Abstract
Agro-industrial waste, particularly Hass avocado seeds, represents an underutilized resource with environmental implications. This study evaluated the techno-economic feasibility of a cascade biorefinery in the Colombian Amazon for the production of starch, biofilms, and biocontrol agents through process simulation in Aspen Plus® and economic assessment based on mass and energy balances and cost correlations. The system processes 255.92 t/y of seeds, generating 4.25 t/y of starch, 14.75 t/y of biofilm, and 28.00 t/y of biocontrol agent. The total capital investment (TCI) was 360,484.74 USD, while annualized operating costs (AOC) reached 1,422,816.44 USD/y. Economic results demonstrated strong profitability, with a return on investment (ROI) of 47.67%, a net present value (NPV) of 0.75 MMUSD, and a short payback period of 1.09 years, indicating rapid capital recovery. Financial metrics, including EBITDA, EBIT, and EBT, further support the operational robustness and capacity for reinvestment, exceeding 270,000 USD. Overall, the proposed cascade biorefinery presents a sustainable and economically viable strategy for agro-industrial waste valorization within a circular bioeconomy framework.
