Lactic acid which has the chemical formula CH3-CHOH-COOH is widely used in various industries, such as the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The purpose of establishing a lactic acid factory is to reduce the country's foreign exchange expenditure to import lactic acid. The design of a lactic acid plant from molasses is planned to be established in 2022 with a capacity of 1,000 tons/year.
Lactic acid is made in five stages of the process, namely the treatment stage, fermentation with Lactobacillus delbrueckii, acidification with H2SO4. Then the biomass, remaining nutrients and other impurities are separated using a filter press and a purification process is carried out by distillation.
From an economic point of view, the pre-design of a lactid acid factory is quite profitable with the following considerations: Total Invesment Rp 85.665.458.904,35; IRR 13%; After tax profit Rp 13.578.138.410,3; BEP 46,52%; and POT 2 year. Based on this, the lactid acid Factory Design from molasses is quite feasible and can be continued to the design stage according to the planned procedure.