Biolubricant intensified process design: evaluation and technoeconomic assessment

Abstract Biolubricants are nontoxic and biodegradable, and they exhibit properties comparable to mineral‐oil lubricants. This study examines two alternative transesterification pathways based on renewable feedstocks: the reaction of castor oil with isoamyl alcohol (process 1) and with isobutyl alcohol (process 2). Molecular distillation (MD) was employed to separate and purify the target products. Process evaluation and technoeconomic assessment (TEA) require a simulation model. As MD is not available in commercial simulators such as Aspen Plus, the separation was emulated using a sequence of flash vessels. The proposed emulation approach was validated for two binary mixtures whose distilled mass fractions matched literature values. The intensified production process for isoamyl ricinoleate and isobutyl ricinoleate recovered 99% of the ester‐rich fraction (99% w/w) in the distillate stream. At a 15% internal rate of return (IRR), the minimum product selling price for the isobutyl alcohol pathway (USD 1964 per ton) was lower than that of the isoamyl alcohol pathway (USD 2101 per ton). This work demonstrates a cost‐effective process design that combines intensified separation with renewable raw materials.