Abstract:
Orange-juice production represents a significant, world-leading economic sector in Brazil. Orange processing residues, however, correspond to 50% to 60% of the in natura fruit mass. Despite the high amount of generated waste, which is disposed of in landfills or used as raw material to produce low-value animal feed, studies on the use of this waste are still developing in Brazil. However, orange peels contain compounds that can be precursors to higher value-added products in different sectors. Therefore, this study presents a conceptual proposal for a biorefinery integrated into the orange-juice-production route to assess integrated processes’ technical, environmental, and economic performance to convert waste into chemicals, fuels, and energy. A stationary process simulation model was developed to analyze the manufacturing of four products, namely, D-limonene, pectin, biomethane, and electricity, comparing the results to the conventional feed production route according to generated revenue and environmental impacts. The results indicate that pectin production is the highest financial-return route, presenting the most significant environmental impact, whereas D-limonene production is more attractive, generating the second-highest revenue with the lowest associated environmental impacts.
Referência:
SUZUKI, Lorrayne Lins; CUNHA, Isadora Luiza Clímaco; TEIXEIRA, Cláudia Echevenguá; KULAY, Luiz; SANTOS, Moisés Teles dos. The modeling and simulation of waste recovery processes applied to the Orange juice industry. Sustainability, v.15, 15225, 19p., 2023.
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