Process Simulation and Economic Analysis of Rhamnolipid Production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Using Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch as Substrate

Surfactants are amphiphilic molecules that have been used in widely used as emulsifier and cleaning agent in various industries. These broad industrial applications made the global surfactant production increased annually. In 2020, the amount of global surfactant production estimated would reach more than 24 million per year. However, the currently used surfactants are synthetically produced from chemical or petroleum-derived products, so it is often toxic and non-biodegradable. Rhamnolipids are “surfactant like” molecules produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which could be alternatives for more environmentally friendly surfactants. The use of rhamnolipids is quite limited due to its expensive production cost. The production cost of rhamnolipid could be reduced using by agro-industrial by-product as a substrate. One of the abundant agro-industrial by-products in Indonesia that can be used as a substrate for rhamnolipid production is Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB). This study employed SuperPro Designer v9.5 to performed process simulation and economic assessment of rhamnolipid production using OPEFB as a substrate through two different purification methods, which are solvent extraction and chromatography adsorption. Based on the process simulation that has been done, the process that used adsorption chromatography purification methods more efficient in terms of the usage of the feedstock and energy. The economic assessment also showed that these methods were more profitable and economically attractive, with the value of NPV 11.400.000 USD, IRR 11,64%, and Payback Period 6,21 years.