FACULTY OF CHEMICAL & NATURAL RESOURCES ENGINEERING
MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCE PROJECT
COURSE: MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCE
COURSE CODE: BKF2343
STUDENT NAME: MOHD HARITH BIN MOHD NAZARUDDIN (KA18033)
QOSRINA BINTI ABDULLAH (KA18152)
RAS ADILAH BINTI ZAKARIA (KA18106)
NURUL IZZATI BINTI AHMAD (KA18042)
TITLE: PRODUCTION OF ACETALDEHYDE
SECTION: 04G
LECTURER’S NAME: DR. SURIATI BINTI SALLEH
CONTENT
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
1.2 Objective
1.3 Process Description
PART 2: SAFETY PRECAUTION
2.0 Safety precaution
PART 3: PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM
3.1 Process flow diagram (PFD)
3.2 Assumption (Provide and cite references for the process variables; temperature, pressure,
conversion, yield and selectivity)
PART 4: CALCULATION
4.1 Material balance
4.2 Energy balance
PART 5: SUMMARIZE IN TABLE
5.1 Material balance
PART 6: CONCLUSION
6.0 Conclusion
PART 7: REFERENCES
7.0 References
PART 8: APPENDIX
8.0 Appendix
1.1 BACKGROUND
ACETALDEHYDE
Acetaldehyde which is systematic name ethanal. Acetaldehyde is an organic chemical
compound with the formula CH3CHO. It is one of the most important aldehydes, occurring
widely in nature and being produced on a large scale in industry.
Acetaldehyde is a colorless, flammable liquid used in the manufacture of acetic acid,
perfumes, and flavors. It is also an intermediate in the metabolism of alcohol. It has a general
narcotic action and also causes irritation of mucous membranes. Large doses may cause death
from respiratory paralysis. Small amounts of acetaldehyde are produced naturally through gut
microbial fermentation. Acetaldehyde is produced through the action of alcohol dehydrogenase
on ethanol and is somewhate more toxic than ethanol. Acetaldehyde is linked to most of the
negative clinical effects of alcohol.
FIGURE 1 : Acetaldehyde structure
Acetaldehyde appears as a clear colorless liquid with a pungent choking odor. Flash point
-36°F. Boiling point 69°F. Density 6.5 lb / gal. Vapors are heaver than air and irritate the mucous
membranes and especially the eyes. Used to make other chemicals.
ETHANOL
Ethanol is a clear, colorless liquid rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and
distributed throughout the body. It has bactericidal activity and is used often as a topical
disinfectant. It is widely used as a solvent and preservative in pharmaceutical preparations as
well as serving as the primary ingredient in alcoholic beverages. Indeed, ethanol has widespread
use as a solvent of substances intended for human contact or consumption, including scents,
flavorings, colorings, and medicines. Ethanol has a depressive effect on the central nervous
system and because of its psychoactive effects, it is considered a drug. Ethanol has a complex
mode of action and affects multiple systems in the brain.
FIGURE 2 : Ethanol structure
Ethanol appears as a clear colorless liquid with a characteristic vinous odor and pungent
taste. Flash point 55°F. Density 6.5 lb / gal. Vapors are heavier than air.
1.2 OBJECTIVE
1. To design a project of production 30000 metric ton per year annum of acetaldehyde by
partial oxidation of ethanol.
2. To design process flow diagram.
3. To design material balances and energy balances in handwriting.
1.3 PROCESS DESCRIPTION
There are several different ways to produce acetaldehyde. Precursors that are commonly used are
ethylene, ethanol and acetylene. In this project, consider the partial oxidation of ethanol that
produces acetaldehyde. The basic reactions that take place are as follows;
Main reaction:
The by-products are formed according to following reactions:
The overall reaction is exothermic and the temperature in the reactor is 550 °C. The reaction is
carried out in a fixed bed reactor over a bed of silver catalyst. The products leaving the reactor
are then cooled instantly. Further cooling is done before the products enter the absorber where
water is used as solvent for the absorption process. The bottom stream of the absorption column
is then sent to the distillation column where acetaldehyde is removed in the top with the final
purity of acetaldehyde is 99% by mole. The bottom product from the distillation column is sent
to an ethanol column to recover the unconverted ethanol and recycled.
2.0 SAFETY PRECAUTION IN PRODUCTION OF ACETALDEHYDE
Acetaldehyde is mainly used as an intermediate in the synthesis of other chemicals. It is
ubiquitous in the environment and may be formed in the body from the breakdown of ethanol.
Acute (short-term) exposure to acetaldehyde results in effects including irritation of the eyes,
skin, and respiratory tract. Symptoms of chronic (long-term) intoxication of acetaldehyde
resemble those of alcoholism. Acetaldehyde is considered a probable human carcinogen (Group
B2) based on inadequate human cancer studies and animal studies that have shown nasal tumors
in rats and laryngeal tumors in hamsters.
Acute Effects:
The primary acute effect of inhalation exposure to acetaldehyde is irritation of the eyes, skin, and
respiratory tract in humans. At higher exposure levels, erythema, coughing, pulmonary edema,
and respiratory tract in humans. At higher exposure levels, erythema, coughing, pulmonary
edema, and necrosis may also occur. Acute inhalation of acetaldehyde resulted in a depressed
respiratory rate and elevated blood pressure in experimental animals. Tests involving acute
exposure of rats, rabbits, and hamsters have demonstrated acetaldehyde to have low acute
toxicity from inhalation and moderate acute toxicity from oral or dermal exposure.
Chronic Effects (Noncancer):
Symptoms of chronic intoxication of acetaldehyde in humans resemble those of alcoholism. In
hamsters, chronic inhalation exposure to acetaldehyde has produced changes in the nasal mucosa
and trachea, growth retardation, slight anemia, and increased kidney weight. The Reference
Concentration (RfC) for acetaldehyde is 0.009 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m 3 ) based on
degeneration of olfactory epithelium in rats. The RfC is an estimate (with uncertainty spanning
perhaps an order of magnitude) of a continuous inhalation exposure to the human population
(including sensitive subgroups), that is likely to be without appreciable risk of deleterious
noncancer effects during a lifetime. It is not a direct esimator of risk but rather a reference point
to gauge the potential effects. At exposures increasingly greater than the RfC, the potential for
adverse health effects increases. Lifetime exposure above the RfC does not imply that an
adverse health effect would necessarily occur. EPA has medium confidence in the principal
studies because appropriate histopathology was performed on an adequate number of animals
and a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) and a lowest-observedadverse-effect level
(LOAEL) were identified, but the duration was short and only one species was tested; low
confidence in the database due to the lack of chronic data establishing NOAELs and due to the
lack of reproductive and developmental toxicity data; and, consequently, low confidence in
the RfC. (4) EPA has not established a Reference Dose (RfD) for acetaldehyde.
Reproductive/Developmental Effects:
No information is available on the reproductive or developmental effects of acetaldehyde in
humans. Acetaldehyde has been shown, in animals, to cross the placenta to the fetus. Data from
animal studies suggest that acetaldehyde may be a potential developmental toxin. In one study, a
high incidence of embryonic resorptions was observed in mice injected with acetaldehyde. In rats
exposed to acetaldehyde by injection, skeletal malformations, reduced birth weight, and
increased postnatal mortality have been reported.
Cancer Risk:
Human data regarding the carcinogenic effects of acetaldehyde are inadequate. Only one
epidemiology study is available that has several limitations including short duration, small
number of subjects, and concurrent exposure to other chemicals and cigarettes. An increased
incidence of nasal tumors in rats and laryngeal tumors in hamsters has been observed following
inhalation exposure to acetaldehyde. EPA has classified acetaldehyde as a Group B2, probable
human carcinogen. EPA uses mathematical models, based on human and animal studies, to
estimate the probability of a person developing cancer from breathing air containing a specified
concentration of a chemical. EPA calculated an inhalation unit risk of 2.2 x 10 -6 (µg/m 3) -1 .
EPA estimates that, if an individual were to continuously breathe air containing acetaldehyde at
an average of 0.5 µg/m 3 (5 x 10 -4 mg/m 3 ) over his or her entire lifetime, that person would
theoretically have no more than a one-in-a-million increased chance of developing cancer as a
direct result of breathing air containing this chemical. Similarly, EPA estimates that breathing
air containing 5.0 µg/m 3 (5 x 10 -3 mg/m 3 ) would result in not greater than a one-in-ahundred
thousand increased chance of developing cancer, and air containing 50.0 µg/m 3 (5 x 10 2 mg/m
3
) would result in not greater than a one-in-ten thousand increased chance of developing cancer.
For a detailed discussion of confidence in the potency estimates, please see IRIS.
Physical Properties The chemical formula for acetaldehyde is CH3CHO, and it has a molecular
weight of 44.06 g/mol. Acetaldehyde is a colorless mobile liquid that is flammable and miscible
with water. Acetaldehyde has a pungent suffocating odor, but at dilute concentrations it has a
fruity and pleasant odor. The odor threshold of acetaldehyde is 0.05 parts per million (ppm)
(0.09 mg/m 3 ). The vapor pressure for acetaldehyde is 740 mm Hg at 20 °C, and it has a log
octanol/water partition coefficient (log Kow) of 0.43.
3.3 Assumption
Addition information based on references
ASSUMPTION VALUE
Production of acetaldehyde 30 000 metric ton per year
Excess air 50%
Yield ethanol to acetaldehyde 93%
Conversion per pass 74%
Conversion of acetic acid from 88%
reacted ethanol
Conversion of carbon dioxide 16%
from reacted ethanol
Pressure for all process in the 1 atm
column
Phase of acetic acid at 2°C liquid
Degree of freedom
1. Reactor (reactive species)
7 unknowns ( ṅ4, ṅ5, ṅ7, ṅ8, ṅ9, ṅ10, ṅ11)
+ 4 reaction
- 8 reactive species (C2H5OH, CH3CHO, CH3COOH, CO, CO2, CH4, H2O, O2)
- 1 non-reactive species (N2)
- 2 conversion (88% conversion of CH3COOH and 16% conversion of CO2)
0 degree of freedom
2. Absorption column (non-reactive species)
9 unknowns (ṅ13, ṅ14, ṅ15, ṅ16, ṅ17, ṅ18, ṅ19, ṅ20, ṅ21)
-9 material balances
0 degree of freedom
3. Distillation column (non-reactive species)
3 unknowns ( ṅ23, ṅ24, ṅ25 )
-4 material balances
-1 degree of freedom
4. Distillation column (non-reactive species)
3 unknowns (ṅ26, ṅ27, ṅ28)
-3 material balances
0 degree of freedom
5. Overall system
1 unknown (ṅ1)
-1 material balance
0
5.1 SUMMARY TABLE
5.2 MATERIAL BALANCE
SUBSTANCE C2H5OH O2 CH3CHO CH3COOH CH4 CO CO2 H2O N2
MOLE
FLOWRATE
(kmol/hr)
ṅ1 61.8586 - - - - - - - -
ṅ2 83.5927 - - - - - - - -
ṅ3 21.7341 - - - - - - - -
ṅ4 - 205.0865 - - - - - - -
ṅ5 - - - - - - - - 235.8512
ṅ6 - - 77.7412 - - - - - -
ṅ7 - - - 54.4356 - - - - -
ṅ8 - - - - - 9.897 - -
4
ṅ9 - - - - - - 160.4312 - -
ṅ10 - - - - 9.897 - - - -
4
ṅ11 - - - - - - - 61.858 -
6
ṅ12 - - - - - - - 0.78 -
ṅ13 - 205.0865 - - - - - - -
ṅ14 - - - - - - - - 235.8512
ṅ15 - - - - - 9.897 - - -
4
ṅ16 - - - - - - 160.4312 - -
ṅ17 - - - - 9.897 - - - -
4
ṅ18 21.7341 - - - - - - - -
ṅ19 - - - - - - - 62.638 -
6
ṅ20 - - 77.7412 - - - - - -
ṅ21 - - - 54.4356 - - - - -
ṅ22 - - - - - - - 0.78 -
ṅ23 21.7341 - - - - - - - -
ṅ24 - - - 54.4356 - - - - -
ṅ25 - - - - - - - 61.858 -
6
ṅ26 - - - 54.4356 - - - - -
ṅ27 - - - - - - - 61.858 -
6
ṅ28 21.7341 - - - - - - - -
6.0 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the production of acetaldehyde involved three reactions which is main reaction to
produce acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) and side reaction tend to product carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, methane and water. Besides, 61.8586 kmol/hour of ethanol and 62.6946 kmol/hour of
oxygen are feed in to mixer and mix with recycle stream to manufacture desired product which is
30 000 acetaldehyde metric ton per year. A total energy balance for the process is kJ/s which
is exothermic process.
Units Energy (kJ/s)
Heat exchanger
Reactor
Cooler
Absorber
Distillation
Distillation
Total energy
7.0 REFERENCES
1. Production of acetaldehyde form acetic acid. (n.d) Retrieved from
https://www.scribd.com/document/209025440/Production-of-Acetaldehyde-From-
Acetic-Acid#download
2. Ethanoic acid(acetic acid). (26th October 2016) Retrieved from
http://www.essentialchemicalindustry.org/chemicals/ethanoic-acid.html
3. Acetaldehyde. (n.d) Retrieved from
http://chematur.se/technologies/bio-chemicals/acetaldehyde/
4. Kinetics of Esterification of Acetic Acid and Ethanol with a Homogeneous Acid Catalyst.
(12 November 2014) Retrieved from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00194506.2014.975761
5. Design of an Plant for Manufacturing of Acetaldehyde. (March 2010) Retrieved from
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4eb8/77e107e0797438f40268369f2510c6321a6d.pdf
6. The catalytic and radical mechanism for ethanol oxidation to acetic acid. (2019) Retrieved
from https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/cc/c9cc05813c#!divAbstract
7. Acetaldehyde. (2012) Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/acetaldehyde
APPENDIX
