Reactive Distillation: Modeling, Simulation, and Optimization

Abstract

Chemical process industries deal with production which further utilizes reaction followed by separation of the reaction mixtures. Reactive distillation is a new technique of combination of both reaction and separation in a single unit beneficial for equilibrium-limited reactions and also cost-effective. This makes it a highly complex process because many parameters involved in both reaction and separation are interactive in nature. In this chapter, modeling, simulation, and optimization of reactive distillation are presented. Methyl acetate production via reactive distillation is chosen as a case study. The results are compared for both experimental and simulation studies. The synthesis of methyl acetate was carried out in a packed RDC by catalytic esterification using acetic acid and methanol as reactants in a pilot-scale experimental setup. A strong acidic ion exchange catalyst, Amberlyst-15, was used to enhance the rate of heterogeneous esterification reaction. The result obtained was observed with change in various variables including the reflux ratio (RR), distillateto-feed (D/F) ratio, and bottom-to-feed (B/F) ratio with respect to product composition. The optimization and sensitivity analysis was carried out using Aspen Plus process simulation software.

Multi-objective atom search optimization of biodiesel production from palm empty fruit bunch pyrolysis

“…The model F-value of 112.42 for CO 2 emission in Table 4 and the P-value of less than 0.05 indicate that the equation for CO 2 emissions is significant. The lack of fit F-value of 17,530.83 indicates a significant correlation interrelated to the pure error [ 25 ]. Likewise, ANOVA analyses of the utilities are shown in Table 5 .…”

Recent Advances in Reactive Distillation

“…However, this methodology was not extensively explored until 1980 (Eastman Company), when methyl acetate was successfully synthesized. The following reactions illustrate potential applications for reactive distillation [22].…”

“…The process of esterification involves the reaction between an alcohol and an acid, forming an ester. Esters are a chemical compound class with an interesting fruity aroma [22]. Esters are primarily used to produce synthetic flavors and fragrances and serve as solvents for fats, gums, oils, and resins.…”

“…However, the existing literature has suggested that a pilot-scale synthesis process is a viable option. As mentioned above, this procedure occurs through the chemical reaction between vegetable oil and alcohol facilitated via an acidic or alkaline catalyst [22].…”

Propane selective carbon adsorbents from phenolic resin precursor

“…Since distillation is still the election process for these separations, the corresponding distillation columns need to be very long rendering these separations energy demanding [5,6]. Literature reports several processes for light olefins production and separation, such as i) adsorption-based processes: temperature swing adsorption (TSA) [7] and pressure swing adsorption (PSA) [2,8,9]; ii) membrane processes: gas permeation [10][11][12] and pervaporation [13]; iii) reaction processes: catalytic pyrolysis process (CPP) [14], by-product upgrading (C4-9) [15] and propane oxidative dehydrogenation [16]; and iv) hybrid processes: distillation with adsorption [17], membrane [18] and reaction processes [19]. Among the above processes, adsorption- [20] and membrane-based [21] are the ones that have received more attention.…”