3-Hydroxypropionic acid recovery from fermentation broth through novel downstream processing: Technoeconomic analysis

• Sequential cation–anion exchange achieved high 3-HP purity (>83%). • Overall sodium 3-HP salt yield reached ∼77% after DSP and salting-out. • Sodium 3-HP salt shows improved stability and safer handling properties. • TEA shows MSP of $0.551/kg (30% solution) and $0.892/kg (salt), below target. This study develops and validates a simplified, fully solvent-free downstream processing (DSP) strategy for high-purity recovery of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) from real fermentation broth containing 62.3 g/L of 3-HP. Optimized activated carbon treatment achieved 98% color removal, while Amberlite IRA-67 was operated at pH 4.5 and 30 °C to minimize product loss. This is the first integrated demonstration of a fully solvent-free DSP enabling recovery of bio-based 3-HP as both a solid sodium salt and a concentrated aqueous solution, supported by techno-economic analysis. At lab scale, the process achieved 77.3% recovery of sodium 3-HP with 83.2% (w/w) purity and produced a 30% (w/v) aqueous solution. Techno-economic analysis yielded minimum selling prices of $0.551/kg for the solution and $0.892/kg for the salt, both below target thresholds for cost-competitive bio-acrylic acid production. Overall, these results demonstrate an efficient, scalable, and economically viable industrial pathway for 3-HP recovery.