Methyl Ethyl Ketone Production through an Intensified Process

• Published in: Chemical engineering & technology 2020-07, Vol.43 (7), p.1433-1441
• Main Authors: Torres-Vinces, Leopoldo, Contreras-Zarazua, Gabriel, Huerta-Rosas, Brenda, Sánchez-Ramírez, Eduardo, Segovia-Hernández, Juan Gabriel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biofuels production; Distillation; Energy consumption; Environmental index; Gasoline; Greenhouse effect; Greenhouse gases; Methyl ethyl ketone; Performance indices; Process intensification
• ISSN: 0930-7516; 1521-4125
• DOI: 10.1002/ceat.201900664

Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) is widely used in the industry and is mainly produced from petroleum. Some works have projected MEK as a possible fuel since its performance in spark engines has overcome the performance of gasoline in certain indexes. Two intensified alternatives to produce MEK are introduced here, consisting of a reactive distillation column, an extractive distillation column, and three conventional distillation columns. The direct alternative resulted as the most promising when it was evaluated based on energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and an environmental index. The obtained energy consumption for MEK production was 11.62 MJ kgMEK−1 for the entire process. Moreover, those intensified alternatives showed better performance indexes in comparison with a conventional process. Two intensified alternatives to produce MEK are introduced, consisting of a reactive distillation column, an extractive distillation column, and three conventional distillation columns. The obtained energy consumption for the entire process was 11.62 MJ kgMEK−1. Only five units are considered in this design, in contrast to the eleven major units required in a previous proposal, reducing the capital cost.