Tough Wrinkles? Bring in the Heavy Weight, Sodium Hyaluronate
Team Members Heading link
- Sandra Hernandez
- Tianna Mitchell
- Velia Palma
- Yusuf Sorunke
Advisor: Annette Johnson
Project Description Heading link
Hyaluronic acid (HA), also known as sodium hyaluronate, is a popular ingredient in the skincare and cosmetics market using creams, serums, and injections. Other applications include ophthalmic, biomedical, and dietary uses. The demand for hyaluronic acid is steadily increasing due to its anti-aging applications. The North America hyaluronic acid market is expected to reach a value of USD 41.3 billion by 2024 [3]. The primary goal of this process is to design a chemical plant in New Jersey that produces cosmetic grade hyaluronic acid. This will be accomplished through batch microbial fermentation. The chosen mutant bacterial strains of streptococcus A and C will yield 5-10 g/L of sodium hyaluronate with a molecular weight of about 1,800 Kilo Daltons, kDa from a sucrose feed. The plant operates batchwise, from fermentation to final product isolation. The fermentation growth cycle is about 20 hours, followed by a HA generation cycle of 7 hours. The recovery train was designed to generate packaged powder within the same week the fermentation is completed. The annual production rate of this chemical plant is of 32,500 kg with a total revenue of $19.5 million and a gross profit of $11.3 million. The plant development was analyzed from seed culture growth to packaging of the product. The economic analysis shows that financing this plant gives a feasible return on investment.
See supporting documentation in the team’s Box drive.