Economic evaluation of pressurized liquid extraction system scale-up: a potential new business opportunity for yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis St.-Hil.) waste reuse

Yerba mate processing generates large quantities of a residue with similar bioactive properties to the main product. The pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) strategy was recently proposed to obtain bioactive extracts from this waste on a laboratory scale. However, to verify the techno-economic viability of the PLE method scale-up in the yerba mate waste extract obtaining, we initially tested three different modeling approaches to fit the experimental data: Peleg's, Second-order, and Logarithmic models. Also, we used the PLE conditions that maximized the extract total phenolic content (TPC) to evaluate the process's economic feasibility through the cost of manufacturing (COM) estimation to different capacities: 50, 100, and 500 L. A sensitivity analysis was performed considering different selling prices. Peleg's and Second-order models were the most suitable strategies to describe the extraction process. The dry extract COM reduced sensibly according to the increase of the process scale. Sensitivity analysis results suggest promising scenarios for selling dry extract. Our analyses indicated that PLE can be an economically feasible strategy to obtain valuable extracts from the yerba mate residue considering different selling prices and scale conditions. These results can orientate the yerba mate industries to create new products from industrial waste and maximize their profits.