PROPOSED PLANT FOR CITRIC ACID PRODUCTION FROM BANANA

PEELS THROUGH SOLID STATE FERMENTATION

A Project Study Presented to the Faculty of the

College of Engineering and Technology of
University of St. La Salle
Bacolod City

In partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in
Chemical Engineering

ABONG, GIANNA CLOE

DEVELOS, CIARA COLEEN
JIMENEA, YSABELLE THERESE
TAMBOLERO, MARIELLE EDEN
TORRES, KIMBERLY JOY
YEMA, KAREN MAE

December 13, 2018

 CHAPTER 1

MARKET STUDY

The surge in the demand for citric acid in the Philippines brought about by the growth of

many industries such as food and beverage justifies the need to propose a local citric acid

manufacturing plant. The researchers’ objective is to produce citric acid from banana peels

through solid state fermentation.

1.1 Product Description

Citric acid (2-hydroxypropane-1, 2,3-tricarboxylicacid, C6H8O7 ) is a white or translucent

solid with a molecular weight of 192.12. At the end of nineteenth century, it has been known as a

natural plant substance as it occurs as a constituent in citron, lime, pineapple, pear, peach and

similar fruits (King and Cheetam, 1987). Citric acid exists in two forms: colorless crystals in the

monohydrate form and white crystalline powder in anhydrous state. It has a refractive index of

1.493 to 1.509 and sinks in water with a specific gravity of 1.5420. It melts at 153°C, but

decomposes at 175°C before it reaches vapor state. It is freely soluble in water and has relatively

low dissociation constants. It may be rapidly degraded in sewage works, surface water and soil.

It is also readily biodegradable. It may also be oxidized by common oxidizing agents such as

hydrogen peroxide. Presently, citric acid is not judged as a potentially hazardous substance to the

environment (IPCS, 2001).

Citric acid is a natural preservative and a mild acidulant which makes it useful in various

industries. In the food and beverage industry, it is used to flavor fruit juices, candy ice cream,

and marmalade. It also gives the characteristic sour taste of beverages. In the pharmaceutical

industry, citric acid is used as a preservative for stored blood, tablets, ointments, and cosmetic
preparations. It also acts as an anti-oxidant and bacterial inhabitant. Citric acid is also used, in a

much smaller scale, as citrate buffering of whole blood samples for transfusion and acts as an

anticoagulant in glucose solution to prevent blood clotting. In the chemical industry, it is used as

an antifoam agent and for the treatment of textiles (Kuforiji, 2010). Moreover, it is a strong

chelating agent which it makes it useful in cleaning boilers, evaporators and other plant

equipment. (Majumder, et al., 2010)

1.2 Product Demand

The global citric acid market spans across the regions of North America, Asia Pacific,

Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is the largest market for citric

acid. The expanding food industry which makes extensive use of citric acid, growing acceptance

of carbonated beverages and processed foods are driving the growth of the citric acid market in

the Asia Pacific. China is one of the major contributors to the Asia Pacific market and held a

substantial share of the global market in 2017. Comparatively low cost of production, the growth

of end-user industries such as cosmetics and personal care, pharmaceuticals, and home care are

also stimulating the growth of the global citric market. By 2023, the global citric acid market is

projected to reach USD 3.2 billion and is expected to witness a CAGR of 5.1% during the

forecast period (2018-2023).

In the Philippines, about 30 manufacturing plants use citric acid as key ingredient in their

products. From 2012 to 2015, average local annual demand of citric acid accounted to about 10

million kilograms which was all supplied by imports.

Table 1. Yearly citric acid imports in the Philippines according to the Philippine Statistics

Authority

Year Imports, kg

2012 11,478,834

2013 9,736,633

2014 9,761,184

2015 9,313,540.56

Average: 10,072,547.89

1.3 Product Supply

Overall production, including the U.S. and other countries (Irish Republic, Nigeria,

Taiwan, Argentina), takes about 30% of the world citric acid production. In Asia, China is the

largest single participant in the citric acid and citrates market, accounting for 59% of world

production in 2015. In that year, China had exported 824 million kg citric acid, a 3% increase in

volume compared to the previous year, and was valued $641 million.

In the Philippines, there are only a number of citric acid production plants present.

However, their production capacity is too low that it is deemed insignificant to have a

meaningful impact on the country’s supply. Because of this, industries import citric acid from

other countries like China, Brazil, and Austria. China being the market leader importing

9,076,132.19 kg of citric acid in 2015.

1.4 Demand – Supply Analysis`

As mentioned in the product demand, an average need of about 10 million kilograms of

citric acid in the Philippines was observed from 2012 to 2015. At present, there is no significant

citric acid manufacturing plant in the Philippines. The proposed plant will produce 951,727.68

kilograms of citric acid per year contributing to about 9.45% of the demand in the market.

Year after year, the gap between citric acid demand and production widens. Through this

proposed plant, the market gap will be cut down to 9,065,293.11 kilograms per year.

1.5 Price Study

According to the Customs Watch 2014-2015, local importers specifically Pepsi Cola Far

East Trade Dev Co paid Php 107.74 including taxes. Through this proposed plant, duty tax and

other added costs like transportation is eliminated giving a more affordable price for local

industries and therefore increasing sales and revenue.

Table 2. Price of citric acid from local importers

Local Importer Price, Php/kg

Pepsi Cola Far East Trade Dev

Co 107.74
Rudolf Lietz Inc.
82.69
Hi-q Commercial Inc.
77.76
Coca Cola Bottlers Philippines
Inc 53.9
The Coca-cola Export
‘ Coroporation 53.82

Average:
75.18
 The proposed plant came up with the price of Php75.18/kilogram of citric acid based on

the average price 5 local importers were willing to pay. With this, a cheaper and reasonable price

for citric acid is offered.

Marketing Program

The marketing program for citric acid from banana peels will focus on the following:

1. Offer a much cheaper price in the Philippine market for local importers;

2. Be the market leader not only in local food and beverage industries but also others as

well;

3. Concentrate on local distributors and traders as one target for market;

4. Organize face-to-face meetings between researchers, clients, and industries, and;

5. Build long-term business relationships

Equipment Design and Specification

Mill

Function: Size Reduction of Raw Material

Capacity: 1000 – 16000 kg/hr

No. of Units:1

Type: Hammer Mill

Brand: Type 4-10 Hammer Mills by Pallmann

In-Feed Opening: 330-1000mm

Rotor Diameter: 400mm

Rotor Width: 1000mm

Motor: 45-75kW

Type of Material: Stainless Steel

Fermenter

Function: Production of Citric Acid by Solid State Fermentation

Capacity: 6000-9000 kg/hr

No. of Units:1

Type:

Brand:

Type of Material: Stainless Steel

Filter

Function: To separate the mycelia mat and other suspended solids from the broth

Capacity: 6000-9000 kg/hr

 No. of Units:1

Type: Rotary Vacuum Filter

Brand: Xinhai

` Type of Material: Stainless Steel

Motor power: 1.5

Gauge pressure: 0.1-0.3 kg/cm^2

Filter cake moisture: 8-11%

Cylinder rotating speed: 0.5-2 rad/min

Evaporator

Function: To concentrate the solution to the saturation point of citric acid

Capacity: 3600-15000 kg/hr

No. of Units: 1

Type: Triple Effect Falling Film Evaporator

Brand:

Type of Material: Stainless Steel

Simulated Moving Bed

Function: To isolate high purity citric acid from fermentation broth

Operating Temperature: 80C

Eluent: Water

Resin: 4-vinylpyridine

Adsorbent: Tertiary poly(4-vinylpyridine, PVP) resin

Resin particle size: 250-350 microns

Crystallizer

Function: To produce crystals from a supersaturated solution of citric acid

Capacity: 700-1000kg/hr

No. of Units:1

Type: Forced Circulation Crystallizer

Internal Diameter: 1.1156m

Vessel Height: 3.0574m

Shell Thickness: 5mm

Cone Thickness; 4.1006mm

Type of Material: Stainless Steel

Centrifuge

Function: To separate citric acid crystals from the magma

Capacity: 450-920 kg/hr

No. of Units:1

Type: Basket Centrifuge

Brand: Zhongyi

Power: 7.5kW-11kW

Dimensions: 1750x1250x1180 mm

Material: Stainless Steel

Dryer

Function: To dry the wet crystals to 0.5% moisture as the final product

Capacity: 3000-5000 kg/hr

 No. of Units:1

Type: Rotary Dryer

Brand: Yufeng

Final water: 0.5%

Initial moisture: 17-23%

Total power: 57 kW

IER

Function: To remove ionic colorants, producing a much pure product

Capacity: 2-30 tons/hr

No. of Units: 1

Diameter: 0.2 - 1.2 m

Resin Type:Acrylic and Styrenic Resin

Brand: AmberLite

Temperature: 80C

Minimum bed depth: 1000mm

Service flow rate: 2-4 bed volumes/hr

Typical cyle time: 24-72 hrs