Optimal integrated plant for renewable surfactants production from manure and CO2

Abstract

[EN]An integrated facility to produce surfactants from manure and CO2 is conceptually designed avoiding the use of external chemicals. Cow and pig manure is anaerobically digested to produce biogas and digestate. The biogas is used to produce hydrogen via reforming. The digestate provides the nutrients for algae growing. From the algae, lipids and starch are extracted and broken down to produce oil, and glucose. Finally, the alkyl polyglucoside surfactant (APG) is produced from hydrogenated oil and glucose. The yield of the facility reaches 0.08 kgAPG/kgmanure (0.47 kgAPG/kgalgae). A facility of 252 kt/yr of APG, consumes 17.7 MW of thermal energy and steam and 7.9 MW of electricity, capturing 788 kt/yr of CO2. The investment adds up to 196 M€ with a production cost of 0.17€/kgAPG. A scale down study is also developed. Current market price of APG can be achieved processing the waste of over 1.4 k cows and 11.4 k pigs.