Simulation of the extractive distillation using ethylene glycol as an entrainer in the bioethanol dehydration

Dhoni Hartanto

International Conference on Industrial Revolution for Polytechnic Education
Vol. 1 No. 1 (2019): International Conference on Industrial Revolution for Polytechnic Education

In this work, the dehydration of bioethanol via extractive distillation using ethylene glycol as an entrainer was simulated using Aspen Plus software platform. RadFrac module for distillation was performed including column for the ethylene glycol recovery which represented the industrial condition. The Non Random Two Liquids-Hayden-O'Connell (NRTL-HOC) thermodynamic model was used in the simulation. The results show that the possibility of producing high purity bioethanol through the extractive distillation using ethylene glycol as an entrainer. The most suitable configuration in extractive distillation column is 23 theoritical stages with the best binary and entrainer feeding stages are 13 and 23, respectively using ethlyne glycol as an entrainer with reflux ratio of 2. The effect of main variables to the extractive distillation were also obtained.