Experimental optimization and techno-economic analysis of bioethanol production by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process using sugarcane straw

[Display omitted] •Pre-saccharification (PS) followed by SSF as a strategy for ethanol production.•A trade-off between yield and productivity found through desirability function.•Ethanol concentration of 5.7% w/w obtained in 45 h of total processing time.•A global yield of 290 L of ethanol/ton of pretreated sugarcane straw achieved.•Techno-economic analysis showed a room for advance towards the process viability. The present work aims to determine a suitable yield-productivity balance in bioethanol production from hydrothermally pretreated sugarcane straw via pre-saccharification (PS) and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). PS experiments were carried out evaluating effects of enzymatic dosage, biomass loading, and PS time. The performance of the whole process (PSSSF) was evaluated based on overall ethanol yield and productivity considering a simultaneous optimization (desirability function) of both variables. The multi-criteria optimization enabled to reach 5.7% w/w ethanol concentration yielding 290 L of ethanol per ton of pretreated sugarcane straw within 45 h of total processing time. Furthermore, a techno-economic analysis was performed under optimized conditions (14.5 FPU/gcellulose, 19.3% w/v biomass loading and 33 h PS time). This process was integrated into a first-generation plant. Although the economic evaluation exhibited a negative performance, a sensitivity analysis indicated that a decrease of 23.3% in operational expenditure would be enough to achieve feasibility.