Ant lion based optimization for performance improvement of methanol production

• Published in: CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND PROCESS MODELING
• Main Authors: Ariff, Mohd Azahar Mohd; Alwi, Sharifah Rafidah Wan; Muhammad, Dinie; Murat, Muhamad Nazri; Azmi, Ashraf; Rashid, Zulkifli Abdul; Rohman, Fakhrony Sholahudin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: WALTER DE GRUYTER GMBH 2024
• Subjects: Engineering
• Online Access: https://www-webofscience-com.uitm.idm.oclc.org/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001352006800001
• ISSN: 1934-2659; 2194-6159
• DOI: 10.1515/cppm-2024-0030

Methanol (CH3OH) is a versatile compound used in various industries. Catalytic reactors used in CH3OH production are expensive due to high energy and raw material costs. Multi-objective optimization (MOO) is used to optimize CH3OH production, but it is still lacking. Researchers use alternative strategies or modify existing ones to achieve better results. This study applied model-based optimization using an ASPEN Plus simulator and Multi-objective Ant Lion Optimization (MOALO) to address the issue. The results revealed the highest conversion and product rate, with the lowest energy cost, side product, and bare module cost, CBM. The decision variable plots indicate that the reactor's pressure significantly affects the optimal solution. This study provides valuable insight into optimizing CH3OH production.