Lactic Acid Production from Corn (Conventional Fermentation + Solvent Extraction)
Lactic Acid Production Costs Report | Issue J | Q3 2024
Report Details |
100 kta United States-based plant | Q3 2024 | 107 pages |
This report presents a cost analysis of a 100 kta (kilo metric ton per annum) United States-based plant. You can add a customized cost analysis, assuming another location (country), when ordering a premium edition of this report.
Report Abstract
This study approaches the economics of Lactic Acid production from corn in the United States. Initially, shelled corn is passed through a wet milling process to form corn starch, which is hydrolyzed to dextrose. Then, dextrose is fermented into Lactic Acid, which is further recovered by acidification and purified by the use of a solvent.
The report provides a comprehensive study of Lactic Acid production and related Lactic Acid production cost, covering three key aspects: a complete description of the Lactic Acid production process examined; an in-depth analysis of the related Lactic Acid plant capital cost (Capex); and an evaluation of the respective Lactic Acid plant operating costs (Opex).
The Lactic Acid production process description includes a block flow diagram (BFD), an overview of the industrial site installations, detailing both the process unit and the necessary infrastructure, process consumption figures and comprehensive process flow diagrams (PFD). The Lactic Acid plant capital cost analysis breaks down the Capex by plant cost (i.e., ISBL, OSBL and Contingency); owner's cost; working capital; and costs incurred during industrial plant commissioning and start-up. The Lactic Acid plant operating costs analysis covers operating expenses, including variable costs like raw materials and utilities, and fixed costs such as maintenance, labor, and depreciation.
Process Overview

Product
Lactic Acid. Lactic Acid is an organic acid used in food preservation, cosmetics, and biodegradable plastics. Its antimicrobial properties and ability to create polymers make it highly valuable in a range of industries. Lactic acid is produced through the fermentation of carbohydrates and is stored as a liquid. It is in high demand for its role in sustainable packaging and personal care products.
Raw Material
Corn. Corn is available at relatively low and steady prices, it has high starch content, is easily stored, transported and handled. Such characteristics led naturally to the development of several processes to recover its starch and to process it into several industrial products. Most industrial processes make use of the shelled corn, which has been stripped from the cob during harvesting. The shelled corn is converted to other products through milling and refining. Corn milling processes can be divided in two main groups, wet milling and dry milling. In the wet milling, the corn kernel is milled in such a way that its components can be separated in an aqueous medium. In the dry milling the components of the kernel are separated using screening and air classification, but the fractionation is less efficient. Wet milling is generally used to produce high quality corn starch at high yields along with its by-products used in the animal feed (corn gluten meal and corn gluten feed) and food (corn oil) industries. Dry milling is widely used in the production of fuel Ethanol by fermentation of raw corn starch, other uses include the brewing and cereals industries.
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Production Process Information
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Production Process Information
Process Consumptions
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Operating Cost Summary
Production Costs Datasheet
Plant Capital Cost Details
Operating Cost Details
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Production Process Information
Process Consumptions
Labor Requirements
Plant Capital Cost Summary
Operating Cost Summary
Production Costs Datasheet
Plant Capital Cost Details
Operating Cost Details
Plant Cost Breakdowns
Plant Capacity Assessment
Process Flow Diagrams
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Content Highlights
Plant Capital Cost Summary
Summary outlining the capital cost required for building the Lactic Acid production plant examined
Plant Capital Cost Details
Detailing of fixed capital (ISBL, OSBL & Owner’s Cost), working capital and additional capital requirements
Plant Cost Breakdowns
Breakdown of Lactic Acid process unit (ISBL) costs and infrastructure (OSBL) costs; plant cost breakdown per discipline
Operating Costs Summary
Summary presenting the operating variable costs and the total operating cost of the Lactic Acid production plant studied
Operating Cost Details
Detailing of utilities costs, operating fixed costs and depreciation
Plant Capacity Assessment
Comparative analysis of capital investment and operating costs for different Lactic Acid plant capacities
Production Process Information
Block Flow Diagram, descriptions of process unit (ISBL) and site infrastructure (OSBL)
Process Consumptions
Raw materials and utilities consumption figures, by-products credits, labor requirements
Process Diagrams
Process flow diagrams (PFD), equipment list and industrial site configuration
Other Lactic Acid Production Cost Reports
Lactic Acid from Raw Sugar (Conventional Fermentation + Solvent Extraction)
This study provides the economics of Lactic Acid production from raw sugar using a fermentation process in Germany. This process is similar to Corbion process, in which Lactic Acid is recovered by acidification and purified by the use of a solvent.
Details: 100 kta Germany-based plant | Q3 2024 | 107 pages | Issue F From $799 USD
The cost analyses presented in this report target a 100 kta (kilo metric ton per annum per annum) Germany-based plant. For those interested in cost analyses considering other plant capacities and/or locations, Intratec offers a customized analysis as an optional feature.
Lactic Acid from Raw Sugar (Speculative Low pH Continuous Fermentation)
This report presents the economics of Lactic Acid production from raw sugar using a speculative, continuous, low pH, fermentation process in Germany. In this process, raw sugar is fermented to produce Lactic Acid, which is recovered from the fermentation broth through microfiltration and nanofiltration steps, generating an 80 wt% Technical Grade Lactic Acid, with 95 wt% purity.
Details: 80 kta Germany-based plant | Q3 2024 | 107 pages | Issue H From $999 USD
The cost analyses presented in this report target a 80 kta (kilo metric ton per annum per annum) Germany-based plant. For those interested in cost analyses considering other plant capacities and/or locations, Intratec offers a customized analysis as an optional feature.
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Lactide Production
This report approaches the economics of producing Lactide from lactic acid in the United States. This process can be divided into two mains steps. First, lactic acid is polymerized into low molecular weight oligomers. Subsequently, the oligomers depolymerize generating Lactide, which is further purified to remove water and unreacted lactic acid and oligomers.
Details: 75 kta United States-based plant | Q3 2024 | 107 pages | Issue A From $799 USD
The cost analyses presented in this report target a 75 kta (kilo metric ton per annum per annum) United States-based plant. For those interested in cost analyses considering other plant capacities and/or locations, Intratec offers a customized analysis as an optional feature.
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