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Gregory Stephanopoulos. Shin, Jieun, S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Technology and Policy Program. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Data, Systems, and Society Technology and Policy Program 2018-04-27T18:10:49Z 2018-04-27T18:10:49Z 2017 2017 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115031 1031850345 Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Engineering, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Technology and Policy Program, 2017. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 77-82). This thesis assesses the economic viability and commercial potential of a lab-scale microbial technology to produce lactic acid (LA), which was developed as a novel technology option for organic waste treatment. Among various available technologies for the separation and purification of LA, the method of esterification-hydrolysis with reactive distillation was selected for this assessment. The process from organic waste to high-purity LA was designed and modeled using Aspen Plus, from which material and energy balances, equipment costs, and utility costs were derived. An economic performance assessment model was developed to estimate capital and operating expenses as well as net present value (NPV), for evaluating the economic feasibility under various scenarios. Monte Carlo techniques were incorporated into the model to take into account the effect of identified uncertainties on the economic performance, which generates distribution profiles rather than single-value estimates. The baseline NPV for polymer-grade LA (99%) production was estimated to be USD 1.95 million in the U.S. and USD 1.31 million in India. Even though the estimated capital and operating expenses are much lower in India, the process was found to be less profitable than in the U.S. The main reason for this is because landfill tipping fees cannot be relied on as a stable revenue source in India. Moreover, two other applications, which this technology could be potentially commercialized for, were also evaluated using the developed models, and the economic performance of each application was compared. Finally, this thesis proposes a Technology Commercialization Assessment Matrix (TCAM), based on the results and insights gained from the assessment conducted. by Jieun Shin. S.M. in Technology and Policy 82 pages eng Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. Engineering Systems Division. Technology and Policy Program. Biological conversion of organic municipal solid waste to lactic acid : a techno-economic performance assessment study for commercialization Thesis application/pdf false Publication unknown unknown <Publication xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/1.1/" id="bfb5bf71-47b1-4a03-80c1-3f8e93275f36"> <Type xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/vocab/COAR_Publication_Types">http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_1843</Type> <Language>eng</Language> <Title>Biological conversion of organic municipal solid waste to lactic acid : a techno-economic performance assessment study for commercialization</Title> <PublishedIn> <Publication> </Publication> </PublishedIn> <PublicationDate>2017</PublicationDate> <Authors> <Author> <DisplayName>Shin, Jieun, S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology</DisplayName> <Affiliation> <OrgUnit> </OrgUnit> </Affiliation> </Author> </Authors> <Editors> </Editors> <Publishers> <Publisher> <DisplayName>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</DisplayName> <OrgUnit /> </Publisher> </Publishers> <License>http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582</License> <Keyword>Institute for Data, Systems, and Society.</Keyword> <Keyword>Engineering Systems Division.</Keyword> <Keyword>Technology and Policy Program.</Keyword> <Abstract>This thesis assesses the economic viability and commercial potential of a lab-scale microbial technology to produce lactic acid (LA), which was developed as a novel technology option for organic waste treatment. Among various available technologies for the separation and purification of LA, the method of esterification-hydrolysis with reactive distillation was selected for this assessment. The process from organic waste to high-purity LA was designed and modeled using Aspen Plus, from which material and energy balances, equipment costs, and utility costs were derived. An economic performance assessment model was developed to estimate capital and operating expenses as well as net present value (NPV), for evaluating the economic feasibility under various scenarios. Monte Carlo techniques were incorporated into the model to take into account the effect of identified uncertainties on the economic performance, which generates distribution profiles rather than single-value estimates. The baseline NPV for polymer-grade LA (99%) production was estimated to be USD 1.95 million in the U.S. and USD 1.31 million in India. Even though the estimated capital and operating expenses are much lower in India, the process was found to be less profitable than in the U.S. The main reason for this is because landfill tipping fees cannot be relied on as a stable revenue source in India. Moreover, two other applications, which this technology could be potentially commercialized for, were also evaluated using the developed models, and the economic performance of each application was compared. Finally, this thesis proposes a Technology Commercialization Assessment Matrix (TCAM), based on the results and insights gained from the assessment conducted.</Abstract> <Access xmlns="http://purl.org/coar/access_right" > </Access> </Publication>