Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.42, No.2, 349-356, 2003
Simulation of an organosolv pulping process: Generalized material balances and design calculations
The economic feasibility of organosolv pulping depends on the efficiency of solvent and byproduct recovery, as well as on the market price of pulping byproducts. Computer simulation of organosolv pulping is a valuable tool for assessing key points of the process (including the degree of solvent recovery, analysis of possible strategies for stream integration, and specification of mass flows for products and byproducts). Based on experimental data for Acetosolv pulping (carried out in a HCl-water-acetic acid medium), a flowsheet has been proposed for a possible industrial plant, and generalized material balances have been carried out using commercial simulation software. The material balances enabled the calculation of the mass flows of pulp and pulping byproducts, as well as the specification of the composition of streams in which they are included. The calculations predicted 97.6% of acetic acid recovery and 91.7% of HCl recovery.