Responsible design of an extractive distillation process for bioethanol: economic, environmental, and safety assessment with energy integration
Keywords:
Bioethanol, Extractive Distillation, Energy Integration, Economic Evaluation, Environmental Impact, Inherent SafetyAbstract
Bioethanol produced from lignocellulosic residues is a second-generation biofuel with significant potential, whose purification process faces technical challenges due to azeotrope formation and high energy consumption. This study proposes a design for the purification of bioethanol through extractive distillation, integrating economic, environmental, and inherent safety as a practice of anticipatory responsibility, in alignment with the principles of anticipation and reflexivity, the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) framework. Three process configurations were simulated using Aspen Plus® V14, linked to techno-economic and sustainability assessments developed in MATLAB®. The influence of bioethanol purity and recovery, as well as the implementation of energy integration strategies through heat exchangers, was analyzed. Economic evaluation was carried out using the Guthrie method; inherent safety was assessed through the Distillation Column Inherent Safety Index (DCISI) and the Fire and Explosion Damage Index (FEDI); and environmental impact was evaluated using the IMPACT World+ methodology. Finally, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied to integrate the three criteria into a composite sustainability index. The results identified that the configuration with 91.0% purity and 99.96% recovery in the concentrating column, with two heat exchangers, showed the best overall performance. This option reduces energy consumption, minimizes environmental impact, and enhances process safety. The study demonstrates that the systematic integration of technical, economic, and environmental indicators is key to the design of more sustainable, safer, and ethically grounded chemical processes.
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Data Availability Statement
The data used in this study correspond to simulations, evaluations, and analytical results developed within the framework of an undergraduate thesis available in the institutional repository of the Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa. No additional datasets have been generated for public dissemination. Relevant results and parameters are described within the body of the present article. Any additional information may be reasonably requested from the corresponding author for non-commercial academic purposes.
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