Integrated techno-economic and life cycle assessment of 3-hydroxypropionic acid bioproduction from a...

The economic and environmental costs of petroleum-derived acrylic acid motivate the search for bio-based alternatives. This study presents an integrated techno-economic analysis (TEA) and cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of an industrial-scale bioprocess for producing 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), a platform chemical and direct precursor to bio-based acrylic acid and other polymers. A process model was developed in BioSTEAM using parameters and performance targets derived from current biotechnological capabilities and peer-reviewed literature, simulating a facility with a 3-HP production capacity of 2,000 metric tons per day. TEA results indicate a minimum selling price (MSP) of $0.62/kg 3-HP. The LCA yields a global warming potential of 1.71 kg CO₂-eq/kg 3-HP below the 4.07-7.65 kg CO₂-eq/kg cradle to grave range reported for petroleum-derived acrylic acid, confirming a meaningful greenhouse gas reduction. A 3,000-trial Monte Carlo analysis sampling twenty-five process, economic, and life-cycle parameters from independent ±20% uniform distributions yields a 5-95% MSP range of $0.49-0.85 per kilogram of 3-HP and a 5-95% GWP range of 1.28-2.45 kg CO₂-eq per kilogram, with a strong positive correlation between the two outcomes (Pearson r = +0.80) driven primarily by fermentation 3-HP yield and fermenter recovery. Improvements in fermentation performance produce simultaneous cost and environmental gains. These results establish a quantitative benchmark for the economic viability and environmental performance of glycerol-to-3-HP bioprocesses and identify the research priorities most critical to advancing commercial scale-up.