Sustainable production of chemical intermediates for nylon manufacture: a techno-economic analysis for renewable production of caprolactone
File(s)1-s2.0-S026387621830265X-main.pdf (1.84 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Thaore, VB
Chadwick, David
Shah, Nilay
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Caprolactone is a precursor for the synthesis of caprolactam, the key monomer for nylon-6 which is produced globally at a scale of 4 million tonnes per annum. This work describes and assesses a bio-based production route to caprolactone from an agricultural residue, specifically corn stover, via glucose, fructose, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) and 1,6-hexanediol. The material and energy balances, the cost efficiency, as well as on the potential reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are reported and discussed. The developed process model was simulated in Aspen Plus™ with the optimization and energy integration performed for the entire process from corn stover to caprolactone. A sensitivity analysis was performed with consideration of various economic factors to explore the process economics. The results of the techno-economic and environmental assessment show that a bio-based caprolactone production process via glucose and HMF could be competitive with conventional hydrocarbon-based processes when major by-products are valorised and has a lower environmental impact. Areas where further investigation is needed to improve sustainable caprolactone production are identified and discussed.
Date Issued
2018-07-01
Date Acceptance
2018-05-19
Citation
Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 2018, 135, pp.140-152
ISSN
1744-3598
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
140
End Page
152
Journal / Book Title
Chemical Engineering Research and Design
Volume
135
Copyright Statement
© 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf
of Institution of Chemical Engineers. This is an open access article under the CC-BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
of Institution of Chemical Engineers. This is an open access article under the CC-BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
Sponsor
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Grant Number
EP/K014749/1
Subjects
0904 Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Strategic, Defence & Security Studies
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-05-26