Economic study on biohydrogen production from liquid pineapple waste

Abstract

Biohydrogen possesses similar benefits as the other types of biofuels in terms of its capability to reduce fossil fuel dependency and greenhouse gas emission. This work investigates the economic potential of biohydrogen production using liquid pineapple waste as the feedstock. The economic assessment conducted includes total production cost, total annual sales, annual profit analysis, and cash flow analysis focusing on biohydrogen production via integrated dark and photo fermentation. The estimated Total Capital Investment involved in the production of 3000 metric tonnes of biohydrogen annually from liquid pineapple waste is RM114,994,456 with the net annual profit after tax of RM68,659,386. The plant would operate for 20 years with a depreciation of 10%. For 0% undiscounted cash flow, the payback period is 5.25 years while the expected rate of return is 68%. The economic analysis presented in this work supports the economic feasibility of biohydrogen production from liquid pineapple waste in large scale making it more desirable as another important player in achieving circular economy.