Techno-economic analysis and scale-up process simulation of compost production from OPEFB using rapid decomposition system (RDS) technology with SuperPro Designer®
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22302/iribb.jur.mp.v93i2.677Keywords:
Feasibility, organic fertilizer, palm oil biomass, rapid composting, software simulationAbstract
Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) are biomass waste from oil palm mills (POM) that are abundant and potential as feedstock for compost. However, the conventional composting process for OPEFB is time-consuming and inefficient. A Rapid Decomposition System (RDS) technology has been developed to accelerate the decomposition of OPEFB into compost, utilising microorganisms that produce ligninolytic and cellulase enzymes. RDS combines chemical delignification (using H₂O₂) and biological processes simultaneously, which significantly reduces the composting period (generally 2–3 months to only about 45 h per batch), while also producing valuable by-products such as fulvic acid and growth stimulating hormone (GSH). The system can reduce OPEFB volume, thereby improving efficiency and sustainability. This study aims to simulate the scale-up of the RDS compost production process from OPEFB and financial feasibility. A simulation production of 5 kg of RDS compost at a larger scale (scale-up) using SuperPro Designer® software has been conducted. The results showed that 100 kg of OPEFB could produce 32.67 kg of RDS compost with a process time of 45.01 hours per batch. The financial scenario, which covers the main product (compost) and by-products (GSH and fulvic acid), yields a gross margin of 55%, a return on investment (ROI) of 68.67%, and a payback period of 1.46 years. The techno-economic feasibility analysis yielded an internal rate of return (IRR) of 41.08% and a nett present value (NPV) of $24,743,000, indicating that this technology is feasible and profitable for scaling up to industrial scale.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Silva Latisya, Firda Dimawarnita, Yora Faramitha, Mujahidah Kamilah, Serarifi Elagin Harahap, Didiek Hadjar Goenadi
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