**5. Economic aspects of CPH valorization**

Using pectin production as a valuable product case-study from CPH, an economic analysis using Aspen Process Economic Evaluator was modeled, and allowed the estimation of investment and return of the stimulated process with the possibility to obtain a considerable profitability with a 20 years operation plant life and a pectin production capacity of 108,127.4 Ib./year, annual interest rate of 20%, a salvage value (fraction of initial investment) of 20% and depreciation method straight line and an income tax of 40%. An Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 33% was obtained over

a capital cost of \$5,509,000 (USD), operational cost of \$2,135,300 (USD), 17 years durations of startup, and a 4 years payback period. These values indicated a positive suggestion that the implementation of pectin production process from cocoa pod husks as an investment project owing to its better long-term benefits compared to those generated by investing in banks [56]. An important aspect of the economic viability of CPH valorization that is often ignored is the cost of the raw material which is often considered waste and of low value. According to the findings of a study conducted in Indonesia on the need for economic and sustainability assessment of the valorization of CPH, farmers demand higher levels of compensation to collect or process the raw material than expected. Only a small section of farmers were willing to carry out collection and processing for 117GBP/t CPH. This could offer some explanation for the low patronage of CPH valorization innovations in that country [57].
