Exergy analysis of process configurations for phenol recovery from wastewater

Wastewater with high phenol content, primarily generated by the petrochemical, coal, oil, and gas industries, must be treated before disposal to meet global regulations and prevent environmental harm. Liquid-liquid extraction is a well-studied method employed to address this need. Despite the extensive focus on to energy performance, exergy analysis has not yet been incorporated. Therefore, this study aims to compare four process configurations by integrating an exergetic approach with economic and emissions analyses to quantify thermodynamic efficiency, total annual cost, and CO2 emissions. Process simulations were conducted using Aspen Plus V.12, and the economic analysis was performed using the Aspen Process Economic Analyzer. The input streams of all configurations were 100 ton/h of wastewater containing 275 kg/h of phenol and 266 kg/h of hydroquinone, with pure methyl iso-butyl ketone (MIBK) as the makeup solvent. Extraction and mixing exhibited the lowest exergy destruction, while distillation accounted for approximately 55 % of the total exergy destruction. Configurations that incorporated direct medium-pressure steam input resulted in greater exergy destruction, leading to reduced exergy efficiency, but a lower total annual cost. The most economical configuration was achieved by heat integration of De Dietrich (R) process with low-pressure steam (C-IE lps), benefiting from exergy analysis insights. The exergy efficiency of this configuration increased from 33 % to 38 %, and the total annual cost decreased by 183 thousand USD per year compared to the initial De Dietrich (R) process (configuration C). Similarly, CO2 emissions were reduced to the lowest level, reaching 4.87 kg CO2 /h.