Resveratrol-based compounds, found in natural plants such as pistachio (Pistacia vera), polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed), and grapes (Vitis vinifera) have recently been gaining recognition for their unique performance characteristics when polymerized. Resveratrol, a bioactive compound containing pharmacokinetic properties such as anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities, has been wildly used and purified for nutritional and/or health purposes. Large-scale production facilities for resveratrol are scarce and are often too costly for commodity production of a biopolymer monomer. In this study, a process simulation model for a plant-based biomanufacturing facility utilizing Polygonum cuspidatum to produce resveratrol will be presented utilizing a computer-aided process design software, SuperPro Designer®. Plant-based biomanufacturing of resveratrol and other biopolymer monomers is a novel platform with a small number of commercial-scale facilities but offers advantages of reduced upstream complexity and potentially lower capital and operational costs compared with alternative routes such as chemical synthesis and microbial fermentation. The model will be designed for a base case scenario of ~100 MT/year of resveratrol using current production technologies. Outputs from this model will include capital costs (CAPEX), operating costs (OPEX), cost of goods sold (COGS) for the base case scenario. The simulation model will enable comparisons with alternative scalable processes such as recovery from plant/agricultural waste streams (e.g. wine, coffee, etc.), plant cell culture, and transgenic plants grown in a variety of systems.

Techno-economic analysis of a plant-based platform for resveratrol production

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.