Adaptable dividing-wall column design for intensified purification of butanediols after fermentation

The 2,3-, 1,4- and 1,3-butanediols (BDOs) are valuable platform chemicals traditionally produced through petrochemical routes. Alternatively, there is growing interest in synthesizing these chemicals through fermentation processes. However, several drawbacks of the fermentation process (e.g. low product concentration, formation of by-products and high-boiling temperatures of BDOs) hinder the�downstream process and increase overall production costs. This original research proposes an advanced large-scale (processing capacity of 160 ktonne/y) process design for the�purification of different BDOs after fermentation. The initial preconcentration step removes most water and light impurities in heat pump-assisted distillation column. The heart of the developed process is an integrated dividing-wall column that effectively separates high-purity BDO (>99.4 wt% in all cases) from the remaining impurities. Each BDO isomer was purified cost-effectively (0.208 � 0.243 $/kgBDO) and energy-efficiently (1.854 � 2.176 kWthh/kgBDO) using a single process design, offering flexibility in the development of sustainable bioprocesses for BDO production.