Design of a pilot extraction plant of pectin as a gelificant from orange waste (Citrus Sinensis)

Abstract

The need to manage organic solid waste generated by orange juice sellers, in the city of Quito, proposes a process to convert orange peels, into raw material for obtaining citrus pectin giving this residue an added value. In Ecuador there is no pectin producing plant, which forces the industries that use this product, to import at an approximate cost of $ 34 per kilogram. In the city of Quito, according to the census carried out by the National Police in 2016, there are approximately 600 street vendors of orange juice, who generate 16200 kg of waste daily, which is equal to 5913 tons per year. For the use of waste, the design of a pilot plant for obtaining pectin by acid hydrolysis is proposed; prior to the implementation of the plant, several tests were carried out in the laboratory for the optimization of the process, in order to determine the production cycle; based mainly on the thermodynamics and the kinetics of the reactions. Finally, an economic study is presented to determine its viability.