Prarancangan Pabrik γ-Valerolactone (Gvl) dari Ampas Tebu dengan Kapasitas 15.244 Ton/Tahun

Abstract

Energy derived from biomass has many advantages, such as abundant sources and affordable prices. Biomass waste can be used for the production of high-value fuels and chemicals. One potential fuel is γ-valerolactone (GVL), which is stable, has a high boiling point, and is low in toxicity. The γ-valerolactone (GVL) plant, made from bagasse as raw material, is designed with a capacity of 15,244 tons/year and an operating time of 330 days per year. The raw materials required are 160,907.54 tons per year. In this design, γ-valerolactone (GVL) is produced through several processes, namely pretreatment carried out using steam explosion and continued delignification to remove existing lignin levels, followed by the process of hydrolysis, dehydration, and hydration of cellulose, which produces levulinic acid, formic acid, and humin. This process uses a CSTR with the help of an acid chloride catalyst. The reaction is carried out at a pressure of 1 atm and a temperature of 180°C. The levulinic acid will then be fed into a hydrogenation reactor to produce GVL and water. This process operates in FBR at 180 °C, and H2 is fed at 3 MPa pressure with the help of Ru/C heterogeneous catalyst. The water formed is separated using a flash drum to obtain γ-valerolactone (GVL) with a purity of 94% with a production amount of 15,244 tons per year. This plant is planned to be built in Glenmore District, Banyuwangi Regency, East Java Province, with a total land area of 42 hectares. The number of employees required is 144 people. The results of the economic analysis show that the net sales profit is Rp. 390,077,891,208.36. The rate of return on investment (ROI) is 18.39%. Pay out time (POT) is 4.88 years. Thus, the break-even point (BEP) reached 41.81%. Based on the economic evaluation, the γ-valerolactone (GVL) plant with a production capacity of 15,244 tons per year is feasible to build.