Sustainability Assessment and Optimization of a Pollution Reduction Process for Acetic Acid Manufacturing

Sustainability Assessment and Optimization of a Pollution Reduction Process for Acetic Acid Manufacturing

Selorme Agbleze^1*, Shuyun Li¹, Gerardo J. Ruiz-Mercado², and Fernando V. Lima¹

Submitted to Topical Area: Sustainability

¹ Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

² U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH

*Undergraduate Student, presenter

The standards set by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) on chemical plants imply that certain non-product streams must be treated. There are guidelines for the handling and disposal of specific chemical compounds produced as by-products from such plants. Cost increases by the quantity of waste to be treated, hence optimizing a process with regards to the quantity of waste generated has a direct impact on the cost of waste treatment, with a tradeoff between variables manipulated to achieve desired specifications.

In this research, a sustainability assessment is performed employing the U.S. EPA GREENSCOPE tool for the optimization of the acetic acid production process. The goal of this optimization is to meet the same production target of acetic acid produced while reducing the amount of waste sent for waste treatment. Specific tradeoffs are analyzed in this research related to the acetic acid manufacturing process. Tradeoffs associated with the addition and removal of steps or change in process conditions necessary are considered to achieve significant waste reduction.

Preliminary results for the optimization produced a carbon dioxide and methane reduction corresponding to 84%, methanol reduction by 98%, hydrogen iodide reduction by 9% while methyl iodide is completely removed. There is also an overall electricity requirement reduction corresponding to 52%. Results for the sustainability assessment before and after the optimization will also be discussed in this presentation, including the tradeoffs between variables such as process conditions and utility requirements towards a more sustainable process operation.