What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to evaluate the exergy efficiency and economic viability of different biorefinery schemes using agricultural waste.

February 10, 2026Open Access

Exergetic and Economic Analysis of Three Multi-Product Biorefinery Schemes for the Valorization of Agricultural Wastes: A Case Study of Colombia

Key Points

This study aims to evaluate the exergy efficiency and economic viability of different biorefinery schemes using agricultural waste.
Conducted design and simulation of biorefinery processes using corn stover as feedstock.
Performed exergetic analysis using Aspen Plus V10® for mass and energy balances.
Utilized Aspen Process Economic Analyzer (APEA) V10® to assess economic indicators across three scenarios.
Exergy efficiencies were 60.1% for SCE01, 36.8% for SCE02, and 37.5% for SCE03.
SCE03 had the highest economic viability, with an IRR of 28.01% and an NPV of USD 985.1 million.
All scenarios demonstrated favorable economic parameters, highlighting the investment potential in lignocellulosic valorization.

Abstract

Colombia generates large volumes of lignocellulosic residues from agriculture, forestry, and agro-industrial activities. Much of this material is landfilled, openly burned, or left to decompose. These practices drive greenhouse-gas emissions (methane and CO2), particulate air pollution, water contamination, and pest proliferation. Therefore, this study focuses on the design, simulation, exergetic and economic analysis of lignocellulosic biorefinery schemes in Colombia using corn stover (CS) as feedstock. This approach thus turns an environmental liability into valuable resources. Mass and energy balances obtained from Aspen Plus V10® were used to calculate exergy efficiency. Economic indicators were provided by the Aspen Process Economic Analyzer (APEA) V10® software. The first scenario (SCE01) included xylitol, lignin, carbon dioxide, biogas, and biofertilizer production along with in situ ethanol co-production; for scenario 2 (SCE02), a cogeneration (CHP) stage using biogas and biofertilizer as fuel was added; in scenario 3 (SCE03), the ethanol production of scenarios 1 and 2 was replaced by glutamic acid production. The exergy efficiency results were as follows: SCE01 (60.1%), SCE02 (36.8%), SCE03 (37.5%). The largest exergy losses were found in the CHP system. In terms of economic viability, all scenarios showed favorable economic parameters. SCE03 showed better results with an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 28.01% and a Net Present Value (NPV) of USD 985.1 M compared to SCE01 (27.48%; USD 769.1 M) and SCE02 (27.13%; USD 643.1 M). In light of these results, the SCE03 approach represents the most attractive investment opportunity, with the potential to integrate the social and environmental pillars of sustainability by fostering rural economic development and CO2 capture. Optimization strategies can be readily adopted to enhance the overall efficiency of the proposed model, enabling it to serve as a benchmark for scaling and comparing alternative lignocellulosic waste valorization pathways at a national level.

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