| dc.description.abstract | Lactic acid is very useful and in high demand in various chemical industries due to its usefulness as an acne cleanser, skin moisturizer, and food preservative. Lactic acid can be produced from molasses containing high levels of sugar, especially glucose, through a process of fermentation and acidification. The main objective of this preliminary design is to assess the feasibility of establishing a factory. The preliminary design of the lactic acid production plant from molasses uses a fermentation process with a capacity of 300 tons per year and operates for 330 days per year. The main process in this preliminary plant design consists of five stages: pre-treatment, fermentation and acidification, separation, evaporation, and cooling. This molasses-based lactic acid factory is planned to be established in Lumajang Province, East Java, with a building area of 10,923 m², requiring 171 employees, and operated as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) led by one director with a line- and-staff organizational structure. The establishment and operation of the factory require an investment capital of Rp 63,361,835,834.64 and production costs of Rp 43,608,260,597.42. Based on the feasibility analysis, this factory has a BEP of 57.14%, ROI of 27.77%, and POT of 3 years and 8 months. The RON is 46.28%, and the IRR is 36%. Based on the economic analysis, it can be concluded that the preliminary design for a lactic acid production plant using molasses through fermentation with a capacity of 300 tons per year is feasible to establish. | en_US |
