Project Description:
Globally, Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is an 11.5 billion dollar industry that has expanded rapidly over the last decade. HA is used in a variety of applications, including orthopedic surgeries, ophthalmic applications, and is most commonly known for its use in the skin care industry. HA manufacture is a very energy intensive process, requiring many purification steps, high water usage, and complex industrial equipment. Our 100% vegan process that utilizes the bio-fermentation of Streptococcus zooepidemicus aims to produce high molecular weight HA at a fraction of the carbon emissions, cost, and typical energy consumption. The last step in the manufacturing process of HA (Lyophilization) has been replaced by an alternative method, called Atmospheric Spray Freeze Drying (ASFD) which reduces the immense specific energy requirement of this step by 50%. Our process also utilizes heat integration modeled in ASPEN, and sustainability metrics comparing the base case system to our project design using Python code.
