Computer-Aided Modeling, Simulation, and Exergy Analysis of Large-Scale Production of Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) Nanoparticles via Coprecipitation

Abstract

Magnetite nanoparticles present attractive properties including high magnetization, low toxicity, adsorption capacity, and simple preparation, making them efficient in water purification processes, soil remediation, and biomedical applications. In this sense, there is growing interest in the production of magnetite nanoparticles; therefore, evaluating the performance of this process on a large scale gives relevant information to process designers. In this work, the simulation and exergy analysis of large-scale production of magnetite nanoparticles via coprecipitation were performed using computer-aided tools. The process was modeled for the production of 807 t/year of magnetite nanoparticles; the data for the simulation were obtained from the literature, and experimental results were developed by the authors. The exergy efficiency of the process was estimated at 0.046%. The exergy of waste was estimated to be 105 313 MJ/h, while the unavoidable exergy losses were 2941 MJ/h. Washing 2 and 3 represented the most critical stages of the process, contributing 95.12% of the total irreversibilities due to the waste exergy, which corresponds to the water and ethanol exergy discarded in these stages. These results show that the process must be improved from the energy point of view and require the implementation of process optimization strategies to reach a more sustainable design.

Embracing Sustainability in the Industry: A Study of Environmental, Economic, and Exergetic Performances in Large-Scale Production of Magnetite Nanoparticles

“…The analysis was performed based on the stream properties, including flows, temperature, pressure, and composition. Dead state conditions were set at 293.15K and 1 atm, and the standard chemical exergy data were adopted from previous studies. , This reference information serves as a baseline for exergy calculations, enabling a consistent comparison of the exergetic properties of the streams.…”

“…According to Arteaga et al’s study, the exergy efficiency (η E ) can be calculated as the ratio between the exergy destroyed ( Ė normalD normalT ) and the exergy inputs ( Ė normali normalt normalo normalt normala normall ), as is shown in eqs –. The final expression (eq ) is a convenient tool to identify design and operating changes that could potentially enhance the overall process efficiency …”

“…Additionally, the exergy analysis offers a thermodynamic perspective, quantifying the quality and efficiency of energy consumed in large-scale production processes, which were simulated and sized using the chemical process simulator Aspen Plus. 18 Therefore, these approaches are integral in evaluating the sustainability of the MNP synthesis process, ensuring that the proposed modifications or alternative raw materials are environmentally and economically feasible for large-scale MNPs production.…”

A Technoeconomic Resilience and Exergy Analysis Approach for the Evaluation of a Vaccine Production Plant in North-East Colombia

“…The total input mass exergy, output mass exergy, and destroyed mass exergy are defined by Equations ( 17)- (19), respectively. The unavoidable exergy losses are defined as the irreversibilities due to the increase in entropy; these can be calculated using Equation (20) [24]. Finally, the exergy efficiency is defined by Equation (21).…”

Exergy Analysis and Modeling of Pilot-Scale Pyrolysis for Magnesium Oxide Preparation from Salt Lake Bischofite Industrial Waste

“…In addition, Aspen Plus modeling can also replicate precise unit activities and reliably estimate the physical properties and connections of pure substances and complex mixtures. Thus, Aspen Plus modeling and exergy analysis also serve as the first step in evaluating emerging processes under sustainability criteria. , For example, Chen et al proposed a novel concentrating solar power plant using calcium ring-based thermochemical energy storage to eliminate the dependence of power generation on the carbonization reaction in sunlight. The results showed a global storage exergy efficiency (ε%) of over 37% and a global power efficiency of about 48%, comparable to those of state-of-the-art systems.…”