Techno-economic evaluation of the production of polyesters from glycerol and adipic acid

Abstract In this paper we conceptually design and scale up a process for the production of polyesters out of glycerol to be integrated within biodiesel production facilities. Experimental data for the polycondensation reaction and process simulation tools (CHEMCAD and gPROMS) are used to perform a techno-economic analysis of the production of polyesters from glycerol and adipic acid. The plant is flexible for the production of two grades of polyesters, solid and liquid types. The process consists of glycerol purification, polycondensation reaction, and, for the solid polymer, monomers recovery. The solid polymer is also used as adsorbent to purify the biodiesel obtained in the adjacent plant that serves the glycerol. The analysis reveals that the production is economically feasible, with a production cost for the polyester of 1.7€/kg, providing good asset out of the glycerol based on current market prices for these resins.

[1]  J. Blaker,et al.  Hierarchical Composites Made Entirely from Renewable Resources , 2011 .

[2]  N. M. José,et al.  Synthesis and characterization of aliphatic polyesters from glycerol, by-product of biodiesel production, and adipic acid , 2007 .

[3]  Ignacio E. Grossmann,et al.  Energy optimization of bioethanol production via gasification of switchgrass , 2011 .

[4]  Stanley M. Walas,et al.  Chemical Process Equipment : Selection and Design , 1988 .

[5]  A. Amarasekara,et al.  Synthesis and Characterization of All Renewable Resources Based Branched Polyester: Poly(2,5-furandicarboxylic acid-co-glycerol) , 2013 .

[6]  Naresh Pachauri,et al.  Value-added Utilization of Crude Glycerol from Biodiesel Production: A Survey of Current Research Activities , 2006 .

[7]  Klaus D. Timmerhaus,et al.  Plant design and economics for chemical engineers , 1958 .

[8]  A. S. Nunes,et al.  Synthesis and characterization of polyesters from glycerol by-product of biodiesel production , 2012 .

[9]  V. Wyatt.  Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Synthesis of Hyperbranched Polymers Based on Glycerol and Diacids in Toluene , 2012 .

[10]  Bernd Bruchmann,et al.  Hyperbranched Polyesters Based on Adipic Acid and Glycerol , 2004 .

[11]  M. Dubé,et al.  Biodiesel production from waste cooking oil: 1. Process design and technological assessment. , 2003, Bioresource technology.

[12]  van Jmn Han Kasteren,et al.  A process model to estimate the cost of industrial scale biodiesel production from waste cooking oil by supercritical transesterification , 2007 .

[13]  Rachel Burton,et al.  Glycerol (Byproduct of Biodiesel Production) as a Source for Fuels and Chemicals Mini Review , 2010 .

[14]  I. Grossmann,et al.  Optimal Simultaneous Production of Hydrogen and Liquid Fuels from Glycerol: Integrating the Use of Biodiesel Byproducts , 2014 .

[15]  Ignacio E. Grossmann,et al.  Simultaneous Optimization and Heat Integration for the Coproduction of Diesel Substitutes: Biodiesel (FAME and FAEE) and Glycerol Ethers from Algae Oil , 2014 .

[16]  H. Deka,et al.  Bio-based hyperbranched polyurethanes for surface coating applications , 2009 .

[17]  Fabrizio Bezzo,et al.  Ethanol from corn: a technical and economical assessment based on different scenarios , 2008 .

[18]  Ignacio E. Grossmann,et al.  Simultaneous Optimization and Heat Integration for Biodiesel Production from Cooking Oil and Algae , 2012 .

[19]  S. Kumari,et al.  Synthesis and characterization of hyperbranched polyesters and polyurethane coatings , 2007 .

[20]  Ray Sinnott,et al.  Chemical Engineering Design , 2007 .

[21]  D. J. Wilhelm,et al.  Syngas production for gas-to-liquids applications: technologies, issues and outlook , 2001 .

[22]  M. I. Aranguren,et al.  Natural Composites: Polymeric Matrices Based on Vegetable Resources , 2006 .

[23]  Ignacio E. Grossmann,et al.  Energy optimization for the design of corn‐based ethanol plants , 2008 .