MANUFACTURING OF ETHANOLAMINE SOLVENT FOR CO2 CAPTURE

Abstract

Human activities have led to significant carbon dioxide emissions, triggering global warming and climate change. As a response, the global carbon capture and sequestration market has been growing rapidly. Monoethanolamine (MEA) is widely used for CO2 capture, with the MEA market projected to grow significantly. This project focused on designing an industrial plant for producing MEA through the liquid-phase reaction between ethylene oxide (EO) and ammonia.

The selected conventional manufacturing process involved three plug flow reactors in series to achieve a near-complete conversion of EO and a 73% selectivity for MEA with a 94% purity. Aktobe region was chosen as the location of the plant for its proximity to raw material suppliers and efficient transportation networks. The projected annual production rate was 12,000 tonnes to meet the CIS region's market demand.

The plant design incorporated essential equipment, including major components like reactors, flash separator, distillation column and heat exchanger, as well as minor components such as compressors and storage tanks. Detailed designs for each piece of equipment were made, following established chemical engineering methodologies. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis conducted in Aspen Plus identified the optimal operating conditions, ensuring efficient and reliable plant performance.

Economic feasibility analysis indicated a total initial investment of $27.9 million, with a payback period of approximately 9 years. Financial metrics included an internal rate of return (IRR) of 15%, a return on investment (ROI) of 36.46%, and a net present value (NPV) of $10.2 million over 20 years, confirming the project's profitability.

Looking ahead, the project will focus on enhancing product purity from 94% to 99% and reducing production costs. Future steps include recycling purge streams, separating and selling by-products, optimizing operating conditions by reducing pressure from 25 to 20 bar, and improving distillation column efficiency by implementing reactive distillation methods. These measures aim to further refine the production process, increase profitability, and meet higher market standards.