Supercritical fluid extraction of astaxanthin-rich extracts from Haematococcus pluvialis: Economic assessment

The study evaluated the techno-economic feasibility of an industrial SFE plant to produce astaxanthin-rich extracts in Chile based on previously published data. A kinetic study comparing two solvent flow rates (3.62 and 7.24 g/min) at a scale production of 2 × 10 L showed the FER period as the more economically feasible with a cost of manufacturing (COM) of US$ 656.31/kg at 7.24 g/min. The study also demonstrated that the extraction times used at a laboratory scale were not industrially feasible due to the flowrate limits of industrial pumps. After adjusting extraction time to real industrial conditions, the results demonstrated that a 5-fold scale increase (2 × 10 L to 2 × 50 L) decreased the COM by 30 % and the process was profitable at all production scales. Finally, the sensitivity study demonstrated that it is possible to reduce the selling price by 25 % at 2 × 50 L scale.