Sustainable concept design including economic, environment and inherent safety criteria: Process intensification-reactive pressure swing distillation

Abstract

In this paper, a systematic framework for concept design of sustainable chemical process is used to investigate process intensification-the reactive pressure swing process considering inherent safety, environment performance and economic performance comprehensively. The transesterification reaction between propylene glycol monomethyl ether and methyl acetate for propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate production is used as case to accomplish this research. The total annual cost, the total greenhouse gases and two inherent indexes referred to process route index and process stream index are used to account for economic performance, environment performance and inherent safety of the overall route and individual parameter, respectively. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates reaction pressure swing as process intensification has strong interaction behavior and nonlinearity degree in term of economic performance. The inherent safety, environment performance and economic performance of reactive pressure swing distillation is evaluated and compared with conventional three-columns process. Compared with conventional process, the main contribution to inherent safety level is reduction of pressure factor in term of process route index for reaction pressure swing distillate process. The results illustrate the reaction pressure swing as process intensification can achieve sustainable chemical process with inherent safer, environmentally friendly and economic performance.