Enhancing the Separation Efficiency in Acetic Acid Manufacturing by Methanol Carbonylation. Issue 10 (20th August 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dimian, Alexandre C.; Kiss, Anton A.
• Is Part Of: Chemical engineering & technology. Volume 44:Issue 10(2021)
• Page Start: 1792
• Page End: 1802
• Publication Date: 2021-08-20
• Subjects: Acetic acid manufacturing -- Chemical process design -- Energy efficiency -- Process simulation -- Sustainable chemical process; Chemical engineering -- Periodicals; Chemical processes -- Periodicals; 660.05
• DOI: 10.1002/ceat.202100230
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0930-7516

Abstract

Abstract: Acetic acid is an essential chemical used in the production of many chemical products. Using methanol as bio‐building block, the acetic acid produced may be incorporated in bio‐based products. This study deals with enhancing the efficiency of separations in a process using a homogeneous catalyst, which is the most applied today industrially. Several configurations for downstream processing by distillation are investigated using effective combinations of fully thermally coupled columns, namely, dividing‐wall columns, alone or combined with heat pumps. The results indicate that the three‐column direct sequence may be effectively replaced by a two‐column sequence. Overall, the total annual cost is reduced by 34 %. The cost of compressor may be paid back in 1.5 years by the saved energy. Low energy intensity is achieved by tight integration with the reaction section. Abstract : The feasibility of several innovative configurations for the downstream processing of acetic acid in the methanol carbonylation by a homogeneous catalysis process is successfully proved. The results demonstrate that using thermal coupling like Petlyuk systems or a dividing‐wall column instead of the conventional direct sequence allows significant savings in capital, energy, and greenhouse gases.