초록
<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>2,3-butanediol is a high-value commodity chemical that has numerous industrial applications. The large-scale adoption of 2,3-butanediol as a liquid fuel is hindered by its low concentration and energy-intensive separation from fermentation broths. This study proposes various schemes for the separation and purification of 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broth. Four alternatives schemes were assessed from an economic and technical perspective using the commercial simulation software Aspen Plus™ V9. Optimization of operational and design parameters based on heat integration approach was employed in each scheme to reduce the operating costs associated with the separation and purification. Among the proposed schemes, the one involving dual distillation columns and that involving vacuum flash distillation integrated with a vapor compression system for heat recovery resulted in 55% and 61.2% reductions in the total annual costs, respectively. The capital costs in both the cases remained almost the same relative to the base case.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Conventional distillation configuration is developed for 2,3-butanediol purification. </LI> <LI> Various schemes for the separation and purification of 2,3-butanediol. </LI> <LI> 2,3-butanediol as a biofuel is obtained with minimum TAC. </LI> <LI> Total energy cost is reduced up to 66.6%. </LI> <LI> 61.2% saving is achieved in terms of total annualized cost. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>