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ChemEngineering
Special Issues
Green and Sustainable Separation and Purification Technologies
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Green and Sustainable Separation and Purification Technologies

A special issue of ChemEngineering (ISSN 2305-7084).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2025 | Viewed by 4675

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yang Yuan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Information Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
Interests: process systems engineering; advanced process control; intelligent optimization; neural networks; reinforcement learning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Green and sustainable separation and purification technologies are an essential aspect of modern chemical engineering, environmental science, and industrial processes. These methods aim to minimize the environmental footprint while maintaining or improving the efficiency of extracting, purifying, and recycling valuable materials from various sources. They focus on reducing energy consumption and minimizing waste generation.

Green and sustainable separation and purification technologies have a wide range of definitions. A typical example is process intensification. This refers to the redesign of existing processes with technologies such as vapor recompression, heat integration, and thermal coupling, thereby reducing their size, improving resource efficiency, and minimizing waste production. Other examples, such as advanced membrane separation technologies, cryogenic distillation technologies, dividing-wall column technologies, reactive distillation technologies, and supergravity distillation technologies, are also included, as long as they contribute to the achievement of green and sustainable chemistry.

By adopting these green and sustainable separation and purification technologies, industries can significantly reduce their environmental impact and contribute to a circular economy by recovering and reusing valuable resources.

Dr. Yang Yuan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. ChemEngineering is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • vapor recompression
  • heat integration
  • thermal coupling
  • process intensification
  • separation process modeling
  • separation process design
  • separation process control

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 4959 KiB  
Article
Plantwide Control for the Separation of THF-H2O in an Azeotropic Distillation Process
by Moises Ramos-Martinez, Gerardo Ortiz-Torres, Felipe D. J. Sorcia-Vázquez, Carlos Alberto Torres-Cantero, Manuela Calixto-Rodriguez, Mayra G. Mena-Enriquez, Jorge Salvador Valdez Martínez, Estela Sarmiento-Bustos, Alan Cruz Rojas and Jesse Y. Rumbo-Morales
ChemEngineering 2024, 8(6), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering8060127 - 9 Dec 2024
Viewed by 301
Abstract
This paper presents a plantwide control strategy for optimizing a pressure-swing azeotropic distillation process used in tetrahydrofuran dehydration. Leveraging Skogestad’s methodology, this strategy focused on two distillation columns: a low-pressure column for water recovery at 20 psia and a high-pressure column that achieved [...] Read more.
This paper presents a plantwide control strategy for optimizing a pressure-swing azeotropic distillation process used in tetrahydrofuran dehydration. Leveraging Skogestad’s methodology, this strategy focused on two distillation columns: a low-pressure column for water recovery at 20 psia and a high-pressure column that achieved 0.99 molar fraction purity of tetrahydrofuran at 115 psia. This study identified critical control variables through plant analysis by implementing PI controllers in the regulatory control layer to stabilize flows and pressures. In the supervisory control layer, a PI controller combined with MIMO MPC effectively enhanced the product purity and reduced the energy consumption by 36%. Stable inlet and outlet flow conditions (100 lbmol/hr inlet, 29.59 lbmol/hr outlet) were maintained without compromising the equipment integrity. The operational ranges for the process included variations in the tetrahydrofuran mole fraction from 0.25 to 0.35 at the inlet, which demonstrated a robust performance across perturbations. These achievements signify significant advancements in process efficiency and sustainability, offering substantial reductions in energy usage while ensuring consistent high purity levels in tetrahydrofuran production. The developed control structure sets a new standard for efficient azeotropic distillation processes, with implications for enhancing operational performance across industrial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Separation and Purification Technologies)
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18 pages, 6274 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Removal of Chlorpyrifos, Cu(II), Pb(II), and Iodine from Aqueous Solutions Using Ficus Nitida and Date Palm Biochars
by Essam R. I. Mahmoud, Hesham M. Aly, Noura A. Hassan, Abdulrahman Aljabri, Asim Laeeq Khan and Hashem F. El-Labban
ChemEngineering 2024, 8(5), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering8050105 - 12 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1039
Abstract
This study explores the adsorption efficiency of biochar derived from palm trees and Ficus nitida for the removal of various contaminants, including Cu(II), Pb(II), iodine, and chlorpyrifos from aqueous solutions. Biochar was prepared using a two-step pyrolysis process for date palm biochar and [...] Read more.
This study explores the adsorption efficiency of biochar derived from palm trees and Ficus nitida for the removal of various contaminants, including Cu(II), Pb(II), iodine, and chlorpyrifos from aqueous solutions. Biochar was prepared using a two-step pyrolysis process for date palm biochar and single-step pyrolysis for Ficus nitida biochar. Characterization techniques such as SEM, EDX, and FTIR revealed a significant surface area and a variety of functional groups in both types of biochar, essential for effective adsorption. The date palm biochar exhibited superior adsorption capacities for Cu(II) and Pb(II) ions, achieving efficiencies up to 99.9% and 100%, respectively, due to its high content of oxygen-containing functional groups that facilitated strong complexation and ion exchange mechanisms. Conversely, Ficus nitida biochar demonstrated a higher adsorption capacity for iodine, reaching 68% adsorption compared to 39.7% for date palm biochar, owing to its greater surface area and microporosity. In the case of chlorpyrifos, Ficus nitida biochar again outperformed date palm biochar, achieving a maximum adsorption efficiency of 87% after 24 h of incubation, compared to 50.8% for date palm biochar. The study also examines the effect of incubation time on adsorption efficiency, showing that the adsorption of chlorpyrifos by date palm biochar increased significantly with time, reaching a maximum of 62.9% after 48 h, with no further improvement beyond 12 h. These results highlight the importance of biochar characteristics, such as surface area, pore structure, and functional groups, in determining adsorption efficiency. The findings suggest that optimizing pyrolysis conditions and surface modifications could further enhance the performance of biochar as a cost-effective and sustainable solution for water purification and environmental remediation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Separation and Purification Technologies)
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10 pages, 1481 KiB  
Article
Innovative Technology of Continuous-Steam Distillation with Packed Column to Obtain Essential Oil-Differentiated Fractions from Mexican Lime (Citrus aurantifolia)
by Tania Pahua-Angel, Mirna Estarrón-Espinosa, Eduardo Castaño-Tostado, Edmundo Mateo Mercado-Silva, Silvia Lorena Amaya-Llano and José Daniel Padilla-de la Rosa
ChemEngineering 2024, 8(5), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering8050088 - 2 Sep 2024
Viewed by 860
Abstract
Continuous distillation (CD) by steam is a patented emerging technology that allows us to obtain essential-oil fractions from citrus juices. It presents benefits such as reducing steam consumption by 50%, lowering environmental impact, and, by its design, obtaining fractions enriched in terpenic and [...] Read more.
Continuous distillation (CD) by steam is a patented emerging technology that allows us to obtain essential-oil fractions from citrus juices. It presents benefits such as reducing steam consumption by 50%, lowering environmental impact, and, by its design, obtaining fractions enriched in terpenic and oxygenated compounds that can be further processed. The CD of essential oils from Mexican lime juice (Citrus aurantifolia) was studied and the results were compared with conventional steam distillation (batch) in terms of steam consumption, extraction yield, chemical composition, and quality of the essential oils. Different steam flows were used: distillation without a packed column (sc); with packed column (cc); and steam flows of 10, 15, and 20 mL/min with a reflux ratio of 0.5, 1, and 2, respectively. CD was superior in terms of composition, extraction energy savings (0.63 kg steam/kg juice with 1.39 kg steam/kg juice in the conventional), and the extraction yield recovery efficiency was >90%. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the extracted essential oils indicated that the use of CD with a column increases the fractionation of volatile compounds. The result of this study demonstrates that CD can be used as an alternative method to extract the essential oil from lime or any citrus fruit, obtaining differentiated fractions in aroma and composition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Separation and Purification Technologies)
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24 pages, 4637 KiB  
Article
Biogas Cleaning via Vacuum Swing Adsorption Using a Calcium Metal–Organic Framework Adsorbent: A Multiscale Simulation Study
by Madison Lasich, Victoria T. Adeleke and Kaniki Tumba
ChemEngineering 2024, 8(3), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering8030062 - 14 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1703
Abstract
Purifying biogas can enhance the performance of distributed smart grid systems while potentially yielding clean feedstock for downstream usage such as steam reforming. Recently, a novel anion-pillared metal–organic framework (MOF) was reported in the literature that shows good capacity to separate acetylene from [...] Read more.
Purifying biogas can enhance the performance of distributed smart grid systems while potentially yielding clean feedstock for downstream usage such as steam reforming. Recently, a novel anion-pillared metal–organic framework (MOF) was reported in the literature that shows good capacity to separate acetylene from carbon dioxide. The present study assesses the usefulness of this adsorbent for separating a typical biogas mixture (consisting of methane, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulphide) using a multiscale approach. This approach couples atomistic Monte Carlo simulations in the grand canonical ensemble with the batch equilibrium modelling of a pressure swing adsorption system. The metal–organic framework displays selectivity at low pressures for carbon dioxide and especially hydrogen sulphide. An analysis of adsorption isotherm models coupled with statistical distributions of surface–gas interaction energies determined that both CH4 and CO2 exhibited Langmuir-type adsorption, while H2S displayed Langmuir-type behaviour at low pressures, with increasing adsorption site heterogeneity at high pressures. Batch equilibrium modelling of a vacuum swing adsorption system to purify a CH4/CO2 feedstock demonstrated that such a system can be incorporated into a solar biogas reforming process since the target purity of 93–94 mol-% methane for incorporation into the process was readily achievable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Separation and Purification Technologies)
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