Simulation and technical analysis of an industrial-scalechitosan production process using computer-aided engineering

This work aims to simulate and analyze a topology to produce chitosan from shrimp exoskeletons using computer-aided engineering. To achieve this, the commercial simulator Aspen Plus was used to replicate a block diagram based on representative data from the literature and experimental analyses. The simulation resulted in a process that produces 12,152 tons/year of chitosan from 57,000 tons/year of shrimp exoskeletons. Additionally, the simulation was validated by comparing the properties of the chitosan obtained with those reported in the literature. This validation yielded positive results, showing an accuracy above 88%, indicating that the assumptions made for the simulation were appropriate. Furthermore, the technical analysis showed that the process has a significant yield of 210.1 g per kilogram of raw material, along with a considerable technical efficiency of 63.4%. This value suggests that the process efficiently produces chitosan; however, there is still potential for improvement to increase its productivity.