Abstract
The bioethanol produced using fermentation is obtained at a very low concentration. To be used as fuel in gasoline blends, a higher than 99% weight purity is required. Therefore, highly demanding energy separation and purification processes are used. Given this fact, this work presents, via simulation, an economic and environmental comparison of alternative methods for ethanol dehydration based on ethylene oxide/propylene oxide hydration and azeotropic distillation with benzene and cyclohexane. These reactive methods consist of conventional reaction separation processes and intensified processes such as reactive distillation (RD), both coupled with organic Rankine cycles, offering an additional value-added product (ethylene glycol or propylene glycol), electric power generation and the capacity to reduce the global process steps in anhydrous ethanol production. The results indicate that reactive dehydration, specifically the reactor–separator process using propylene oxide at a low ethanol concentration (dilution effect of the fermenter output), is the best economic and environmental option among all the processes studied for anhydrous ethanol production. Likewise, reactive dehydration yields a higher net profit, ethanol yield and ethanol purity and lower CO2 emissions than azeotropic distillation.
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Abbreviations
- Np:
-
Net profit
- As:
-
Annual sales
- Rm:
-
Raw material
- Tc:
-
Technology cost
- Mfo:
-
Mass flow output
- Sp:
-
Sales price
- Mfe:
-
Mass flow input
- Rmp:
-
Raw material price
- Uc:
-
Utility cost
- Ec:
-
Equipment cost
- Amp:
-
Azeotropic mixture price
- Emfe:
-
Ethanol mass fraction equivalent
- Aep:
-
Anhydrous ethanol price
- Te:
-
Total CO2 emissions
- Ce:
-
CO2 emissions
- RDEO2080:
-
Reactive distillation using ethylene oxide at 20% mol water and 80% mol ethanol
- RDEO9604:
-
Reactive distillation using ethylene oxide at 96% mol water and 4% mol ethanol
- RDPO2080:
-
Reactive distillation using propylene oxide at 20% mol water and 80% mol ethanol
- RDPO9604:
-
Reactive distillation using propylene oxide at 96% mol water and 4% mol ethanol
- RSEO2080:
-
Reactor–separator process using ethylene oxide at 20% mol water and 80% mol ethanol
- RSEO9604:
-
Reactor–separator process using ethylene oxide at 96% mol water and 4% mol ethanol
- RSPO2080:
-
Reactor–separator process using propylene oxide at 20% mol water and 80% mol ethanol
- RSPO9604:
-
Reactor–separator process using propylene oxide at 96% mol water and 4% mol ethanol
- AZBE2080:
-
Azeotropic distillation using benzene at 20% mol water and 80% mol ethanol
- AZBE9604:
-
Azeotropic distillation using benzene at 96% mol water and 4% mol ethanol
- AZCH2080:
-
Azeotropic distillation using cyclohexane at 20% mol water and 80% mol ethanol
- AZCH9604:
-
Azeotropic distillation using cyclohexane at 96% mol water and 4% mol ethanol
- R245FA:
-
1,1,1,3,3-Pentafluoropropane
- ORC:
-
Organic Rankine cycle
- H :
-
Working hours (8000 h/year)
- i :
-
Interest rate (0.1%)
- k f :
-
Factor to annualize the investment
- U :
-
Utilities
- m:
-
Utilities
- q:
-
Equipment
- j:
-
Raw material stream
- p:
-
Product stream
- n :
-
Life period of each technology (20 years)
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Mexican Council for Science and Technology (CONACyT) and the Scientific Research Council of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo.
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Guzmán-Martínez, C.E., Castro-Montoya, A.J. & Nápoles-Rivera, F. Economic and environmental comparison of bioethanol dehydration processes via simulation: reactive distillation, reactor–separator process and azeotropic distillation. Clean Techn Environ Policy 21, 2061–2071 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-019-01762-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-019-01762-5