Energetic optimization of Moroccan distillery using simulation and response surface methodology

Ahmed Tgarguifa, Souad Abderafi and Tijani Bounahmidi

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 75, issue C, 415-425

Abstract: Distillation is one of the most widely used separation methods in chemical process industries. In a typical bioethanol distillation process, the high consumption of energy is the major disadvantage of this process. Consequently, the design and optimization of the distillation column have a critical impact on the economics of the entire process. This work aimed to investigate a vacuum distillation process in order to evaluate the operating energy and cost to produce ethanol considering a fermented must with 5 components. The simulation results were compared with industrial data collected from a Moroccan distillery. It was found that the simulation approach was able to correctly reproduce the industrial process. Response surface methodology based on a central composite design was applied to analyze some operating conditions and optimize the process. Two models were proposed to test the required energy for distillation column using simulation results. On the other hand, the reflux ratio has a greater effect on required energy of distillation column compared to the feeding tray position. Working under optimal values of the operating conditions, the results showed that the operating energy and cost of the industrial process were reduced about 7.49% and 5.91%, respectively.

Keywords: Molasses; Minor component; Distillation process; Ethanol; Energy and cost saving; Response surface methodology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032116307857
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:rensus:v:75:y:2017:i:c:p:415-425

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 600126/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2016.11.006

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews is currently edited by L. Kazmerski

More articles in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().