Abstract
The paper presents a study on the performance of a conventional plant-producing ethyl acetate from ethanol and acetic acid. Process models were compiled in the simulator Chemcad 7. The impact of key parameters on the performance of individual installation nodes was examined by sensitivity analysis. Three installation approaches are presented and compared: two classic with different heat duties and an improved one. An improved technological solution, with a closed circulation of the extractant as well as the azeotrope subcooling for better extraction is demonstrated. The energy and mass balance of the installation were developed. The proposed enhancement of a technology with significantly reduced consumption of the fresh extractant also offers a deep recovery of the raw materials, i.e., ethyl acetate and ethanol from wastewater. We assumed that the same energy consumption relative to the classic strategy consumption of ethanol was reduced from 0.531 to 0.524 t/tproduct (−1.2%), fresh process water from 2.18 to 1.42 t/tproduct (−34.9%), and wastewater 2.36 to 1.61 t/tproduct (−31.8%). By this, the wastewater total organic loading (TOL), as well as chemical oxygen demand were nine times reduced. The major advantage is achieved through subcooling of azeotrope, which improves extraction efficiency, making the organic phase enriched with ethyl acetate. Therefore, the performance of the product separation node and the whole system are improved.
Highlights
Solvents, such as ethyl acetate, are the substances used in many industrial processes, including the chemical industry
The key parameters affecting the degree of conversion are the temperature and the residence time of the reaction mixture in the reactor
The analysis assumed a constant composition of the reactor input stream
Summary
Solvents, such as ethyl acetate, are the substances used in many industrial processes, including the chemical industry. Due to their wide range of application, world demand for solvents is constantly growing [1,2,3]. There is, an urgent need for commonly used solvents to have a lower health and environmental impact. Ethyl acetate is characterized by low toxicity and, importantly, it is biodegradable. These advantageous features caused a significant increase in the market demand for this product of “green chemistry”. A technology improvement presented responds to all these environmental and economy requirements
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