Intensification proposals for the downstream separation of the methanol-to-olefins process

Abstract

The Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) process presents a sustainable alternative for producing light olefins from environmentally friendlier sources compared to traditional petroleum-derived methods. However, industrial implementation remains cost-intensive, especially in the recovery section which uses multiple distillation columns. This study introduces two intensified sequences for MTO downstream. Intensified Process 1 uses four columns, including a Dividing-Wall Column (DWC), while Intensified Process 2 uses two conventional columns and two DWCs. When comparing energy consumption, costs, and CO2 emissions to traditional configurations, the sequence with two DWCs outperformed, saving up to 15.56% energy in the reboiler and reducing total annual costs by 7.68%. It also reduced daily CO2 emissions by 11.33 tons, marking a 14.19% decrease compared to the conventional method.