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Techno-economic and energetic assessment of an innovative pilot-scale thermosyphon-assisted falling film distillation unit for sanitizer-grade ethanol recovery

Author

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  • Battisti, Rodrigo
  • Galeazzi, Andrea
  • Prifti, Kristiano
  • Manenti, Flavio
  • Machado, Ricardo Antonio Francisco
  • Marangoni, Cintia

Abstract

The increasing demand for ethanol-based disinfectants due to the COVID-19 pandemic has driven the emergence of innovative strategies to avoid the risk of shortage and reduce production costs. Distillation is well-known as the major energy consumer and cost driver for ethanol recovery in conventional distilleries. Our research team has been developing a novel heat-intensified falling film distillation apparatus assisted by a two-phase closed thermosyphon, patented as Destubcal. Therefore, this study aims to provide a techno-economic and energetic assessment of the pilot-scale thermosyphon-assisted falling film distillation unit applied to recover sanitizer-grade ethanol with 70 vol% in alcohol. Performance analysis showed that under a feed flow rate of 14L/h, a feed temperature of 80 °C, and an evaporator temperature of 93 °C, the pilot-scale unit reaches the minimum specific thermal energy consumption with the maximum distillate ethanol recovery and energy efficiency (88.5%). The impact of the elements in the capital cost-share showed instrumentation and control (27.8%), and piping and auxiliary equipment (27.6%) as the predominant capital costs, while the cost for major process equipment represents only 6.2% which reveals a low-cost and easy-to-implement technology. The major operating cost-driver is the labor (51.3%) since the pilot-scale unit has a lower capacity than industrial plants. However, the Destubcal unit spends on utility costs about 31.6$/m3feed, which represents a total saving of 43.8% compared to conventional distilleries. Furthermore, the Destubcal unit saves about 1.78 MJ/kg (46.4%), with 59.2% less column height than a conventional column, being considered techno-economically feasible for sanitizer-grade ethanol recovery.

Suggested Citation

  • Battisti, Rodrigo & Galeazzi, Andrea & Prifti, Kristiano & Manenti, Flavio & Machado, Ricardo Antonio Francisco & Marangoni, Cintia, 2021. "Techno-economic and energetic assessment of an innovative pilot-scale thermosyphon-assisted falling film distillation unit for sanitizer-grade ethanol recovery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:297:y:2021:i:c:s0306261921006139
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117185
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    1. Li, Junjie & Zhang, Yueling & Yang, Yanli & Zhang, Xiaomei & Wang, Nana & Zheng, Yonghong & Tian, Yajun & Xie, Kechang, 2022. "Life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of ethanol production via coal and its competitors: A comparative study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 312(C).

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