operation: Batch
Type: Shell and Tube
Materials Handled: Tube Side Shell Side
Stream IN 5
Steam
Stream OUT 6
Mass Flow Rate (kg/hr) 3802.1

Inlet Temp (°C) 25
Outlet Temp (°C) 37
Design Data: Heat Transfer Coefficient (BTU/°F-ft2-hr): 120
LMTD (°F): 258.2
Surface Area (ft2) 5.5
Heat Duty (BTU/hr): 169141.9
Material of Construction: 316 Stainless

Cost of Utilities/year: 183 lb/hr steam $7,900
Comments:
101
Production Feed Heat Exchanger
Item No. E-002
No. Required 1
Function: Heat Palm oil/Water Mixture
Operation: Batch
Type: Shell and Tube
Stream IN 29
Steam
Stream OUT 30

Inlet Temp (°C) 25
LMTD (°F): 98.6
Surface Area (ft2) 76
Heat Duty (BTU/hr): 2482676

Comments:
102
Seed Fermenter [1m3]
Item No. F-101
No. Required 2
Function: Initial growth of biomass and media
Operation: Batch
Stream ID S7,S10, S12 S13,S14

Water 850 820
Glucose 54 0
Media 11 11
Biomass 2 34
3
Gas Flow Rate (m /hr)
Air 0 0
Oxygen 0 7.5
Nitrogen 0 26.0
Carbon Dioxide 0 1.15
Water Vapor 0 1.55
Design Data: Material of Construct Stainless Steel 316
Final Working Volume (ft3) 44
Cost of Utilities/year: 98 gal/hr cooling water $70 x2

Purchase Cost $36,400 x2
Bare Module Cost: $158,000 x2
Associated Cost: Agitator & Cooling Jacket $6,600 x2
Total Bare Module Cost: $164,600 x2
Comments:
103
Growth Fermenter [10m3]
Item No. F-102
No. Required 2
Function: Continued growth of biomass and media
Operation: Batch
Stream ID S8,S15,S17 S18,S19
Water 8500 8203
Glucose 541 0
Media 125 125
Biomass 34 339
Gas Flow Rate (m3/hr)
Air 345.8 0
Oxygen 0 75.6
Nitrogen 0 260.7
Water Vapor 0 15.5
3
Final Working Volume (ft ) 414.7
Cost of Utilities/year: 980 gal/hr cooling water $700 x2
Total Bare Module Cost: $511,000 x2
Comments:
104
Growth Fermenter [100m3]
Item No. F-103
No. Required 2
Function: Continued growth of biomass and media
Operation: Batch
Stream ID S9,S20,S22 S23,S24
Water 85000 82033
Glucose 5415 0
Media 1262 1262
Biomass 359 3608
Gas Flow Rate (m3/hr)
Air 3457.7 0
Oxygen 0 756.2
Nitrogen 0 2606.7
Water Vapor 0 115.2
3
Cost of Utilities/year: 9803 gal/hr cooling water $7,000 x2
Bare Module Cost: $1,966,300 x2
Total Bare Module Cost: $2,378,800
Comments:
105
Production Fermenter [500m3]
Item No. F-201
No. Required 6
Function: Conversion of Palm Oil to Diacids
Operation: Batch
Stream ID S24, S30, S32 S33,S34
Water 425000 341816
Glucose 0 0
Media/Salts 8773 8773
Biomass 3608 3608
DDDA 0 59358
Sebacic Acid 0 2198
Suberic Acid 0 2198
Adipic Acid 0 2198

3
Air 16974 0
Oxygen 0 3712.3
Nitrogen 0 12796
Water Vapor 0 752.5
Vessel Diameter (ft) 18.6

3
Cost of Utilities/year: 48120 gal/hr cooling water $34,600
Purchase Cost $1,180,400 x6
Bare Module Cost: $5,910,400 x6
Associated Cost: Agitator and Cooling Jacket $1,000,000 x6
Total Bare Module Cost: $6,910,400 x6
Comments:
106
F-101 Air Compressor
Identification: Item Multi-stage compressor
Item No. CP-101
No. Required 1
Function: Pressurize air fed to F-101
Operation: Continuous
Type: 2-Stage Centrifugal
Stream ID 11 12
Air Flow Rate (m3/hr) 34.4 34.4

Pressure (bar) 3
Head (ft) 10
Drive Type Electrical

Associated Cost: HEPA Filters $
Comments: Cost of HEPA filters included in bare module cost
107
Item No. CP-102
No. Required 1
Stream ID 16 17

Temperature (°C) 3
Pressure (bar) 37
Head (ft) 10

108
Item No. CP-103
No. Required 1
Stream ID 21 22

Pressure (bar) 3
Head (ft) 10

109
Item No. CP-201
No. Required 1
Stream ID 31 32
Air Flow Rate (m3/hr) 16974 16974

Pressure (bar) 3
Head (ft) 10

110
F-101 Products Pump
Item No. P-101
No. Required 1
Function: Pump output from F-101 to F-102
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID 14 15
Pressure (bar) 1 3
Mass Flow (kg/hr) 865
Water 820
Glucose 0
Media/Salts 11
Biomass 34
Head (ft) 100
Max Motor HP: 1560
Comments:
111
F-102 Products Pump
Item No. P-102
No. Required 1
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID 19 20
Pressure (bar) 1 3
Water 8203
Glucose 0
Media/Salts 125
Biomass 359
Head (ft) 500
Max Motor HP: 1560

Comments:
112
F-103 Products Pump
Item No. P-204
No. Required 1
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID 24
Pressure (bar) 1 3
Water 82033
Glucose 0
Media/Salts 1262
Biomass 3608
Head (ft) 1000
Max Motor HP: 1560

Comments:
113
F-201 Products Pump
Item No. P-205
No. Required 1
Function: Pump output from F-201 to S-301
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID 34
Pressure (bar) 1 3
Water 34186 34186
Glucose 0 0
Media/Salts 8773 8773
Biomass 3608 3608
DDDA 59358 59358
Sebacic Acid 2198 2198
Suberic Acid 2198 2198
Adipic Acid 2198 2198
Head (ft) 1000
Max Motor HP:

Comments:
114
Surge Tank
Item No. S-301
No. Required 1
Function: Store fermented products
Operation: Batch to Continuous
Stream ID Batchwise 35 (S1)
See Figure 12.5
Pressure (bar) 3
Mass Flow (kg/hr)
Water 12822.1
Glucose 0
Palm Oil 0

Purchase Cost $ 1,606,300
Bare Module Cost $ 6,682,400
Comments:
115
Surge Pump
Item No. P-301
No. Required 1
Function: Pump output from surge tank to RF-501 & RF-502
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID 35 S1
Pressure (bar) 3 3.43
Mass Flow (kg/hr) 15359.9 15359.9
Water 12822.1 12822.1
Glucose 0 0
Media/Salts 0 0
Biomass 150.2 150.2
DDDA 2148.5 2148.5
Sebacic Acid 79.7 79.7
Suberic Acid 79.7 79.7
Adipic Acid 79.7 79.7
Head (ft) 1000
Max Motor HP: 1560
Comments:
116
Vacuum Rotary Drum Filter
Identification: Item Filtration System
Item No. RF-401 & RF-402
No. Required 1 (each)
Function: Remove a majority of water from S1
Type: Alar Corp AV330
Materials Handled: Feed (Stream In) Cake (Solid Out) Supernatant (Liq Out)
Stream ID S1 S4 S2/S3
Temperature (°C) 37 37 37
Pressure (bar) 3.43 3.43 3.43
Mass Flow (kg/hr) 15359.9 3612.7 11747.2
Component Flow (kg/hr)
Water 12822.1 1087.6 11734.5
Glucose 0 0 0
Media/Salts 0 0 0
Biomass 150.2 149.5 0.7
DDDA 2148.5 2137.8 2137.8
Sebacic Acid 79.7 79.3 0.4
Suberic Acid 79.7 79.3 0.4
Adipic Acid 79.7 79.3 0.4
Design Data: Material of Construction Stainless steel
Pressure 1 bar
Diameter 3 fta
Length 3 ft
Function height 3 ft
Orientation Horizontal
Frac. of Drum Full 0.4
Speed 0.5 rpm
Capacity 2727.3 kg/ft2/day
Motor 13 hp
Cost of Utilities/year: 8.2 kWh $2,000 x2
Comments: Quote from Alar Corp. This drum filter is auto cleansing so dead time is not considered
117
Cake Dryer
Identification: Item Evaporator
Item No. E-401
No. Required 1
Function: Dry remaining water residing in diacid cake
Type:
Materials Handled: Feed (Stream In) Cake (Solid Out) Exhaust (Vapor Out)
STream ID S4 S6 S5
Pressure (bar) 3.43 1 1
Mass Flow (kg/hr) 3612.7 2525.1 1087.6
Water 1087.6 0 1087.6
Glucose 0 0 0
Media/Salts 0 0 0
Biomass 149.5 149.5 0
DDDA 2137.8 2137.8 0
Sebacic Acid 79.3 79.3 0
Suberic Acid 79.3 79.3 0
Adipic Acid 79.3 79.3 0
Heat Transfer Coefficient
Design Data: (BTU/°F-ft2-hr): 120
LMTD (°F): 217.7
Comments:
118
Cake Drying Belt
Item No. CB-401 & CB-402
No. Required 1 (each)
Function: Move moist cake through cake evaporator
Type: Conveyor
Materials Handled: Feed (Pre-Dryer) Discharge (Post-Dryer)
Stream ID S4 S6
Mass Flow Rate (kg/hr) 3612.7 2525.1
Water 1087.6 0
Glucose 0 0
Media/Salts 0 0
Biomass 149.5 149.5
DDDA 2137.8 2137.8
Volume on Belt (ft3) 22.3
Height of Slurry (ft) 0.08
Length (ft) 51.7
Width (ft) 5.2

Cost of Utilities/year: 11.2 kWh $2,800 x2
Comments:
119
Major Ethyl Acetate Mixing Vessel
Item No. M-401
No. Required 1
Function: Add ethyl acetate to cake to solubilize diacids
Ethyl Acetate 16629
Biomass 149.5 149.5
DDDA 2137.8 2137.8
Vessel Height (ft) 16.4
3
Comments:
120
Minor Ethyl Acetate Mixing Vessel
Item No. M-402
No. Required 1
Function: Secondary dissolution step for those that failed to convert in M-401
Ethyl Acetate 86.8 174.1
Biomass 149.5 149.5
DDDA 11.2 11.2
Adipic Acid 0.4 0.4
3
Comments:
121
Major Ethyl/Biomass Slurry Pump
Item No. P-401
No. Required 1
Function: Pump liquid diacids to C-401
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID 8 9
Pressure (bar) 5 1
Ethyl Acetate 16629
Biomass 149.5
DDDA 2137.8
Sebacic Acid 79.3
Suberic Acid 79.3
Adipic Acid 79.3
Head (ft) 500
Max Motor HP: 1560

Utilities: 238.6 kWh $60,100
Comments:
122
Minor Ethyl/Biomass Slurry Pump
Item No. P-402
No. Required 1
Function: Pump liquid diacids to C-402
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID 16 17
Pressure (bar) 5 1
Ethyl Acetate 174.1
Biomass 149.5
DDDA 11.2
Sebacic Acid 0.4
Suberic Acid 0.4
Adipic Acid 0.4
Head (ft) 100
Max Motor HP: 1560

Comments:
123
Ethyl Acetate Heat Exchanger
Item No. E-402
No. Required 1
Function: Heat feedstock ethyl acetate from 25 C to 70 C
Type: shell and tube
Stream IN S12
Steam
Stream OUT S13

Inlet Temp (°C) 25 186
Outlet Temp (°C) 70 163
LMTD (°C): 126.7
Material of Construction: 316 stainless

Comments:
124
Major Centrifuge
Item No. CF-401
No. Required 1
Function: Separate biomass from liquid diacids
Type: Alfa Laval NX 418 Decanter
STream ID S9 S11 S10
Pressure (bar) 1 1 1
Mass Flow (kg/hr) 19154.5 249.1 18905.4
Ethyl Acetate 16629.4 87.2 16542.2
Biomass 149.5 149.5
DDDA 2137.8 11.2 2126.6
Sebacic Acid 79.3 0.4 78.9
Suberic Acid 79.3 0.4 78.9
Adipic Acid 79.3 0.4 78.9
Design Data: Capacity 120 GPM
Speed 4000 rpm
Motor 20 hp
Voltage 460 V
Comments:
125
Minor Centrifuge
Item No. CF-402
No. Required 1
Function: Second pass for diacids caught in solid out from CF-401
Type: Alfa Laval NX314 Decanter
Pressure (bar) 1 1 1
Mass Flow (kg/hr) 336 151 185
Ethyl Acetate 174.5 1.7 172.7
Biomass 149.5 149.5
DDDA 11.2 0.1 11.1
Adipic Acid 0.4 0.4
Design Data: Capacity 40 GPM
Speed 3250 rpm
Motor 15 hp
Voltage 460 V
Comments:
126
Kettle Evaporator
Identification: Item Heating Vessel
Item No. KE-501 & E-501
No. Required 1
Function: Evaporate ethyl acetate from stream
Type:
Stream IN S19,S27,S25
Steam
Stream OUT S21
Mass Flow Rate (kg/hr) 5976

Inlet Temp (°C) 70
LMTD (°F): 173.6
Surface Area: (ft2) 266.8
Length (ft) 131.2
Diameter (ft) 13.1

Comments:
127
Kettle Evaporator Pump
Item No. P-501
No. Required 1
Function: Pump solution from KE-501 to RF-501
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID S21 S25,S26
Temperature (°C) 86 95.47/86.13
Pressure (bar) 1.34 3.76
Mass Flow kg/hr
Ethyl Acetate 142143 142143
DDDA 42637 42637
Sebacic Acid 1581 1581
Suberic Acid 1581 1581
Adipic Acid 1581 1581
Head (ft) 100
Max Motor HP: 1560

Comments:
128
Major Ethyl Acetate Condenser
Identification: Item Condenser
Item No. C-501
No. Required 1
Function: Condense evaporated ethyl acetate
Type:
Stream IN S20
Chilled Water
Stream OUT S22

Inlet Temp (°C) 86
Outlet Temp (°C) 76.73
Design Data: Heat Transfer Coefficient (BTU/°F-ft2-hr) 120
LMTD (°F): 109.7
Heat Duty (BTU/hr): -5381953.2

Comments:
129
Diacid/Ethyl Acetate Rotary Filter
Identification: Item Evaporator
Item No. RF-501
No. Required 1
Function: Remove a majority of ethyl acetate from diacids
Type: Alarp Corp AV340
Materials Handled: Feed (Stream In) Recycle Slurry
Temperature (°C) 86.13 86.13 86.13
Pressure (bar) 3.76 3.43 3.76
Mass Flow (kg/hr)
Ethyl Acetate 7107 5528 1579
DDDA 2132 0 2131.8
Sebacic Acid 79.1 0 79.1
Suberic Acid 79.1 0 79.1
Adipic Acid 79.1 0 79.1
Pressure 1 bar
Diameter 3 ft
Length 4 ft
Speed 0.5 rpm
Motor 11 hp
Comments: Drum is auto cleansing so dead time is not considered
130
Diacid Slurry Pump
Item No. P-502
No. Required 1
Function: Pump output from RF-501 to RD-501
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID S28
Temperature (°C) 86.13

Mass Flow (kg/hr)
Ethyl Acetate 1579
Biomass 0
DDDA 2131.8
Sebacic Acid 79.1
Suberic Acid 79.1
Adipic Acid 79.1
Head (ft) 100
Max Motor HP: 1560

Comments:
131
Diacid/Nitrogen Rotary Dryer
Item No. RD-501
No. Required 1
Function: Dry ethyl acetate from solid diacids
Type:
Materials Handled: Slurry Solids Exhaust
Stream ID S28, S37 S29 S38
Temperature (°C) 86.13/115 115 115
Pressure (bar) 3.43/1.7 1.7 1.7
Mass Flow (kg/hr)
Nitrogen 29.86 0 29.86
Ethyl Acetate 1599.7 0 1599.7
DDDA 2131.8 2131.8 0
Sebacic Acid 79.1 79.1 0
Suberic Acid 79.1 79.1 0
Adipic Acid 79.1 79.1 0
Diameter (ft) 7.7
Length (ft) 77
Volume (ft3) 3553.8

Comments:
132
Nitrogen Compressor
Item No. CP-501
No. Required 1
Function:
Temperature (°C) 115 76.73/115
Pressure (bar) 1.7 1.7/2.74
3
Ethyl Acetate 1599.7 1577/20.7
Nitrogen 29.86 0/26.5
Head (ft) 100

Comments: Pricing of HEPA filters included in bare module cost
133
Minor Ethyl Acetate Condenser
Identification: Item Condenser
Item No. C-502
No. Required 1
Function: Condense evaporated ethyl acetate to be recycled
Type:
Stream IN
Chilled Water
Stream OUT S40

Inlet Temp (°C) 115
Outlet Temp (°C) 76.73
Design Data: Heat Transfer Coefficient (BTU/°F-ft2*hr): 120
LMTD (°F): 136.01
Heat Duty (BTU/hr): -606028.6

Comments:
134
Diacid Transport Belt
Identification: Item Conveyor Belt
Item No. CB-501
No. Required 1
Function: Transport solid diacids into MT-501
Type:
Materials Handled: Feed (Pre-Dryer)
Stream ID S29
Mass Flow Rate (kg/hr) 2369..3
DDDA 2132
Sebacic Acid 79.1
Suberic Acid 79.1
Adipic Acid 79.1
Volume on Belt (ft3) 21
Height of Slurry (ft) 0.08
Length (ft) 50
Width (ft) 5
Comments:
135
Diacid Melting Tank
Identification: Item Vertical Vessel with Heating
Item No. MT-501
No. Required 1
Function: Melt DDDA
Operation: Batch
Temperature (°C) 115 135.2
DDDA 2132 6080
Vessel Height (ft) 3.3
3
Final Working Volume (ft ) 10
Heating Jacket $22,400
Comments:
136
Ethyl Acetate Recycle Tank
Identification: Item Vertical Vessel with Heating
Item No. TK-501
No. Required 1
Function: Store condensed ethyl acetate to be recycled back into S13
Operation: Batch
Materials Handled:z Inlet Outlet
Temperature (°C) 76.73 76.73
Pressure (bar) 1.38 1.34,1.7
Ethyl Acetate 16141 15979,161
DDDA 0 0
Nitrogen 0 0
3
Final Working Volume (ft ) 74330
Purchase Cost $ 206,100
Bare Module Cost: $ 857,500
Associated Cost: Agitator $
Heating Jacket $
Total Bare Module Cost: $
Comments: Cost of agitator and heating jacket included in bare module cost
137
Ethyl Acetate Recycle Pump
Item No. P-503
No. Required 1
Function: Recycle ethyl acetate into S13
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID S23 S24

Pressure (bar) 1.34 3
Mass Flow (kg/hr)
Ethyl Acetate 15979
DDDA 0
Sebacic Acid 0
Suberic Acid 0
Adipic Acid 0
Head (ft) 100
Max Motor HP: 1560

Comments:
138
Diacid Pump
Item No. P-504
No. Required 1
Function: Pump diacids from MT-501 to RF-502
Type: Centrifugal
Stream ID S30

Mass Flow (kg/hr)
Ethyl Acetate 0
Biomass 0
DDDA 4106
Sebacic Acid 79.2
Suberic Acid 79.2
Adipic Acid 79.2
Head (ft) 100
Max Motor HP: 1560

Comments:
139
Vacuum Rotary Drum Filter
Item No. RF-502
No. Required 1
Function: Separate liquid DDDA from other diacid impurities
Type: Alar Corp AV110
Materials Handled: Feed (Stream In) Impurities (Solid Out) Product (Liq Out)
Stream ID S30 S31 S32
Temperature (°C) 135.2 135.2 135.2
Pressure (bar) 3.43 1.01 2.74
Mass Flow (kg/hr) 4343 395 3948
DDDA 4106 158 3948
Sebacic Acid 79.2 79 0.2
Suberic Acid 79.2 79 0.2
Adipic Acid 79.2 79 0.2
Pressure 1 bar
Diameter 1 ft
Length 1 ft
Speed 0.5 rpm
Motor 4 hp

Comments: Drum is auto cleansing so dead time is not considered
140
DDDA Flaker
Identification: Item Conveyer Belt
Item No. FL-501
No. Required 1
Function: Crystallize liquid DDDA
Type:
Materials Handled: Feed (Pre-Dryer) Discharge (Post-Dryer)
Stream ID S34 S35
Temperature (°C) 135.2 60
DDDA 1974
Sebacic Acid 0.05
Suberic Acid 0.05
Adipic Acid 0.05
Length 46.5
Width 4.6
Comments:
141
Section 17
Equipment Cost Summary
142
Table 17.1: Equipment Costing Summary
Process Equipment ID Type Cp, Purchase Cost ($) Bare Module Factor Cbm, Bare Module Cost ($)
TK-001 Storage $482,300 4.16 $2,006,300
TK-002 Storage $131,500 4.16 $546,900
TK-003 Storage $1,313,200 4.16 $5,463,000
TK-004 Storage $508,900 4.16 $2,117,200
TK-501 Storage $206,100 4.16 $857,500
S-301 Storage $1,606,300 4.16 $6,682,400
P-001 Process Machinery $12,100 3.30 $39,900
CP-101 Compressor $34,100 2.15 $73,400
CP-102 Compressor $82,000 2.15 $176,300
CP-103 Compressor $196,600 2.15 $422,800
CP-201 Compressor $360,000 2.15 $773,900
CP-501 Compressor $10,700 2.15 $23,000
143
E-001 Heater $88,100 3.17 $279,400
E-002 Heater $38,900 3.17 $123,200
E-401 Heater $38,900 3.17 $123,300
E-402 Heater $150,800 3.17 $478,000
M-001 Mixing Vessel $215,700 4.28 $980,700
M-002 Mixing Vessel $384,500 4.28 $1,799,000
M-401 Mixing Vessel $66,700 4.28 $311,000
M-402 Mixing Vessel $28,400 4.28 $121,900
F-101 (x2) Growth Fermenter $36,400 4.16 $158,000
F-102 (x2) Growth Fermenter $111,000 4.16 $486,500
F-103 (x2) Growth Fermenter $400,600 4.16 $1,966,300
F-201 (x6) Growth Fermenter $1,180,400 4.16 $5,910,400
RF-401 Rotary Filter $116,900 2.03 $237,300
RF-402 Rotary Filter $116,900 2.03 $237,300
RF-501 Rotary Filter $127,700 2.03 $259,200
RF-502 Rotary Filter $114,800 2.03 $233,100
CB-401 Conveyer Belt $112,000 1.61 $180,400
CB-402 Conveyer Belt $78,300 1.61 $126,100
CB-501 Conveyer Belt $73,500 1.61 $118,300
CF-401 Centrifuge $312,600 2.03 $634,700
CF-402 Centrifuge $126,200 2.03 $256,200
KE-501/E-501 Kettle Evaporator $108,700 3.17 $344,700
C-501 Condenser $47,300 3.17 $149,900
C-502 Condenser $42,100 3.17 $133,600
RD-501 Diacid Dryer $83,600 2.06 $172,300
MT-501 Melting Tank $17,400 3.5 $65,700
FL-501 Flaker $63,300 10 $632,800
144
Figure 17.1: Total Bare Module Cost for Plant Equipment. Cost is continually summed throughout the figure. Size of bar represents relative cost
of equipment listed
In order to build this plant, there is a total capital investment (TCI) required of
approximately $106 MM is required. $69 MM of this total will be spent towards purchasing and
installing equipment pieces such as fermenters, heaters, compressors, and more. There is a
breakdown of the capital investment in Figure 17.1 by the type of equipment. The majority of
equipment investment is allocated to the equipment associated with the two fermentation
production trains. This seems logical as the six production fermentation vessels are responsible
for the value creation stage of the proposed design.
145
Section 17.1: Unit Costing Considerations
Section 17.1.1: Pumps, Compressors and Agitator
The pumps, compressors and the agitator in this section were all costed according to the
The purchase costs for the pumps required the

equations in Table 16.32 of Seider et. al, 2017.17.1
flow rates through each pump in gallons per minute and the pressure head in feet for each pump.
In order to cost each compressor, the flow through each compressor in cubic feet per minute was
required. Lastly, in order to cost the agitator, the agitator horsepower was required. Each of these
unit costing inputs was either retrieved from ASPEN simulation results or was calculated by

supplementary equations in Chapter 16 of Seider et. al, 2017.17.2
Section 17.1.2: Heat Exchangers and Condensers
The four heaters were costed according to the heat exchanger equations in Chapter 16 of
In order to use these equations, the surface area in square feet and the
Seider et. al, 2017.17.3
material of construction (stainless steel) were required. This same process was required for
condensers.
In order to calculate the required surface area of the heat exchangers, the weighted heat
capacity of all stream components, the mass flow rates of the stream, and the desired temperature
change must all be known. For heat exchangers, as opposed to evaporators, no information
regarding phase change heat of vaporization was required. This heat duty, the log mean
temperature difference of the stream and the heating fluid, as well as an estimated heat transfer
coefficient for the device used, allowed for an estimated surface area to be determined. This
value was then used to inform the purchase cost of said equipment and bare module factors were
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taken into consideration. In order to calculate the surface area of condensers, the total sensible
and latent heat was divided by the log mean temperature difference and the heat transfer
coefficient. More in-depth calculations can be found in the Appendix.
Section 17.1.3: Kettle Evaporator and Diacid Dryer
In order to cost the kettle evaporator, the equation for a shell-and-tube heat exchanger
In order to determine the purchase cost,

was utilized from Chapter 16 in Seider et. al, 2017.17.4
the surface area and material of construction of the heat exchanger were required. The surface
area in square feet was determined by dividing the total sensible and latent heat by the heat
transfer coefficient and the log mean temperature difference. The material of construction was
again chosen to be stainless steel.
Costing of the diacid dryer was done according to the equation for a direct-heat rotary
dryer in Chapter 16 of Seider et. al, 2017. In order to cost the diacid dryer, the surface area in
square feet was required. Calculating the surface area was performed similarly to the kettle
evaporator sizing process; the sum of the sensible and latent heat transferred was divided by the
heat transfer coefficient and the log-mean temperature difference. The total heat included the
heat required to heat the ethyl acetate, vaporize it and heat the vapor to the temperature of the
vessel.
Section 17.1.4: Melting Tank and Flaker
In order to find the purchase cost of the melting tank, equations for a vertical pressure
In addition, a
vessel and agitator were utilized from Chapter 16 from Seider et. al, 2017.17.5
multiplier was added to account for a heating jacket, as advised by Professor Vrana. In order to
cost the vertical pressure vessel, the diameter and length of the tank, the maximum allowable
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pressure, and the material of construction were required. The diameter and length were
determined by specifying the volumetric flow rate and the residence time of the tank. The
maximum allowable pressure was determined by specifying the tank temperature, and the
material of construction was set to be stainless steel.
In order to cost the flaker, Professor Vrana advised our team to determine the purchase
cost of a conveyor belt with similar dimensions, and to utilize a bare module cost of 10 in order
to account for all of the peripheral equipment required. The equation to cost a conveyor belt was
found in Chapter 16 of Seider et. al, 2017.17.6 The surface area of the conveyor belt was required
and was determined by evaluating the volumetric flow rate of material passing through the
flaker.
Section 17.1.5: Rotary Filter, Conveyer Belt, and Centrifuges
The purchase costs for rotary filters, conveyer belts and centrifuges were calculated

according to equations in Section 16 of Seider et. al, 2017.17.7 In order to cost the rotary filters,
the surface area in square feet was required. This was determined by evaluating the flow of
solids through the filters and comparing this to filtering area specifications on a size chart by
ALAR Engineering Corporation.17.8 In order to determine the purchase costs of conveyor belts,
the width and length of the conveyor belt were required. These dimensions were calculated from
from the flow rate of material traveling on the belt. Lastly, to evaluate the purchase cost of the
centrifuges, the flow rate of solids through each centrifuge was required and was obtained from
ASPEN simulation process results.
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Section 17.1.6: Storage Tanks
The purchase costs of the storage tanks were determined by using equations for Vertical
In order to cost for the storage tanks, the

Pressure Vessels in Chapter 16 of Seider et. al, 2017.17.9
diameter, length, maximum allowable stress in psi and material of construction of the vessels
were required. The diameter and length were calculated by sizing for the volume of the tank and
utilizing a length to diameter ratio of 10, as advised by Professor Vrana. The material of
construction was assumed to be stainless steel and the maximum allowable stress was
determined by the temperature of the vessel.
Section 17.1.7: Fermenters, Mixing Vessels, and Agitators
The fermenters were costed according to vertical pressure vessel and agitator equations in
Chapter 16 of Seider et. al, 2017.17.10

In order to confirm the accuracy of this equipment fit, the
surface area correlated to heat transfer was calculated and compared to the vessel size to confirm
that the vessel was appropriate for sizing the fermenter. Then, a factor of 1.15 was multiplied to
account for the cost of the heating jacket, as advised by Professor Vrana. An agitator was also
costed based on Table 17.2 provided by Dr. Bockrath.
The mixing vessel costs were also calculated according to equations for vertical pressure
vessels and agitators in Chapter 16 of Seider et. al, 2017. As mentioned previously, the
dimensions of the tank and material of construction were required to determine the cost of the
tank. The dimensions of the tank were found from the volumetric flow through the vessel and the
material of construction was set to be stainless steel.
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Table 17.2 : Fermentation agitator sizing table courtesy of Dr. Bockrath
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Section 18
Fixed Capital Investment Summary
151
The total capital investment for the plant was calculated according to the process outlined
in Chapter 17 of Seider et. al, 2017.18.1

The total bare module cost for equipment was calculated
by multiplying the total purchase cost of the equipment times the bare-module factor. The total
bare module cost for all fermentation, filtration and crystallization equipment was calculated to
be $69 MM.
The costs included in the total capital investment are the costs associated with site
preparation, service facilities, contractor fees, land and plant start-up. Table 18.1 shows each
component of the total capital investment and the method in which each was calculated.
Table 18.1: Total Capital Investment (TCI) Components. This table demonstrates the various components of TCI
and their method of calculation.
Component of Total Capital Investment Method of Calculation
Cost of Site Preparations 5% of Total Bare Module Costs
Cost of Service Facilities 5% of Total Bare Module Costs
Cost of Contingencies and Contractor Fees 18% of Direct Permanent Investment
Cost of Land 2% of Total Depreciable Capital
Cost of Plant Start-Up 10% of Total Depreciable Capital
Finally, a summary of the total investment required for this project is included in Table
18.2. The total permanent investment required in order to start up the plant is $100 MM. As
seen, the total bare module cost of equipment makes up the majority of this initial investment
with $69 MM.
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Table 18.2: Total Capital Investment Breakdown. This table outlines the components of the total investment
required for the startup of the plant.
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Section 19
Operating Costs- Cost of Manufacturing
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Section 19.1: Variable Operating Costs
The total variable operating costs are broken up into raw materials, utilities and general
expenses, as outlined in Chapter 17 of Seider et. al, 2017.19.1

The raw materials for this plant are
water, glucose, palm oil, media salts and ethyl acetate, as outlined in Table 19.1. In total, the raw
materials constitute $17.7MM of the total variable operating costs. The utilities costs are
composed of costs for low pressure steam, cooling water, electricity and nitrogen, as shown in
Table 19.2. The utilities cost make up a total of about $6.96MM. Lastly, the general expenses are
broken down into selling/transfer expenses, direct research, allocated research, administrative
expenses and management incentive compensation. The method in which these are calculated are
outlined in Table 19.3. General expenses make up a total of $11.5MM.
Table 19.1: Raw Material Costs. This table outlines the total annual costs of raw materials in the process
Raw Material Estimated Cost ($/kg) Required Ratio (/lb of Total Annual Cost
DDDA) ($MM/year)
Water ($0.00027) 0.65 kg/lb DDDA ($0.00550MM)
Glucose ($0.180) 0.046 kg/lb DDDA ($0.259MM)
Palm Oil ($0.696) 0.60 kg/lb DDDA ($13.1MM)
Media Salts ($0.027) 0.067 kg/lb DDDA ($0.0567MM)
Ethyl Acetate ($0.80) 0.17 kg/lb DDDA ($4.28MM)
Total ($17.7MM)
The cost of process water was found to be $0.00027/kg from Table 17.1 in Seider et. al,
Palm oil and glucose prices are determined by global commodities prices. These
2017.19.2
commodity prices determined the cost of palm oil and glucose to be $0.696/kg and $0.180/kg
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respectively.19.3,19.4 The ethyl acetate price was found on Alibaba as $800 per metric ton.19.5
Lastly, the cost of media salts was determined by performing a weighted average of the cost of
each component part in the media.19.5
Table 19.2: Utilities Costs. This table demonstrates the annual utilities costs.
Utilities Cost Required Ratio Quantity (per Total Cost

(per lb DDDA) year) ($/op-yr)
Low Pressure Steam ($0.006/lb) 2.911 91.2MM lb ($0.55MM)
Cooling Water ($0.0001/gal) 82.40 2.58MM gal ($0.26MM)
Electricity ($0.07/kWh) 2.81 87.7MM kWh ($6.14MM)
Nitrogen ($0.01/lb) 0.0017 0.053MM lb ($0.00050MM)
Total ($6.96MM)
The costs of low pressure steam, cooling water and electricity were determined from
Table 17.1 of Seider et. al, 2017.19.6

The cost of nitrogen was given by Professor Vrana to be
$0.01/lb. As seen in Table 19.2, utilities constitute about $6.96M of variable costs. Electricity
alone is the largest contributor to the utilities cost and accounts for about 88% of the entire cost.
Table 19.3: General Expense Data. This table outlines the components of General Expenses and their estimated
annual costs
Component of General Expenses Relationship to Total Annual Cost

Sales ($/yr)
Selling/Transfer Expenses 3.0% ($2.98MM)
Direct Research 4.8% ($4.77MM)
Allocated Research 0.50% ($0.50MM)
Administrative Expense 2.0% ($1.99MM)
Management Incentive Compensation 1.3% ($1.24MM)
Total 11.6% ($11.5MM)
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As seen in Table 19.3, the components of general expenses are calculated in relation to
General
the sales of the plant. This data was obtained from Chapter 17 of Seider et. al, 2017.19.7
expenses associated with the plant make up $11.5MM of variable costs.
Section 19.2: Fixed Operating Costs
The total fixed operating costs are broken up into operations, maintenance and operating
overhead.
Table 19.4. Fixed Operations Costs. This table demonstrates the estimated total annual costs tied to labor-related
operations
Operations (labor-related) Estimated Cost Total Annual Cost

($MM/yr)
Direct Wages and Benefits $40/operator hour ($2.08MM)
Direct Salaries and Benefits 15% of Direct Wages and Benefits ($0.31MM)
Operating Supplies and Services 6% of Direct Wages and Benefits ($0.12MM)
Technical Assistance to $60,000/yr/operating shift ($1.50MM)

Manufacturing
Control Laboratory $65,000/yr/operating shift ($1.63MM)
Total ($5.64MM)
As seen in Table 19.4, the total fixed operations cost is $5.64 MM. The number of daily
operating shifts was assumed to be five, which each shift containing five operators. These
assumptions were based on data from Table 17.3 in Seider et. al, 2017 for batch and continuous
operations.19.8
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Table 19.5. Fixed Maintenance Costs. This table displays the components of site maintenance and their estimated
total annual costs.
Maintenance Estimated Cost Total Annual

Cost ($MM/yr)
Wages and Benefits 4.5% Total Depreciable Capital ($4.03MM)
Salaries and Benefits 25% of Maintenance Wages and Benefits ($1.01MM)
Materials and Services 100% of Maintenance Wages and Benefits ($4.03MM)
Maintenance Overhead 5% of Maintenance Wages and Benefits ($0.20MM)
Total ($9.28MM)
The next component of fixed operating cost is the maintenance associated with the plant,
as outlined in Table 19.5. The total maintenance cost contributes $9.28 MM and makes up the
largest portion of the fixed operating cost. The method of calculating each component of
maintenance is displayed in Table 19.5.
Table 19.6 Fixed Operating Overhead, Taxes, and Insurance Costs. This table demonstrates total estimated annual
costs related to operating overhead, taxes and insurance.
Operating Overhead, Taxes, Estimated Cost Total Annual

and Insurance Cost ($MM/yr)
General Plant Overhead 7.1% of Maintenance and Operations Wages and Benefits ($0.528MM)
Mechanical Department Services 2.4% of Maintenance and Operations Wages and Benefits ($0.178MM)
Employee Relations Department 5.9% of Maintenance and Operations Wages and Benefits ($0.439MM)
Business Services 7.4% of Maintenance and Operations Wages and Benefits ($0.550MM)
Property Taxes and Insurance 2% of Total Depreciable Capital ($1.79MM)
Total ($3.49MM)
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Lastly, the combination of operating overhead costs, taxes and insurance are shown in
Table 19.6. These costs constitute $3.49MM and make up the smallest portion of the fixed
operating costs.
The total annual fixed operating cost, as seen in Tables 19.4-19.6 is $18.4MM. The total
operating costs, including both fixed and variable, is about $36MM.
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Section 20
Profitability Analyses - Business Case
160
Section 20.1: Plant Base Case Profitability
The production of DDDA as a metabolite of genetically engineered yeast using palm oil
feedstock shows considerable potential as a profitable venture within the Asia Pacific chemicals
market. The viability of this project is dependent on the ability to find funds or venture capital
financing for the considerable upfront total capital investment associated with the process
equipment.
The total capital investment for this project is $107 MM. The working capital associated
with this project is relatively low; this is due to the assumption supported by consultants that the
construction time for the project will be approximately one year. Working capital is defined as
the cost of current assets (DDDA inventory, accounts receivable, raw materials stores, etc.)
minus the cost of liabilities such as accounts payable. With this definition in mind, the ratio of
current assets to liabilities over the first three years of construction/scale up was found to be
5.64:1, clearly indicating the ability to pay back investors even on a short-term basis. The present
value of the working capital is approximately $6.3 MM and is outlined in Table 20.1.
Table 20.1: Summary of working capital requirements for the proposed project over the first three years of
production (the capacity factors during this time were 0%, 50%, and 67% respectively)
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Following the first two years of operational scale up from 50%, the DDDA production
plant will operate at 100% production capacity for 300 days each year. This allows for a
production buffer by building in the assumption of production that does not necessarily operate
continuously 365 days per year. This is an important assumption for this plant due to the strong
reliance on batch process scheduling for the upstream fermentation process. Should these
operations not be optimally scheduled at all times, downtime can occur, increasing the batch
cycle time and driving down capacity.
Table 20.2 outlines several measures of profitability both at the onset of construction and
for the third production year, the first year where the plant is operating at its maximum
production capacity. Over the lifetime of the plant, the internal rate of return (IRR) is calculated
to be 24.12%. This is approximately 1.6 times the nominal interest rate specified of 15%. The
return on investment for this project is 18.20%.
Table 20.2: Profitability metrics for the DDDA production process. These measures of profitability use the
averaged, base case pricing calculations and a nominal interest rate of 15%. Deviations from these values will be
discussed in the sensitivity analysis.
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While this project offers a positive ROI, in order to understand the value creation
opportunities of this project, they must be put in perspective relative to the larger chemical
industry and other alternative investment opportunities. Over the pass three years (2017-2015),
the S&P 500, an American stock market index based on the market capitalizations of 500 large
companies having common stock listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ, had an average returns of
11.72%.20.1 Evonik, a major player in the DDDA market and a major global manufacturer of
specially chemicals averaged 8.99% total returns over the last three years.20.2 While other
industries may provide stronger year-over-year returns, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had
returns of 25.08% in 2017.20.3 This project clearly represents a profitable and market competitive
investment, especially within the specialty chemicals marketspace.
The net present value (NPV) of the base case profitability analysis was determined to be
approximately $54.1 MM. The assumptions for this base case is that DDDA is sold at a price of
$7/kg, a competitive price consistent with butadiene sourced DDDA, and the price controlling
raw material (palm oil) costs $696/metric ton.20.4 These assumptions resulted in a year over year
revenue of $98.5 MM at the capacity factor of 100% for 300 days per year. Figure 20.1 outlines
the cumulative free cash flow generated over the 15-year operation period. Based on this figure,
the breakeven period for this investment takes place during the fourth fiscal quarter of 2025.
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Figure 20.1: Cumulative discounted free cash flow for the DDDA production plant over a 15 year production
lifespan assuming base case pricing structure for DDDA and palm oil
The profitability of this project as it is currently represented has a strong dependency on
the length of the construction period for the production plant. Due to the high direct permanent
investment and negative cash flows associated with site construction and the absence of DDDA
production, the ROI for the project is strongly based on how quickly 100% capacity can be
reached. Moving forward, exhaustive construction scheduling should be ensured in order to
protect against this externality.
164
165
Section 20.2: Fixed & Variable Cost Sensitivity
Figure 20.2: Cumulative discounted cash flow as a function of changing fixed and variable costs. Sensitivity for a
100% increase in fixed cost and a 15% increase in variable costs were explored.
Figure 20.2 outlines the strong dependency of the project to changes in the cost of
equipment relative to changes in the cost of raw materials. This process relies heavily upon
multistep fermentation, separation, and purification processes. These processes rely upon many
expensive units of equipment, specifically the fermentation tanks, and this sensitivity is clearly
indicated by the $20 MM deficit produced by the 2 times increase in fixed costs. Comparatively,
minor (<15%) fluxuations in variable costs do not appear to have nearly as strong of an influence
on profitability; water, glucose, palm oil, and ethyl acetate are relatively low cost inputs relative
to the value creation of the fermentation process. This variable costs influence on profitability is
also a product of the utilities, specifically low pressure steam in the evaporation operations.
166
Further analysis of the influence of variation in raw materials pricing is discussed in Section
20.3.
Section 20.3: DDDA Sale Price Sensitivity
Figure 20.3: Effect of DDDA sale price on overall project profitability. The Current Design dot represents the base
case pricing structure. The price of the manipulated variable was adjusted in order to find the price at which the
project is no longer viable given no other changes to the process.
Figure 20.3 shows the strong dependence of project profitability on the sale price of
DDDA. This dependency is not particularly surprising considering sale price is one of the
strongest sliders for overall revenue. In this case, the breakeven price, the price at which the
DDDA production plant will generate no profit over its 15-year production lifespan, is $5.68/kg
DDDA. This price is below the average sale price of DDDA by $1.32/kg as of April 2018.
Currently, bulk distributors can expect to sell one ton of 98.9% purity DDDA for $7,900/ton
($7.9/kg).20.5 With the demand for DDDA growing at 5-6% annually and a market with strong
167
inverse price swings related to butadiene availability (see Section 20.4), the sales price of DDDA
is only expected to rise. While the base case of this profitability analysis assumed a conservative
sale price of $7/kg, this plant could feasible have NPV approaching $100 MM. Should the sale
price of DDDA stay locked in at $8/kg across the 15 year life cycle of the plant, the ROI would
be 25.15%.
Section 20.4: Palm Oil Sale Price Sensitivity
Figure 20.4: Effect of palm oil sale price on overall project profitability. The Current Design dot represents the base
case pricing structure. The price of the manipulated variable was adjusted in order to find the price at which the
project is no longer viable given no other changes to the process.
By a considerable margin, palm oil represents the largest raw material input for the
production of DDDA. 0.6 kg (1.32 lb) of palm oil are required to produce 1.00 lb of DDDA.
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other the process water, this represents the largest mass contribution to the feedstock per pound
of product produce. Water however, is considerably cheaper than the fat acid feedstock; As
shown in Figure 20.4, palm oil costs approximately $696/MT ($0.70/kg). The only raw material
input to the process more expensive than palm oil is ethyl acetate, the organic solvent used in
purification, at $0.80/kg. Due to the approximate 99% recycle of ethyl acetate outlined in the
Sections 13, the quantity of ethyl acetate per pound of product is far lower than palm oil at 0.17
kg (0.37 lb) per 1.00 lb DDDA. Therefore, sensitivity to variation in palm oil was the raw
material analyzed for sensitivity.
Figure 20.5: Outlines that profitable pricing region for palm oil relative to 15 years of Asian Pacific palm oil pricing.
There appears to be not historic context in which palm oil prices alone would result in this project becoming
unprofitable.
Figure 20.4 and Figure 20.5 clearly indicate that the process is much more insensitive to
palm oil prices than DDDA prices. Palm oil prices would need to reach historic highs in order to
the be the sole contributor to hindering project viability. $696/MT was selected as the base case
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palm oil price point because it was a medium price, and because it was the most recently quoted
price for palm oil in the region.
Section 20.5: Palm Oil vs Butadiene Price Variability
Figure 20.6: Feedstock Volatility over 3 years. The trend present in this figure is estimated to be cyclic. Variations
in the peaks may occur.
As discussed in the Section 4: Market and Competition Analysis, butadiene pricing is
very susceptible to price swings due changes in crude oil production. This price volatility does
not affect this process, but is a far more important sensitivity for conventional petrochemical
production. Comparing the month to month price fluctuation of palm oil to butadiene highlights
the value added of having a reliable feedstock supply. Should palm oil prices have price
fluctuation of 60% similar to butadiene in summer of 2009, it becomes clear that its price could
feasibly approach the Not Profitable line in Figure 20.5. While the conversion efficiency and
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mass ratio of butadiene for conventional DDDA production are not within the scope of this
project, it is clear that raw materials sensitivity is much more of a consideration for the
petrochemical synthesis of DDDA than the biological synthesis of DDDA. Under the base case
pricing discussed, this project will produce value for shareholders and stakeholders.
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Section 21
Other Important Considerations
172
Section 21.1 Environmental Considerations
DDDA and the other diacid impurities have no substantial negative environmental
impact.21.1 Water contamination is not a concern because the diacids are readily biodegradable,
with low bioaccumulation potential. Wastewater treatment is largely focused on treating
biomass, media, and salts since there is no known toxicity of diacids in water.21.2
This process evaporates a large amount of water vapor, nitrogen, and ethyl acetate. The
biggest concern being the release of ethyl acetate, a volatile organic compound. Ethyl acetate
released from this plant can cause significant air pollution and health effects further explained in
Section 21.3. This process aims to minimize the release of ethyl acetate by condensing the vapor
and recycling it.
Deforestation related to utilizing palm oil is a major environmental concern that is further
explained in Section 21.4. This DDDA process will increase demand for palm oil, which will
result in more deforestation. This domino effect is only regulated by the market size of DDDA
that is subject to stringent regulations on volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions.
However, our team is choosing to purchase palm oil from vendors that are certified by the
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). RSPO Certification ensures that producers are
limiting the land that may be developed for palm oil, curbing deforestation according to the
RSPO principles and Criteria (P&C) standard.21.3
Section 21.2 Process Controller Considerations
All the fermenters require height and temperature controllers. The temperature needs to
be maintained across all seed, growth, and production fermenters to ensure a stable environment
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for the conversion of palm oil to DDDA. Height controllers are needed to maximize the output
from each fermenter ensuring our annual production goal is met.
The filtration section requires a valve before the rotary drums and a controller on the
ethyl acetate stream leading into the mixing vessels. The valve before the drums will be kept
open so they both operate in parallel. In the case a drum fails the valve will be closed, switching
flow to the working drum will the failed drum undergoes maintenance. The controller on the
ethyl acetate stream is set to meet design specifications explained in Section 6.4.
No controllers or valves are necessary for the crystallization part of the process. All
equipment is running continuously. Failure of equipment in this part of the process will have to
be maintenanced in the 60 days of non-operating time.
Section 21.3 Safety and Health Concerns
Primary health concern is the high exposure to ethyl acetate. The amount of ethyl acetate
recycling through the plant can cause a number of adverse health problems in short term and
long term exposure. Short term exposure can induce nausea and vomiting while long term
exposure can induce eye, lung heart, kidney, or liver problems. The allowable exposure to ethyl
acetate for workers over an 8 hour shift is 200 ppm.21.4
Section 21.4 Plant Location, Startup, and Layout
The proposed plant will be located in Malaysia, preferably near a water treatment facility.
Deforestation is a concern to plant palm to meet the current demands of DDDA. The plant will
preferably be near a palm farm to provide feedstock and reduce transportation costs. The layout
of the plant needs to be designed in a way which prioritizes worker safety and mitigates the risks
of high exposure to VOCs. The plant needs to meet Malaysia regulations for VOC emissions,
174
building codes, and wastewater treatment. The startup cost for the plant includes site preparation,
service facilities, land cost and contractor fees as explained in section 18.
175
Section 22
Conclusion and Recommendations
176
Analysis of the proposed process design suggests that the biological synthesis of
dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) warrants further investigation of viability and more rigorous
economic analysis. As dictated by the project objective, 14,000 metric tons of DDDA were
modeled to be produced per year for sale to Asian Pacific markets. The product was of greater
than 99% purity and met or exceeded known customer requirements set by conventionally
sourced DDDA. Economic analysis estimates the NPV of the project to be $54.1MM with an
IRR of 24.12%. Prior to continued development of the described process, design calculations and
processes (see Appendix A) should be revised to confirm accuracy. Assumptions surrounding
equipment capacities and operating costs should additionally be refined.
Areas for additional model optimization include the fermentor, evaporation utilities, and
water usage. A kinetic model of fermentation may serve as a more accurate model of growth
rates and allow for the optimization of feedstock supply. Additional integration of heat utilities
outside of heated organic solvent recycle may help to push down annual utilities costs. Finally,
reprocessing of water in the fermentation units may allow for decreased feed of process water to
existing regional palm oil extraction and water treatment infrastructure. Additional patent data
must first be explored prior to implementation of the aforementioned model optimizations.
Separation of the diacid impurities (sebacic acid, suberic acid, adipic acid) from DDDA
in ethyl acetate by solubility was determined to be infeasible due to their similar solubility
properties. For this reason, the diacid melt crystallization unit was designed to take advantage of
the diacids’ different melting points to purify DDDA. This design was based upon industry
consultant recommendations to analyze para-xylene separation from an m-xylene mixture.
Should the window for melt crystallization be infeasible in practice, or should the diacid
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impurities simply solubilize into the liquid DDDA, the diacid purification technique will have to
be re-designed. Currently no research is apparent that refutes the feasibility of the process
described in this proposed design.
The profitability of the proposed design relies most heavily upon the market price of
DDDA and the total capital costs associated with multiple fermentation trains required to meet
production goals. Sensitivity analysis indicates that a 20% decrease in the sale price of DDDA
for the modeled base cae could endanger the project viability. Similarly, a sizable (>50%) change
in the calculated fixed cost of the equipment would have the same effect. While the former does
not appear likely to occur due to the rising demand for DDDA relative to conventional supply,
more rigorous analysis of total permanent capital is recommended to ensure the costs associated
with equipment were not underestimated.
We caution against using optimistic cost information, keeping in mind associated
uncertainties in the proposed design. However, based upon all available data provided, we do
recommend investing in this project.
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Section 23
Acknowledgements
179
Our group would like to express our gratitude to Professor Gorte for helping us stay
focused on the physical aspects of the problem rather than focusing on simulations. Professor
Gorte has helped with ideas in all three main components of this process fermentation, filtration,
and crystallization and provided resources necessary to design this plant. Professor Seider and
Dr. Wattenbarger we would also like to thank for helping us work out the mass balance on the
fermentation
We would also like to thank the many industrial consultants that met with us throughout
the semester and provided invaluable insight towards the specifics of equipment and problems
we may run into in this process. Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, Ms. Mariella P. Juhasz, Mr. Gary Sawyer,
Dr. Daniel Green, Dr. Arthur W. Etchells and many more along with Professor Seider who this
would not be possible with, thank you.
Lastly we would like to thank Mr. Tieri, Professor Vrana, and Mr. Fabiano for their
significant help in trouble-shooting aspen, designing pieces of equipment such as rotary filters,
evaporators, crystallizers, etc. Their knowledge on aspen and process design was truly helpful,
allowing us to finish this project on time.
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Section 24
References
181
Section 1
1.1. Insights, Inc Global Market. “Dodecanedioic Acid (DDDA) Market Size Potential Worth
$599.5 Million by 2023: Global Market Insights Inc.” GlobeNewswire News Room,
GlobeNewswire, 6 June 2016,
globenewswire.com/news-release/2016/06/06/846218/0/en/Dodecanedioic-Acid-DDDA-
Market-Size-potential-worth-599-5-million-by-2023-Global-Market-Insights-Inc.html.
Section 2
2.1. “Global Dodecanedioic Acid (DDDA) Market Analysis By Application (Resins, Powder
Coatings, Adhesives, Lubricants), Bio-Based Potential And Segment Forecasts To 2022.”
Grand View Research, Jan. 2016,
www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/dodecanedioic-acid-ddda-industry.
$599.5 Million
by 2023: Global Market Insights Inc.” GlobeNewswire News Room, GlobeNewswire, 6
June 2016,
2.3. “Butadiene.” Butadiene – Chemical Production and Investment Cost | IHS Markit, May
1982, ihsmarkit.com/products/chemical-technology-pep-butadiene-1982.html.
2.4. “Polybutadiene Rubber Market - Rising Demand for Bio-Based Feedstock to Boost Growth |
Technavio.” Polybutadiene Rubber Market - Rising Demand for Bio-Based Feedstock to
Boost Growth | Technavio | Business Wire, Business Wire, 19 Feb. 2018,
www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180219005141/en/Polybutadiene-Rubber-Market-
--Rising-Demand-Bio-Based.
2.5 “To Make Better Decisions, You Need to See the Big Picture.” IHS Markit, IHS Markit, 7
May 2015,
ihsmarkit.com/research-analysis/q22-impact-of-lower-oil-prices-on-the-butadiene-and-el
astomers-markets.html.
2.6. Lai, Oi-Ming, et al. “Palm Oil.” Google Books, Elsevier, 1 Sept. 2015,
books.google.com/books?id=6uRxCgAAQBAJ&dq=Palm%2BOil%3A%2BProduction
%2C%2BProcessing%2C%2BCharacterization%2C%2Band%2BUses%2Bcarotenoids&
hl=en
2.7. “Malaysian Palm Oil Industry.” Malaysian Palm Oil Industry,

www.mpoc.org.my/Malaysian_Palm_Oil_Industry.aspx.
182
$599.5 Million
June 2016,
Section 4
$599.5 Million
June 2016,
$599.5 Million
June 2016,
$599.5 Million
June 2016,
$599.5 Million
June 2016,
183
$599.5 Million
June 2016,
$599.5 Million
June 2016,
$599.5 Million
June 2016,
4.11. Carlson, Kimberly M., et al. “Effect of Oil Palm Sustainability Certification on
Deforestation and Fire in Indonesia.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 2 Jan. 2018,
www.pnas.org/content/115/1/121.
Section 5
5.1. “Dodecanedioic Acid D1009.” Sigma-Aldrich,

www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/aldrich/d1009?lang=en®ion=US&gclid=EAIaIQ
obChMI88SxybjA2gIViSSGCh2GWwB3EAAYASAAEgIIU_D_BwE.
5.2. “DC12 (Dodecanedioic Acid).” Cathay Industrial Biotech,

www.cathaybiotech.com/en/Product_d.aspx?id=34&cateid=126.
184
Section 6
6.1. Frost, John W., et al. “US9517996B2 - Purification of Polycarboxylic Acids.” Google
Patents, Google, patents.google.com/patent/US9517996.
hl=en
Section 9
$599.5 Million by 2023: Global Market Insights Inc.” GlobeNewswire News Room,
GlobeNewswire, 6 June 2016,
9.2. Rajendran, Gurusamy. “EP2407444A3 - Process for the Preparation of Dodecanedioic

Acid.” Google Patents, Google, patents.google.com/patent/EP2407444A3/en.
9.3. Rajendran, Gurusamy. “EP2407444A3 - Process for the Preparation of Dodecanedioic

Acid.” Google Patents, Google, patents.google.com/patent/EP2407444A3/en.
9.4. Welton, Donald E. “US3907883A - Process for Production of 1,12-Dodecanedioic Acid.”

Google Patents, Google,
patents.google.com/patent/US3907883A/en?q=dodecanedioic%2Bac.
9.5. Wiese, Herbert K, and Samuel B Lippincott. “US3087963A - Preparation of 1,

12-Dodecanedioic Acid.” Google Patents, Google,
patents.google.com/patent/US3087963A/en?q=dodecanedioic%2Bacid&oq=Process%2B
for%2Bthe%2Bpreparation%2Bof%2Bdodecanedioic%2Bacid.
185
Section 10
hl=en
10.4. Beardslee, Tom, and Jose Miguel Laplaza. “US9738913B2 - Biological Methods for
Preparing a Fatty Dicarboxylic Acid.” Google Patents, Google,
patents.google.com/patent/US9738913/de.
10.7. Patience, Daniel B., et al. “Crystallization of Para-Xylene in Scraped-Surface

Crystallizers.” AIChE Journal, Wiley-Blackwell, 16 Apr. 2004,
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/aic.690471108.
Section 11
11.1. Seider, W.D., J.D. Seader, D.R. Lewin, and S. Widago, “Product and Process Design
Principles”, John Wiley & Sons Inc., New Jersey, 2017.
11.2. “Malaysia Palm Oil Price:” YCharts, ycharts.com/indicators/palm_oil_price.
186
11.3. “Sugar PRICE Today | Price of Sugar and Chart | Markets Insider.” Business Insider,
Business Insider, markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/sugar-price.
11.5. “Dodecanedioic Acid Ddda.” Dodecanedioic Acid Ddda, Dodecanedioic Acid Ddda
Suppliers and Manufacturers at Alibaba.com,
www.alibaba.com/showroom/dodecanedioic-acid-ddda.html.
11.6. Wankat, Phillip C. Separation Process Engineering: Includes Mass Transfer Analysis.
Prentice Hall, 2017.
11.7. Reid R. C., Prausnitz J. M., Poling B. E., The Properties of Gases & Liquids, 4th Edition,
McGraw-Hill, 1988
Section 13
13.4. “Rotary Vacuum Drum Filter.” ALAR Engineering Corp | Water Pollution Control
Systems,
www.alarcorp.com/auto-vac.html?pmc=ppcg&_vsrefdom=ppcgoogle&ex=gy4w1x-eep5
49-1xxbat1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItu-JiMXB2gIVQ0SGCh132A7cEAAYASAAEgK3v
PD_BwE.
Section 15
15.2. Done, Brad. “304 Stainless Steel versus 316 Stainless Steel.” Bollards by Reliance
Foundry, Reliance Foundry Co. Ltd, 22 June 2017,
www.reliance-foundry.com/blog/304-vs-316-stainless-steel#gref.
187
Systems,
www.alarcorp.com/auto-vac.html.
Systems, www.alarcorp.com/auto-vac.html.
15.12. “Alfa Laval NX-418 Decanter Centrifuge.” Kyte Centrifuge LLC,

kytecentrifuge.com/products/alfa-laval-nx-418-decanter-centrifuge/.
15.13. “Industrial Centrifuge - Alfa Laval Centrifuge by Dolphin Centrifuge.” Dolphin

Centrifuge, www.dolphincentrifuge.com/.
188
Section 17
189
Section 18
Section 19
19.4. “Sugar PRICE Today | Price of Sugar and Chart | Markets Insider.” Business Insider,
Business Insider, markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/sugar-price.
190
Section 20
20.1. “S&P 500 Annual Total Return:” YCharts,

ycharts.com/indicators/sandp_500_total_return_annual.
20.2. “EVKIF Evonik Industries AG Stock Quote Price | Morningstar.” Morningstar.com,

Morningstar, Inc., www.morningstar.com/stocks/PINX/EVKIF/quote.html.
20.3. “Dow Jones Industrial Average Historical Rates.” Investing.com, Fusion Media Limited,
www.investing.com/indices/us-30-historical-data.

20.5. “Dodecanedioic Acid 693-23-2.” Made-in-China.com,
hnjzxf.en.made-in-china.com/product/YSKmbjrdlcWk/China-Dodecanedioic-Acid-693-2
3-2.html.
Section 21
21.1. “Product Safety Summary for Dodecanedioic Acid.” 31 Mar. 2016,

icca.cefic.org/Portal/SafetySummarySheets/635950300984749074_GPS%20summary%2
0for%20Dodecanedioic%20Acid_v1.0_EN.pdf.
21.2. “ENVIRONMENTAL FACTSHEET: ADIPIC ACID.” European Commission, European

Commission, Sept. 2014,
ec.europa.eu/jrc/sites/jrcsh/files/BISO-EnvSust-Bioproducts-Adipic-Acid_141031.pdf.
21.3. Carlson, Kimberly M., et al. “Effect of Oil Palm Sustainability Certification on
Deforestation and Fire in Indonesia.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 2 Jan. 2018,
www.pnas.org/content/115/1/121.
21.4. “Ethyl Acetate.” National Pollutant Inventory, www.npi.gov.au/resource/ethyl-acetate.
191
Section 25
Appendices
192
Appendix A: Sample Calculations
Fermentation Reaction Calculations
The following chemical reactions were derived using elemental balances. Certain species such as
biomass and palm oil fatty acid triglycerides were given approximated stoichiometries for the
purposes of balance simplification
Growth P athway (1) : C 6 H 12 O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H 2 O Selectivity = 0.4
Growth P athway (2) : C 6 H 12 O6 → CH 2 O Selectivity = 0.6
Production Pathways: DDDA, Sebacic acid, Suberic Acid, and Adipic Acid (Figure 10.3)
2 C 6 H 5 O6 (C 16 H 32 O2 ) 3 + 38O2 → 7C 12 H 22 O4 + 24CO2 + 24H 2 O Selectivity = 0.9
Fermentation Air Feed Calculations
Sample Calculation: 1m3 growth fermenter
Filtration Calculations
193
Drum Size:
Slurry stream 1 from section 400 has a solids flow rate of 2898.31 kg/hr. The solids are only
diacids and biomass.
2898.31 kg 6000 lb
Filter Area= solids flow rate/ capacity= hr
÷ f t2 −day
2
2898.31 kg f t −day 2.2 lb 24 hr
= hr
× 6000 lb
× kg
× day
=25.5 ft2 (round up to manufactured sizes)
Filter Area= 28.3 ft2 (diameter: 3 feet, length: 3 feet)
Batch to Continuous Transition Calculation
In order to avoid build up of volume of fermentation broth to be processed in the

continuous downstream processes, the flow rates used in the Aspen filtration report were set by
the upstream production rate. This ensured that the surge tank would not need to be much larger
than a factor larger than the size of a single batch.
Dissolution Calculations
Per patent information and solubility information outlined in Section 10, the ethyl acetate flow
rate was set to 7 times greater than the flow rate of diacids. The solubility of diacids in the
dissolution step was then calculated to ensure full solubilization of the products. The solubilities
were found to be within the accept range for the diacids at the given temperature.
Example Calculations: M-401
Fermentation Cooling Jacket Sizing & Heat Duty
194
The heat duty of all fermenters was calculated based upon the combustion of oxygen.
This calculation and information regarding the cooling utility, chilled water, was used the size
the area of the heating jacket. These heat transfer areas were compared to the internal area of the
vessels in which they were required to fit, and were confirmed in all cases to be smaller. The heat
transfer coefficient was estimated based on material to be 120 BTU/hr*ft2*F. This indicated that
additional cooling coils were not required in order to maintain the internal temperature of the
vessels. The quantity of utilities duty on each vessel was also calculated and informed utilities
calculations is Section 14.
Sample Calculations: F-103
Heating/Evaporation Calculation & Sizing
The heat duty associated with preheating and reheating liquids throughout this process
were calculated using low pressure steam. Using the flow rates of the streams being heated, their
heat capacities, and the desired temperature change across the heat exchangers, the heat duty Q
was calculated. It was assumed in all calculations that low pressure steam was fed into all heat
exchangers as saturated steam at its vapor pressure. Low pressure steam was assumed to
condense across the heat exchanger, releasing heat related to its heat of vaporization at the
specified temperature and pressure. No heat transfer losses were factored into these calculations.
Future considerations should seek to insert real-world inefficiencies into these heat transfer
calculations.
Sample Calculations: E-402
195
The evaporation units in this process were calculated similarly to the heating calculations
above, but included additional calculations to account for the required phase change across the
block. The heat transfer coefficient was estimated based on material to be 120 BTU/hr*ft2*F. A
general outline of these calculations can be seen below.
Sample Calculations: E-401

Water Evap= 1088 kg/hr = 60422 mol/hr Q=33145 kJ/hr= 9.21 kW
Liquid heating Total Q= 771 kW=2630723 BTU/hr

inlet temp= 37 C
outlet temp= 100 C T hot in= 186 C=336.8 F
Q=286256.32 kJ/hr=79.52 kW T hot out= 163 C= 325.4 F
T cold in= 37 C=98.6 F
Vaporization T cold out= 115 C=239 F
Q= 245616.33 kJ/hr= 682.27 kW LMTD= 172.6 F
Gas Heating U= 120 BTU/hr-ft2-F

inlet temp= 100 C Q=U*A*LMTD
outlet temp= 115 C A=127 ft2
Conveyor Belt Sizing Calculations
The need to feed solid materials at points throughout this process requires the sizing of
conveyor belts for materials transport. The volumetric flow rate of materials was used to find the
required length and width of these pieces of equipment. This informed later costing analysis
Edition, by Seider, Seader.
using Process Design Principles 3rd
196
Sample Calculation: CB-401
Appendix B: Excel, Aspen Plus Input Summary, Block Report, and Stream Reports
Fermentation Excel Spreadsheet
197
198
199
Filtration Flowsheet
200
Filtration Input Summary
201
202
203
204
205
Filtration Block Report
206
207
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Crystallization Flowsheet
257
Crystallization Input Summary
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
Crystallization Block Report
265
266
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270
271
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Appendix C: Material Safety Data Sheets
This appendix contains MSDS forms for all major materials in our process. They are in
the following order:
● Palm Oil
● Glucose
● DDDA
● Sebacic Acid
● Suberic Acid
● Adipic Acid
● Ethyl Acetate
355
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University of Pennsylvania

Bio-Dodecanedioic Acid (DDDA) Production

Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/cbe_sdr

This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/cbe_sdr/100

This working paper is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/cbe_sdr/100

Brandon Mills Meghavi Talati Greg Winter

Bio-Dodecanedioic Acid (DDDA) Production

Senior Design Project, 459

Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

School of Engineering and Applied Science

April 17, 2018

Table 10.1: Diacid Melting

Figures & Process Flow Diagrams

Figure 4.1: Global DDDA Market, by Product, 2012-2022……………………………………..17

feedstock. This proposed process outlines a biologically-sourced alternative to conventional

Introduction & Objective Time Chart

grow by approximately 6% through 2023.​2.2

DDDA’s conventional synthesis pathway requires butadiene. Butadiene is first converted

to cyclododecatriene through a cyclotrimerization process. Additional multi-step chemical

as a coproduct of ethylene, another major petrochemical product.​2.3​ Therefore, trends in

petrochemical product markets, such as softening demand in automotive-ethylene markets

compared to the rubber-butadiene markets, result in constant supply imbalances. Additionally,

viable industrial alternative

This project proposes a Malaysian-based plant using fermentation processes to produce

pathway is discussed in greater detail in Section 10.2.

extract added value from existing agricultural development.

biosynthesis pathway addresses include flexible production, food vs. fuel/bio-materials

consumed by humans to be strategically utilized. This further enables low-value byproducts of

use of fossil resources.

continuous downstream separation and processing.

Project Leaders Meghavi Talati, Greg Winter, Brandon Mills

Project Scope In-scope:

● Procurement of genetically engineering yeast strain

Deliverables Business Opportunity Assessment

● Examine the market for DDDA

Manufacturing Capability Assessment:

● Is the capital investment for plant development/construction

Market and Competitive Analysis

production on a mass basis in 2015.​4.3

Global DDDA Market, by Product, 2012-2022 (Kilotons)

Figure 4.1: DDDA market size and growth projections

construction and automobile industries in emerging markets.​4.4

as the location of the plant described in this project.

Trends toward environmentally-conscious manufacturing practices have emerged within

to be both economically favorable, as well as forward-thinking in regards to regulatory

constraints. The first-mover advantage in regards to sustainably-sourced DDDA can be expected

to be of much interest within this market sector in near future.

reliable and secure feedstock in decades to come.

production route also have product purity near 100%.

crystallization operation, which is seen in Figure 12.7 - Section 500

Another general customer consideration includes the sustainability of DDDA. The

traditional butadiene process does.

Critical-to-quality (CTQ) Variables

Patented information demonstrates the optimal fermentation conditions to be roughly 37

separate DDDA from unwanted byproducts.

Maintaining pH is also extremely important in the fermentation process, as yeast strains

Section 6.3: Ethyl Acetate Recycle

Downstream crystallization vessels are optimized with design specifications. These

Section 6.4: Filtration

steps to recover the optimal amount of DDDA.

grow by approximately 6% through 2023.2.2

as a coproduct of ethylene, another major petrochemical product.2.3 Therefore, trends in

production on a mass basis in 2015.4.3

construction and automobile industries in emerging markets.4.4

of specificity surrounding conversion to an individual diacid.10.4 Through inhibition of

a single diacid product with a specificity of upwards of 90%.10.5

information to be relatively evenly distributed.10.6 It is important to note that the production of

Diacid Melting Point [°C]

Stream 28 continues to the diacid dryer, where it is at a temperature of 115°C and