2.3.

3 Degree of Freedom Recycle

Distillation Column 1

DC1
Ethanol
Ethanol
Water
Water

Water

The degree of freedom analysis is done and shown in Table 2.3 below.

Table 2.3 : Degree of freedom analysis for distillation process

No. of unknown label variables 3
No. of independent reactive species -2
Ratio of Ethanol : Water = 0.935:0.065 -1
No. degree of freedom 0 (Solvable)

Distillation Column 2
Ethanol
Water

DC2
 Ethanol

Ethylene Glycol Ethylene Glycol

Ethylene Glycol
Water

The degree of freedom analysis is done and shown in Table 2.4.

Table 2.4: Degree of freedom analysis for distillation process

No. of unknown label variables 5
No. of independent reactive species -3
Ratio of EG : Water = 0.961:0.039 & Ethanol product recovery = 99.94% -2
No. degree of freedom 0 (Solvable)

2.3.4 Material Balance of Recycle

2.3.4.1 Material Balance of Distillation Column 1

DC1
Ethanol: 11,074.73 kmol/batch Ethanol: 11,074.73 kmol/batch

Water: 320,580.257 kmol/batch Water: 769.901 kmol/batch

Water: 319,810.356 kmol/batch

Product Composition (mass fraction) = Water: Ethanol

0.065: 0.935
Components Inlet Inlet Outlet Outlet
(kmol/batch) (kg/batch) (kmol/batch) (kg/batch)
Water 320,580.257 5,770,444.626 769.901 13,858.218
Ethanol 11,074.73 510,212.811 11,074.73 510,212.811
Waste (Water) - - 319,810.356 5,756,586.408
Total 331,654.987 6,280,657.437 331,654.987 6,280,657.437

2.3.4.2 Material Balance of Distillation Column 2

Ethanol: 11,074.73 kmol/batch

Water: 769.901 kmol/batch

Ethanol: 11,074.73 kmol/batch

DC2
Ethylene Glycol: EG: 22.194 kmol/batch
18,993.345 kmol/batch

Ethylene Glycol: 18,971.150 kmol/batch

Water: 769.901 kmol/batch

Product Composition = Water: Ethylene Glycol

0.039: 0.961
Components Inlet Inlet (kg/batch) Outlet Outlet
(kmol/batch) (kmol/batch) (kg/batch)
Water 769.901 13,858.218 769.901 13,858.218
 Ethanol 11,074.73 510,212.811 11,074.73 510,212.811

Ethylene Glycol 18,993.345 1,178,916.924 18,971.150 1,177,539.281

Ethylene Glycol - - 22.194 1377.582

(Side Product)
Total 30,837.976 1,702,987.953 30,810.975 1,702,987.892

2.3.4.3 Material Balance of Solvent Recovery Column

Ethylene Glycol: 18,971.150 kmol/batch

Water: 769.901 kmol/batch

SRC Water: 769.901 kmol/batch

Ethylene Glycol: 18971.150 kmol/batch

Components Inlet Inlet (kg/batch) Outlet Outlet

(kmol/batch) (kmol/batch) (kg/batch)
Water 769.901 13,858.218 769.901 13,858.218

Ethylene Glycol 18,993.345 1,178,916.924 18,971.150 1,177,539.281

Total 19,763.246 1,192,775.142 19,763.246 1,192,775.142

2.3.5 Reactor Design

2.3.5.1 Reactor Design for Alkaline Hydrolysis

2.3.5.2 Reactor Design for Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation

Batch stirred bioreactor is designed for ethanol production with yeasts Saccharomyces
cerevisiae under anaerobic conditions (Qazizada, 2016).

4310.162 kmol 80batch year 1 hour

CCellulose ¿ x x x =0.71 kmol /min
batch year 8000 hours 60 minutes

0.71 kmol 162.1406 kg

= x = 115.1198 kg/min
min kmol

115.1198kg 60 min 8000 hours year

= x x x =690,718.80 kg /batch
min 1hour year 80 batch

115.1198kg m3 3
CCellulose = x =0.0767 m /min
min 1500 kg

0.71 kmol min

CCellulose = x =9.2568 kmol /m 3
min 0.0767 m 3

11751.22 kmol 1 hour year 80 batch

FEthanol = x x x =1.9585 kmol /min
batch 60 min 8000 hours year

625000 kg 1 hour year 80 batch

= x x x =104.1667 kg /min
batch 60 min 8000 hours year

To calculate volume of reactor, the following equation is used:

V = F Ethanol ¿¿ ¿
= (1.9585 kmol /min ⁡)¿ ¿
 = 1206.8669 m3

2.3.5.3 Decision on Reactor Type

There are many types of ethanol fermentation processes, including batch

fermentation, continuous fermentation, continuous fermentation with cell recycling, fed-
batch, and repeated-batch culture.

Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) is used for this plant. It is a

method by which enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation are performed simultaneously in the
same reactor. Hence, the best type of reactor used for this method is batch reactor. However,
the characteristics on different type of reactors to conduct SSF are compared below:

Table 2.3 Characteristics on types of reactor to conduct SSF

Type of Reactors Advantages Disadvantages

Batch reactor
Continuous Stirred
Tank Reactor (CSTR)
Packed Bed Reactor
 Most popular and simple method to  Higher initial sugar concentration
produce ethanol is required to achieve more
 Low investment costs, simple efficient ethanol production
control, and operations
 Less mass transfer resistance  Unable to maintain high levels of
biomass inventory because of
intrinsic structure and operating
pattern
 Best used for continuous
hydrogen production
 Accomplished solid-catalysed  Pressure drop and transport
reaction limitation easy to increase by time

REFERENCES

Bioenergy Research: Advances and Applications, 2014. Retrieved from:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/simultaneous-saccharification-and-
fermentation
Bioreactor and Bioprocess Design for Biohydrogen Production, 2013. Retrieved from:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/continuous-stirred-tank-reactor

Reactors Accomplishing Heterogenous Reactions (n.d). Retrieved from:

https://authors.library.caltech.edu/25070/11/FundChemReaxEngCh10.pdf