Thermally Coupled Distillation Columns
Sustainable and Bio-applications
- 1st Edition - August 1, 2025
- Imprint: Elsevier
- Authors: Juan Gabriel Segovia-Hernandez, Eduardo Sanchez-Ramirez, Salvador Hernández
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 3 3 1 1 4 - 5
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 3 3 1 1 5 - 2
Thermally Coupled Distillation Columns: Sustainable and Bio-applications offers a comprehensive examination of thermal couplings' role in enhancing energy efficiency and sustai… Read more
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Request a sales quoteThermally Coupled Distillation Columns: Sustainable and Bio-applications offers a comprehensive examination of thermal couplings' role in enhancing energy efficiency and sustainability in distillation processes. The book provides a detailed theoretical overview, covering foundations, energy problems in distillation, and practical implementations, providing insights into optimizing distillation columns. It also explores the motivation, physical implications, and operational benefits of thermal couplings alongside diverse case studies that demonstrate their efficacy across industries. Additionally, the book discusses innovations such as artificial intelligence applications and Industry 4.0 strategies for process optimization.
It concludes with an exploration of challenges, opportunities, and future directions in improving complex divided wall column arrangements. This book will serve as an excellent resource for professionals in chemical engineering, environmental science, and sustainability, offering actionable strategies to drive efficiency and sustainability in distillation processes, contributing to broader sustainability objectives in the industrial sector.
It concludes with an exploration of challenges, opportunities, and future directions in improving complex divided wall column arrangements. This book will serve as an excellent resource for professionals in chemical engineering, environmental science, and sustainability, offering actionable strategies to drive efficiency and sustainability in distillation processes, contributing to broader sustainability objectives in the industrial sector.
- Provides detailed, technical insights into the implementation of thermally coupled distillation columns, offering a comprehensive understanding of the technology's intricacies and its application in enhancing energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprint
- Outlines strategic approaches for achieving sustainability in the petrochemical and bioprocessing sectors
- Includes case studies for multiple purification and production technologies and real-world applications
- Discusses the theoretical foundations that motivated the conceptualization of thermal coupling and the development of distillation schemes with thermal couplings
Professionals in chemical engineering, environmental science, and sustainability, offering actionable strategies to drive efficiency and sustainability in distillation processes, contributing to broader sustainability objectives in the industrial sector. Detailed case studies and real-world applications provide full details of various production and purification methods that will be useful to anyone working or researching in distillation, or looking to make their processes more sustainable
1. Energy as a tipping point in sustainable processes
Historical development of the chemical industry
Energy consumption in the industrial sector and in (bio)separation processes
Energy as an indicator of sustainability in process design
Embedded separation processes in the current trends of sustainability and circular economy
2. Energy problems in Distillation Process
Conventional distillation columns as a separation alternative
Thermodynamic efficiency as a performance indicator of a distillation column
Distillation column design strategies, from simple to robust methodologies
Performance indicators in a sustainability framework associated with the energy consumption of the separation process
Conclusions
3. Thermal couplings: motivation, physical implications in distillation columns
Remixing effect in a separation train for a ternary mixture, causes and energetic effects
Theoretical description of a thermal coupling
Case study: ethanol purification including a thermal coupling in the separation train
Parametric optimization of the interconnection flows in an aspen plus simulator environment
Conclusions
4. Synthesis, design and optimization strategies in the application of thermal coupling
Separation of multicomponent mixtures using conventional distillation columns
Strategy based on column section movement and the application of thermal couplings
Case study: hydrocarbon mixture
Strategy based on the generation of a superstructure of separation alternatives with section movement, generation of thermodynamically equivalent schemes, and section elimination
Case study: separation of biobutanol from fermentation
Conclusions
5. Applications in (bio) thermal coupling processes within a sustainability framework
Use of thermal couplings in productive processes of compounds with non-renewable raw materials
Case study: Separation of complex hydrocarbons in an environment of process simulator
Case study: Production of diphenyl carbonate
Case study: Separation of effluents from the nylon industry
Use of thermal couplings in production processes of compounds with renewable raw materials
Case study: Bioethanol purification
Case study: Biobutanol purification
Case Study: 2-3 Butanediol Purification
Case study: Purification of Levulinic Acid
Evaluation of dynamic properties of thermally coupled schemes
Open-loop control study, case study: dynamic behavior of levulinic acid process separation in an environment of process simulator
3.1 Closed-loop control study, case study: dynamic behavior of levulinic acid process separation in an environment of process simulator
Conclusions
6. Complete thermal coupling: Petlyuk columns and their implementation as divided wall columns
Motivation, background and brief history of columns with full thermal coupling: Petlyuk columns
Practical implementation of full thermal coupling columns: dividing wall columns
Energy analysis of dividing wall columns
World overview on the use of dividing wall columns and current industrial applications
Application of DWC type schemes for the purification of complex mixtures
Case study: purification of furfural
Case study: purification of anisole
Complex reactive DWC schemes for the production of high value-added compounds
Case study: Production of triethyl citrate
Case study: Production of FAMEs
Case study: pilot plant scale dividing wall column
Conclusions
7. Methodologies for the synthesis and design of DWC type schemes
Analysis of the design variables of a dividing wall column and its degrees of freedom
Energy implication of the interconnection flows in the thermal couplings of dividing wall columns
Design strategies for dividing wall columns
Strategy based on minimum steam consumption: parametric analysis
Vmin methodology for determining the minimum steam consumption
Implementation in a simulator environment of DWC columns. Case study: separation of a hydrocarbon mixture
Comparison of energy consumptions in the separation of a ternary mixture considering different separation alternatives
Conclusions
8. Complex Divided Wall Column Arrangements (DWC)
Motivation and theoretical aspects of DWCs with more than one wall
Topology and design of a DWC with multiple walls and its implementation in a process simulator environment
DWC with multiple walls applied to the separation of complex mixtures
Case study: Separation of hydrocarbon mixtures
Case study: Separation of bioethanol from fermentation
3 Case study: Separation of biobutanol from fermentation
3. 4 Case study: Separation of levulinic acid from fermentation
Implementation of complex multi-walled reactive DWC schemes for the production of biocompounds
4.1 Case study: Production and separation of lactic acid
Conclusions
9. Innovations, AI applications and Other Environmentally Sustainable Applications
Distillation-based separation processes in the light of industry 4.0 2
Circular economy, sustainable development goals and various strategies for process sustainability assessment
Case study: Biomass planning for biobutanol production
Industry 4.0 strategies and tools aimed at improving separation processes
Case study: application of neural networks and machine learning in a DWC for biobutanol purification
Conclusions
10. Challenges, opportunities in the improvement of complex DWC schemes
Challenges, opportunities regarding DWC schemes
Trends in the use of thermal couplings and total thermal couplings for the separation and production of high value compounds
Conclusions
Historical development of the chemical industry
Energy consumption in the industrial sector and in (bio)separation processes
Energy as an indicator of sustainability in process design
Embedded separation processes in the current trends of sustainability and circular economy
2. Energy problems in Distillation Process
Conventional distillation columns as a separation alternative
Thermodynamic efficiency as a performance indicator of a distillation column
Distillation column design strategies, from simple to robust methodologies
Performance indicators in a sustainability framework associated with the energy consumption of the separation process
Conclusions
3. Thermal couplings: motivation, physical implications in distillation columns
Remixing effect in a separation train for a ternary mixture, causes and energetic effects
Theoretical description of a thermal coupling
Case study: ethanol purification including a thermal coupling in the separation train
Parametric optimization of the interconnection flows in an aspen plus simulator environment
Conclusions
4. Synthesis, design and optimization strategies in the application of thermal coupling
Separation of multicomponent mixtures using conventional distillation columns
Strategy based on column section movement and the application of thermal couplings
Case study: hydrocarbon mixture
Strategy based on the generation of a superstructure of separation alternatives with section movement, generation of thermodynamically equivalent schemes, and section elimination
Case study: separation of biobutanol from fermentation
Conclusions
5. Applications in (bio) thermal coupling processes within a sustainability framework
Use of thermal couplings in productive processes of compounds with non-renewable raw materials
Case study: Separation of complex hydrocarbons in an environment of process simulator
Case study: Production of diphenyl carbonate
Case study: Separation of effluents from the nylon industry
Use of thermal couplings in production processes of compounds with renewable raw materials
Case study: Bioethanol purification
Case study: Biobutanol purification
Case Study: 2-3 Butanediol Purification
Case study: Purification of Levulinic Acid
Evaluation of dynamic properties of thermally coupled schemes
Open-loop control study, case study: dynamic behavior of levulinic acid process separation in an environment of process simulator
3.1 Closed-loop control study, case study: dynamic behavior of levulinic acid process separation in an environment of process simulator
Conclusions
6. Complete thermal coupling: Petlyuk columns and their implementation as divided wall columns
Motivation, background and brief history of columns with full thermal coupling: Petlyuk columns
Practical implementation of full thermal coupling columns: dividing wall columns
Energy analysis of dividing wall columns
World overview on the use of dividing wall columns and current industrial applications
Application of DWC type schemes for the purification of complex mixtures
Case study: purification of furfural
Case study: purification of anisole
Complex reactive DWC schemes for the production of high value-added compounds
Case study: Production of triethyl citrate
Case study: Production of FAMEs
Case study: pilot plant scale dividing wall column
Conclusions
7. Methodologies for the synthesis and design of DWC type schemes
Analysis of the design variables of a dividing wall column and its degrees of freedom
Energy implication of the interconnection flows in the thermal couplings of dividing wall columns
Design strategies for dividing wall columns
Strategy based on minimum steam consumption: parametric analysis
Vmin methodology for determining the minimum steam consumption
Implementation in a simulator environment of DWC columns. Case study: separation of a hydrocarbon mixture
Comparison of energy consumptions in the separation of a ternary mixture considering different separation alternatives
Conclusions
8. Complex Divided Wall Column Arrangements (DWC)
Motivation and theoretical aspects of DWCs with more than one wall
Topology and design of a DWC with multiple walls and its implementation in a process simulator environment
DWC with multiple walls applied to the separation of complex mixtures
Case study: Separation of hydrocarbon mixtures
Case study: Separation of bioethanol from fermentation
3 Case study: Separation of biobutanol from fermentation
3. 4 Case study: Separation of levulinic acid from fermentation
Implementation of complex multi-walled reactive DWC schemes for the production of biocompounds
4.1 Case study: Production and separation of lactic acid
Conclusions
9. Innovations, AI applications and Other Environmentally Sustainable Applications
Distillation-based separation processes in the light of industry 4.0 2
Circular economy, sustainable development goals and various strategies for process sustainability assessment
Case study: Biomass planning for biobutanol production
Industry 4.0 strategies and tools aimed at improving separation processes
Case study: application of neural networks and machine learning in a DWC for biobutanol purification
Conclusions
10. Challenges, opportunities in the improvement of complex DWC schemes
Challenges, opportunities regarding DWC schemes
Trends in the use of thermal couplings and total thermal couplings for the separation and production of high value compounds
Conclusions
- Edition: 1
- Published: August 1, 2025
- No. of pages (Paperback): 325
- Imprint: Elsevier
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN: 9780443331145
- eBook ISBN: 9780443331152
JS
Juan Gabriel Segovia-Hernandez
Juan Gabriel Segovia-Hernandez is a Professor at Department of Chemical, Engineering of University of Guanajuato (México) has strong expertise in synthesis, design and optimization of (bio) processes. He has contributed to defining systematic methodologies to found, in a complete way, optimum sustainable and green processes for the production of several commodities. He also applied his methodologies to the production of biofuels and Bio-Based Building Blocks. Products of his research are more than 120 papers published in high impact factor indexed journals, 3 books with prestigious international publishers and three patent registers. In addition, he acts as a reviewer for over 25 top journals in chemical engineering, energy, and applied chemistry. For the pioneering work and remarkable achievements in his area of scientific research, he was National President of Mexican Academy of Chemical Engineering (2013-2015).
Affiliations and expertise
Professor, Department of Chemical, Engineering of University of Guanajuato, MexicoES
Eduardo Sanchez-Ramirez
Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Guanajuato (Mexico) since 2017. Through his academic development, he has gained considerable experience in the area of synthesis, design, simulation, control and optimization of chemical processes. Currently published contributions focus on the production of biofuels and base chemicals in the chemical industry. He has currently published more than 25 articles in indexed journals, 6 book chapters from renowned publishers and has registered 2 patents. He acts as a reviewer of indexed journals in the area of energy and chemical engineering. Email: [email protected], tel: +(52)4737320006 ext. 1403
Affiliations and expertise
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Guanajuato, MexicoSH
Salvador Hernández
Dr. Salvador Hernández got his Master and Ph.D. degrees in Instituto Tecnológico de Celaya in 1993 and 1998, respectively. He stayed as scholar researcher at University of Delaware. Currently, he is professor-researcher at Universidad de Guanajuato and he is member of the National Research System of Mexico. His research interest is in the area of design an intensification of biofuels production processes, including renewable aviation fuel. He has published more than 80 papers and 7 book chapters.
Affiliations and expertise
Professor-Researcher, Chemical Engineering Department, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico