(626j) Production of Fumaric Acid In Fermentation by Rhizopus Oryzae: Process Design and Economic Analysis

The production of fumaric acid from renewable resources by fungal fermentation has received much attention due to its extensive applications in polymer, medicine and food industries and the rapidly increased production cost of petroleum-based chemicals. However, current fungal fermentation process suffers from low product yield and productivity mainly due to difficulties in controlling cell morphology and mass transfer during fermentation in conventional stirred-tank bioreactors. By optimizing the seed culture and fermentation conditions, we achieved a product yield of ~80% (w/w), productivity of ~0.9 g/L·h, and product titer of ~64 g/L from glucose in batch fermentation with Rhizopus oryzae.  Based on these results, process scale-up design and economic analysis were performed using SuperPro Designer. For a plant with annual production of 30,000 tons fumaric acid, three fermenters each with a volume of ~1,350 m³ running in staggered mode would be required. The product cost is estimated at $1.36/kg. With the projected capital investment of ~$75 million and annual revenue of $64 million based on the current market price of $2.2/kg for the petroleum-based fumaric acid, the payback time would be 3.57 years (return on investment of 28%). This study suggested that the fermentation route for the bio-based fumaric acid would be economically competitive and could replace current petroleum-based chemical synthesis method.