Simulation and optimization of a modified salt extractive distillation process for the production of anhydrous ethanol

Producing anhydrous ethanol through ethanol dehydration is challenging due to the formation of an ethanol-water azeotrope. Traditional methods use carcinogenic liquid separating agents like benzene to break this azeotrope. This study introduces a modified salt extractive distillation technique using...

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Main Authors: Manish Kumar Yadav, Saumya Agarwal, Shilpi Verma, Vimal Chandra Srivastava, Urška Lavrenčič Štangar, Praveen Kumar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Results in Chemistry
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211715625002504
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author Manish Kumar Yadav
Saumya Agarwal
Shilpi Verma
Vimal Chandra Srivastava
Urška Lavrenčič Štangar
Praveen Kumar
author_facet Manish Kumar Yadav
Saumya Agarwal
Shilpi Verma
Vimal Chandra Srivastava
Urška Lavrenčič Štangar
Praveen Kumar
author_sort Manish Kumar Yadav
collection DOAJ
description Producing anhydrous ethanol through ethanol dehydration is challenging due to the formation of an ethanol-water azeotrope. Traditional methods use carcinogenic liquid separating agents like benzene to break this azeotrope. This study introduces a modified salt extractive distillation technique using soluble calcium chloride to produce anhydrous ethanol more safely and efficiently. We conducted simulations and optimizations of this new method, with columns operating under 80 % flooding conditions. This process demonstrated an effective energy consumption of 5.25 MJ per kg of ethanol, significantly lower than traditional methods. The innovative approach uses minimal calcium chloride and operates at reduced reflux flow rates, leading to smaller column diameters. Moreover, the energy needed for recovering the salt solution is just 4.4 % of the total energy consumption. Comparisons with existing literature show that our method's energy use is the lowest reported, marking a significant advancement in eco-friendly ethanol production.
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publisher Elsevier
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series Results in Chemistry
spelling doaj-art-c1380f2ca2b34f21b6bfd42d85d4bf322025-08-20T02:09:05ZengElsevierResults in Chemistry2211-71562025-05-011510226710.1016/j.rechem.2025.102267Simulation and optimization of a modified salt extractive distillation process for the production of anhydrous ethanolManish Kumar Yadav0Saumya Agarwal1Shilpi Verma2Vimal Chandra Srivastava3Urška Lavrenčič Štangar4Praveen Kumar5Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, IndiaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, IndiaDepartment of Energy and Environment, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala, Punjab 147004, IndiaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, India; Corresponding author.Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, SloveniaFaculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia; Corresponding author at: Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia.Producing anhydrous ethanol through ethanol dehydration is challenging due to the formation of an ethanol-water azeotrope. Traditional methods use carcinogenic liquid separating agents like benzene to break this azeotrope. This study introduces a modified salt extractive distillation technique using soluble calcium chloride to produce anhydrous ethanol more safely and efficiently. We conducted simulations and optimizations of this new method, with columns operating under 80 % flooding conditions. This process demonstrated an effective energy consumption of 5.25 MJ per kg of ethanol, significantly lower than traditional methods. The innovative approach uses minimal calcium chloride and operates at reduced reflux flow rates, leading to smaller column diameters. Moreover, the energy needed for recovering the salt solution is just 4.4 % of the total energy consumption. Comparisons with existing literature show that our method's energy use is the lowest reported, marking a significant advancement in eco-friendly ethanol production.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211715625002504SimulationExtractive distillationSalt effectAbsolute alcoholCalcium chloride salt
spellingShingle Manish Kumar Yadav
Saumya Agarwal
Shilpi Verma
Vimal Chandra Srivastava
Urška Lavrenčič Štangar
Praveen Kumar
Simulation and optimization of a modified salt extractive distillation process for the production of anhydrous ethanol
Results in Chemistry
Simulation
Extractive distillation
Salt effect
Absolute alcohol
Calcium chloride salt
title Simulation and optimization of a modified salt extractive distillation process for the production of anhydrous ethanol
title_full Simulation and optimization of a modified salt extractive distillation process for the production of anhydrous ethanol
title_fullStr Simulation and optimization of a modified salt extractive distillation process for the production of anhydrous ethanol
title_full_unstemmed Simulation and optimization of a modified salt extractive distillation process for the production of anhydrous ethanol
title_short Simulation and optimization of a modified salt extractive distillation process for the production of anhydrous ethanol
title_sort simulation and optimization of a modified salt extractive distillation process for the production of anhydrous ethanol
topic Simulation
Extractive distillation
Salt effect
Absolute alcohol
Calcium chloride salt
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211715625002504
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