99%pure

80 ppm Tin (IV) Oxide

Process Innovation

Revenue per Year

Rate of Return

Payback Period

100%Biodegradable

1,768 TJ/yr Recovered

2.6M tonnes/yrEffluent

Gautam Chintapenta, Melissa Lehner, Emma-Claire Njiki, Manisha Walia, Sariel Wang, Zi (Iris) Wang, Ophela Zhang

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering - Group B6____________________________________________

Polylactic Acid (PLA) Plastics from Sugarcane Bagasse

IntroductionProduction of food-safe polylacticacid (PLA) through upcycling ofsugarcane bagasse.

Simultaneous Saccharification andFermentation

Hanoi,Vietnam

265 kT farmwaste diverted

31.5 kT PLAproduced

Lactide Synthesis

$163M 16% 8 yrs

99.7%↓ than feedstock incineration28%↓ than polypropylene production

Environmental

Economic

Combined hydrolysis andfermentation: reduces costSugars instantly consumed:decreases cellulase inhibitionB. coagulans utilizes bothglucose & xylose: high yieldB. coagulans produces onlyL-lactic acid: optically pure

$66MCAPEX

$144M OPEX