Capacity‐Based Scale‐Up and Economic Evaluation of Solvent‐Aided Biodiesel Purification

ABSTRACT

Solvent‐aided crystallization (SAC) enables selective removal of glycerol‐rich and polar impurities during biodiesel purification without wastewater generation. However, its economic feasibility beyond laboratory scale has not been fully quantified. This study presents a stage‐bounded techno‐economic analysis of an ethyl acetate‐based SAC system, grounded in experimental data from a 10 L batch unit and scaled up to 50, 100, and 500 L using established capacity‐scaling methodologies. The unit purification cost (UPC) at laboratory scale is RM 6.40 L ⁻¹ , primarily influenced by labor and capital recovery. Scale‐up demonstrates strong economies of scale, reducing UPC to RM 1.68, 1.04, and 0.38 L ⁻¹ at 50, 100, and 500 L, respectively. Sensitivity analysis identifies electricity price and labor allocation as dominant cost drivers. Comparative assessment indicates that upscaled SAC achieves competitive or lower costs than water and dry washing while eliminating wastewater generation.