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Systematic screening procedure and innovative energy-saving design for ionic liquid-based extractive distillation process

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Abstract

In the traditional extractive distillation process, organic solvents are often used as entrainers. However, environmental influence and high energy-consumption are significant problems in industrial application. In this study, a systematic screening strategy and innovative energy-saving design for ionic liquid-based extractive distillation process was proposed. The innovative energy-saving design focused on the binary minimum azeotrope mixtures isopropanol and water. Miscibility, environmental impact and physical properties (e.g., melting point and viscosity) of 30 ionic liquids were investigated. 1-Ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium dicyanamide and 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium dicyanamide were selected as candidate entrainers. Feasibility analysis of these two ionic liquids was further performed via residue curve maps, isovolatility line and temperature profiles. An innovative ionic liquid-based extractive distillation process combining distillation column and stripping column was designed and optimized with the objective function of minimizing the total annualized cost. The results demonstrate that the total annualized cost was reduced by 19.9% with 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium dicyanamide as the entrainer and by 24.3% with 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium dicyanamide, compared with that of dimethyl sulfoxide. The method proposed in this study is conducive to the green and sustainable development of extractive distillation process.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21878028); the Chongqing Joint Chinese Medicine Scientific Research Project (Grant No. 2020ZY023984); the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 2022CDJXY-003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anhui XinShiJi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Hefei, 230000, China

    Tuanjie Shen

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Chongqing, 402160, China

    Liumei Teng

  3. School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Yanjie Hu

  4. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China

    Weifeng Shen

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  1. Tuanjie Shen
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  2. Liumei Teng
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Correspondence to Yanjie Hu or Weifeng Shen.

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Shen, T., Teng, L., Hu, Y. et al. Systematic screening procedure and innovative energy-saving design for ionic liquid-based extractive distillation process. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng. 17, 34–45 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-022-2234-3

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