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Energy Analysis of Butanol Extraction Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

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This project analyzes a butanol production process using supercritical carbon dioxide and the bacterial strain recently discovered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We determined that an altered version of the equation of state Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) would accurately model the ternary system carbon dioxide-water-butanol at critical conditions. We chose a 3:1 mass ratio of carbon dioxide to butanol in the reactor, a pressure of 65 bar for the first separator, and a the carbon dioxide recycle ratio of 0.71. Our most efficient process design was a total recycle model that recycles the carbon dioxide produced by the fermentation reaction to be used to extract the butanol. The Total Recycle design had an energy requirement of 1.2 MJ/kg product without the reactor.

  • This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.
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  • E-project-042617-155135
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  • 2017
Date created
  • 2017-04-26
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