In this study, the effect of feed‐splitting on energy demand as well as environmental and economic indicators of the extractive distillation of carbon dioxide (CO2)–ethane process are studied. An alternative process is proposed based on partial pre‐cooling of the feed stream to minimize the expensive energy requirements of the refrigeration cycle that produces the tower reflux. The results clearly demonstrate that the proposed process leads to a 55 % reduction of the refrigerant requirement in comparison to the conventional process and a significant reduction in the column energy demand.
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