Computer-aided simulation and exergy analysis of TiO 2 nanoparticles production via green chemistry

PeerJ

article

Samir Meramo-Hurtado¹  Kariana Moreno-Sader¹  Ángel D. González-Delgado¹ 

[1] Nanomaterials and Computer Aided Process Engineering Research Group ,(NIPAC), Department of Chemical Engineeering, University of Cartagena

关键词: Lemongrass;    TiO2 nanoparticles;    Exergy analysis;    Process simulation;    GreenChemistry;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.8113

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe production of photocatalytic nanoparticles such as TiO2 has received increasing interest for biomedical and wastewater treatment applications. However, the conventional synthesis of such materials faces several environmental concerns.MethodsIn this work, green synthesis is addressed to prepare TiO2 nanoparticles at large scale using Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) and titanium isopropoxide (TTIP). This process was designed and modeled using computer-aided process engineering (CAPE) in order to obtain the extended mass/energy balances, as well as operating parameters. Process simulation was carried out using the commercial software Aspen Plus®. In addition, energy performance of large-scale nanoparticle production was analyzed to identify alternatives for process improvement from an exergetic point of view.ResultsThe production capacity of the plant was estimated as 1,496 t/y of TiO2 nanoparticles by the conversion of 32,675 t/y lemongrass and 5,724 t/y TTIP. Hence, the overall production yield is 0.26 kg TiO2/kg TTIP. Exergy analysis reported an overall exergy efficiency of 0.27% and an exergy loss of 159,824.80 MJ/h. These results suggest that such a process requires the implementation of process improvement strategies to reach a more sustainable design from energy and thermodynamic viewpoints.

【 授权许可】

CC BY