Techno-economic and environmental impact analysis of integrated biodiesel production and tocopherol separation from rapeseed oil deodorizer distillate

As the demand for sustainable energy and the importance of tocopherol increase, this study investigates the large-scale process model, economic analysis, optimum profitability scenario, and life cycle assessment of an integrated biodiesel production and tocopherol separation process using rapeseed oil deodorizer distillate. The primary objective is to evaluate the economic and environmental sustainability of this integrated approach. A large-scale process model was developed based on experimental data from the literature, and comprehensive assessments of technical and economic performance, minimum selling price, sensitivity analysis, and life cycle impact were conducted. This study demonstrates significant positive economic impacts, including an 18.04 % return on investment, a 5.54-year payback period, a 19.92 % internal rate of return, and a net present value of 21,876,000 USD at a 10 % discount rate. The minimum selling price of biodiesel and tocopherol is 0.67 and 20.07 US$/kg, respectively. Sensitivity analysis was performed considering variations in the prices of rapeseed oil deodorizer distillate, catalyst, biodiesel, and tocopherol. The environmental impact assessment revealed a global warming potential of 0.308 kg CO2 eq per kg of biodiesel (well-to-wheel). The integrated process shows a lower minimum selling price and global warming potential.