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%.