Techno-economic Feasibility Study for Catalytic Production of 1,2-Pentanediol from Bio-renewable Furfural

摘要

1,2-Pentanediol(1,2-PeD),which can be used as a monomer of polyester,has been produced from fossil resource by environmentally-unfriendly process using toxic solvents(propionic acid and benzene).We present the environmentally-friendly process for the production of 1,2-PeD from bio-renewable FF(furfural)using water solvent and shows its economic feasibility.This study consists of experimental investigation and simulation study.First,we determine a suitable process route to maximize the yield of 1,2-PeD through the experimental investigation.FF is converted to 1,2-PeD through two sequential catalytic conversion steps using Cu-MgO and Ru-MnOx catalysts.Next,the simulation study including process design,heat integration,and economic analysis is performed to present the economic feasibility for the developed process.The minimum selling price of 1,2-PeD is $ 3,118 per tonnes,and it is close to the current market price.We minimized the separation costs for the integrated process by designing efficient separation subsystems and heat exchanger network.Despite of using an expensive raw material,the environmentally-friendly process can be cost-competitive with conventional process.