Technical and Economical Analysis on The Design of Distillation Column in Biodiesel Industry

Abstract

The distillation column is one of the important pieces of equipment in the biodiesel industry for separating biodiesel compounds from other compounds such as glycerin and methanol residues. The purpose of this research is to predict the price of the Distillation Column in the future based on the specifications of the tool. This research was conducted by determining the required equipment specifications based on capacity and calculating the estimated price using the Peters & Timmerhauss formula then comparing the price with the current market price. The results of the calculation show that the greater the capacity, the greater the specifications of the Distillation Column required, such as the tower diameter, tower height, and a number of holes in the tray. As well as the larger the capacity of the distillation column, it also requires more complex supporting accessories for the distillation column so that it can operate optimally. Based on the calculation of the price of the Distillation Column, the results are in accordance with the current market prices. So that this calculation method is adequate to predict the price of the Distillation Column.