Techno-Economic Analysis of Producing Oil Rich in ω-3 from Catfish Processing Wastes

This work evaluated the extraction, refinement, characterization and economic analysis for producing oil rich in omega-3 from catfish processing wastes. All the unit operations of the extraction and refining processes were presented and the oil characterization were performed. The fatty acid profile of refined catfish oil presented, on average, fractions of 32%, 34% and 28% of the total saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, respectively. Regards economical aspects, the estimated net present value was positive and indicated economic feasibility for all three processing waste capacity (20, 40 and 60 tons/year). The plant with the highest capacity recorded the best profitability. In this case, the net present value of US$ 764,934.62, the internal rate of return of 102.5% the earnings before interest and taxes of US$ 309,936.83/year, the return on sales of 53.18% and the profit after tax of US$ 263,446.31/year showed that the production of oil using catfish wastes is economically attractive. The minimum length of time necessary to recover the capital investment ranged from 1.56 to 2.76 years. Sensitivity analysis showed that the net present value of cash flow after tax remains positive until the price of oil reaches a threshold value of US$ 108.80/kg (20 tons/year), US$ 96.94/kg (40 tons/year) and US$ 79.65/kg (60 tons/year). [GRAPHICS] .