US EPA

1445642 

Journal Article 

Process Modelling and Simulation for 1-Butanol Removing from Fermentation Broth by Extraction with Oleyl Alcohol 

Bumbac, G; Dumitrescu, AM 

2012 

1 

Revista de Chimie
ISSN: 0034-7752
EISSN: 2668-8212 

63 

7 

727-729 

English 

WOS:000308731500017 

Industrially 1-butanol is a petroleum-based chemical, which can be produced also using renewable biomass resources. 1-Butanol is used as a raw material for the production of bio-based alternatives to many petroleum chemicals, to fossil fuels additivation or, as an alternative fuel. It has higher energy content and lower vapour pressure in the same thermodynamically conditions if compared to methanol and ethanol and also exhibits higher miscibility with diesel fuel and gasoline. These characteristics make 1-butanol a better fuel than lower aliphatic alcohols. In the early 20th century, the fermentation of sugars by Clostridium acetobutylicum was used extensively for the industrial production of a mixture of 1-butanol, acetone, and ethanol. However, high substrate, fermentation and separation costs combined with low yields resulted in the demise of the fermentation process in favour of petrochemical production routes. Due to the present increased interest in finding renewable bio energy resource, recent research efforts have included genetic engineering to increase 1-butanol production, optimizing fermentation and reactor conditions. In the same time, efforts are made in order to find proper techniques for 1-butanol separation and purification. Among the solvents subject to be used in the separation by extraction, oleyl alcohol proved to be one of the most efficient. This alcohol has a rather high cost price but fulfils all the other requirements for a solvent (environment friendly, fire or explosion safe, easily to regenerate and reuse). If the solvent losses during operation are minimized it is possible that the separation process becomes profitable. The present paper presents the results obtained in modelling and simulation of a process unit for 1-butanol separation from the bio fermentation reactor product mixture using oleyl alcohol extraction, results that underlie the economic performance analysis. Process modelling and simulation was realized using Aspen-HYSYS (R) 7.1. 

liquid-liquid extraction; 1-butanol; ABE fermentation; oleyl alcohol