Techno-economic analysis of the production of epichlorhydrin from glycerol

Alberto Almena, Mariano Elena Diaz Martín

Research output: Chapter in Book/Published conference outputChapter

Abstract

In this work we evaluate the production of epichlorohydrin from glycerol, the main byproduct in the biodiesel industry. A process flowsheet is synthesized consisting of glycerol purification, reaction with HCl in hexanoic acid, and final reaction with NaOH to produce epichlorohydrin. Both reactions are complex equilibriums. The reaction medium, hexanoic acid, must be recovered. Finally, the products require purification. The process is selected based on the use of cheap and available secondary raw materials, namely HCl and NaOH, compared to other technical alternatives. We couple MATLAB with CHEMCAD to simulate the mass and energy balances. Finally, the economic analysis of the process shows that the process is profitable due to the high selling cost of the epichlorohydrin. For the production of 27 kt/yr of epichlorohydrin 99.9%, 41.5 kt/yr of glycerol, 29 t/y of HCl and 15.9 kt/yr of NaOH are need. The investment adds up to 63.7 M€ with a production cost of 1.28 €/kg.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication26 European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering, 2016
EditorsZdravko Kravanja, Milos Bogataj
PublisherElsevier
Pages49-54
Number of pages6
ISBN (Print)9780444634283
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2016
Event26th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering - Portoroz , Slovenia
Duration: 12 Jun 201615 Jun 2016

Publication series

NameComputer Aided Chemical Engineering
Volume38
ISSN (Print)1570-7946

Conference

Conference26th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering
Country/TerritorySlovenia
CityPortoroz
Period12/06/1615/06/16

Keywords

  • Epichlorhydrin
  • Glycerol
  • Process synthesis

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