Simulation Study of Polyglycerol Separation with Distillation Column using Aspen HYSYS

Muhammad Yori Pratama; Andini Hizbiyati; Jenny Rizkiana

Muhammad Yori Pratama Chemical Engineering Department, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganesa 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
Andini Hizbiyati Chemical Engineering Department, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganesa 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
Jenny Rizkiana Chemical Engineering Department, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganesa 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia

Keywords: aspen hysys, distillation, glycerine pitch, polyglycerol, separation

Abstract

Biodiesel production results in glycerol waste can be utilized to be pure glycerol through distillation process. The bottom product of this process, also known as glycerine pitch can be extracted to obtain polyglycerol. To obtain high-purity polyglycerol for various industries, the extract solution must undergo a purification process, typically using distillation. This research investigated the possibility of utilizing extracted solution of glycerine pitch by separating polyglycerol compounds, such as diglycerol and triglycerol, using vacuum distillation. A distillation column was simulated using Aspen HYSYS software to evaluate the separation process. The operating conditions were determined using a shortcut column initially before using the distillation column. Feed concentration was varied to analyze its effect on product composition, percentage of glycerol recovery, and reboiler temperature. The simulation results showed that high-purity glycerol (99%) can be separated from polyglycerol.

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