Abstract
An extractive distillation process was investigated, comparing the imidazolium-based ionic liquids [EMIM][BF4] and [BMIM][BF4] as solvents for ethanol dehydration. An Aspen Plus process simulator was used to simulate the feasibility of the ionic liquid-based extractive distillation (ILED) process and determine the main operating conditions of anhydrous ethanol production. User-defined ionic liquid components were created in Aspen Plus, with the required thermodynamic and physical property parameters. The NRTL model was used to calculate the thermodynamic properties. The proposed process and methodology using [EMIM][BF4] as the solvent was applied to evaluate the potential of extractive distillation for ethanol dehydration. The results show that the distillate purity of ethanol was higher than 99.9mol% and revealed the advantage of decreased energy requirements compared with the extractive distillation process using conventional solvents. The ILED process design obtained from the sensitivity analysis for minimum energy consumption presented a lower total annual cost (TAC).
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
