Multi-objective optimization of intensified processes for the purification of levulinic acid involving economic and environmental objectives. Part II: A comparative study of dynamic properties

• Published in: Chemical engineering and processing 2020-01, Vol.147, p.107745, Article 107745
• Main Authors: Alcocer-García, Heriberto, Segovia-Hernández, Juan Gabriel, Prado-Rubio, Oscar Andrés, Sánchez-Ramírez, Eduardo, Quiroz-Ramírez, Juan José
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0255-2701; 1873-3204
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cep.2019.107745

[Display omitted] •Dynamic analysis of Hybrid Alternatives to purify Levulinc Acid.•Multi-Objective Optimization Process considering control Issues.•Effective dynamic intensified downstream processing of Levulinic acid coming from Fermentation broth. In the continuous search for the improvement of processes, recently, alternative schemes have been proposed to separate and purify levulinic acid produced from the acid hydrolysis of biomass. These alternatives offer both energy and economic savings, and reduction of environmental impact; however, their control properties have not been considered for possible industrial implementation. In this work, a controllability analysis was carried out of previously optimized designs using the relative gain array (RGA), the total condition number (TCN) and a sensitivity index for performance assessment in open-loop. Finally, the dynamic performance in closed-loop is evaluated using PI controllers having as criteria the integral absolute error (IAE). Through analysis, the best scheme obtained presented a low total condition number, however, its sensitivity index is below the average of all the designs analyzed. Additionally, the RGA analysis shows a stable structure in the frequencies studied keeping low values of eco-indicators 99 and total annual cost. The general topology consists of a liquid-liquid extraction column, a conventional distillation column and a dividing wall column with a decanter. On the other hand, by means of this robust analysis of the control properties was proposed some guidelines between the structure for improving control properties in intensified distillation schemes.