The scope of this project is the assessment of downstream processes for concentrating acetic acid produced by CO and the thermodynamic modelling of such systems.
The systems involving acetic acid and water are of significant scientific interest due to their relevance in various industrial processes, such as wastewater treatment and chemical manufacturing. Their relatively close boiling points complicate the dehydration of acetic acid, making separation a challenging endeavor for the industry. Over the years, various configurations have been proposed for the purification of acetic acid, such as azeotropic and extractive distillation, pervaporation and reverse osmosis, among others, with the main targets being the process efficiency and the reduce of energy consumption.
To accurately describe and predict the equilibrium of aqueous acetic acid systems, thermodynamic modeling is essential. Acetic acid tends to dimerize almost completely in both liquid and gas phases, a phenomenon that is further enhanced by the presence of water. This leads to systems that exhibit significant deviations from ideality in vapor-liquid equilibrium. Therefore, there is a pressing need for advanced thermodynamic models capable of interpreting these complex interactions between the components.
The purpose of this project is the description and simulation of downstream processes that can be used to produce acetic acid concentrates from aqueous solutions. The specific application requires the thermodynamic modelling of systems containing water, acetic acid and acetates, as well as the detailed simulation of the individual processes involved. The results obtained will be used for the technoeconomic analysis and life-cycle assessment of an overall system aiming to convert CO2 into diamine monomers via fermentative production.
This project is part of the ECOMO project (Innovation Gate 2), which is funded from Horizon-EIC program and it is a collaboration between TUM DE (coordinator), DTU, Fraunhofer DE, Eilenburger Elektrolyse- und Umwelttechnik GmbH DE and CNRS FR.
Main supervisor:
Xiaodong Liang
Co- supervisors:
Hariklia N. Gavala
Georgios Kontogeorgis
Ioannis V. Skiadas