Design and intensification of the production process of propylene glycol as a high value-added glycerol derivative

Glycerol is a by-product obtained in the biodiesel production. Such by-product can be used as raw material to obtain high added value derivatives. However, the reduction in energy requirements and capital costs for the conversion routes is necessary to enhance the economic indicators. This can be achieved through the intensification of the conventional glycerol processing routes. This work proposes the design and intensification of processes to produce propylene glycol (PG) from crude glycerol. Four different PG production schemes are analyzed. The conversion processes are intensified by means of thermal coupling and reactive distillation systems. Each system is designed by rigorous simulation in Aspen PlusTM. As results, it has been determined that implementing a thermally coupled system in the PG purification section, a clear decrease in the required reboiler duty (37%) is obtained.