Comparison of process technologies for chitosan production from shrimp shell waste: A techno-economic approach using Aspen Plus®

Techno-economic analyses for two different processing methods for chitosan production from shrimp shell waste were performed. Experimental lab-scale data that included the shrimp shell waste characterization as well as plant process simulated data were used for the techno-economic comparison of the processes. All the simulations were carried out in the Aspen Plus software. The economic assessment was made in terms of profitability, production costs, net present value, internal rate of return and payback. Both studied processes were found to be profitable and cost-competitive in the geographic regional context, with a mean gross margin of 70% and mean internal rate of return of 25.5%. (C) 2017 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.