Design of Plant for the Production of 30,000 Tons Per Year Capacity of Dimethyl Carbonate (DMC) from Natural Gas Using Aspen HYSYS

Year : 2025 | Volume : 12 | Issue : 03 | Page : 45 60
    By

    Beker Benjamin,

  • ThankGod Oweifea GoodHead,

  • Chukwuemeka Peter Ukpaka,

  1. Research Student, Department of Chemical/Petrochemical Engineering, Rivers State University, P.M.B. 5080, Nkpolu- Oroworokwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
  2. Associate Professor, Department of Chemical/Petrochemical Engineering, Rivers State University, P.M.B. 5080, Nkpolu- Oroworokwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
  3. Professor, Department of Chemical/Petrochemical Engineering, Rivers State University, P.M.B. 5080, Nkpolu- Oroworokwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

This study focuses on the design of a plant for the production of 30,000 tons per year of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from natural gas. The plant design was carried out using the Aspen HYSYS Software. The data obtained from Kokori natural gas served as the primary feedstock for the plant. A kinetic model for the production of DMC was developed from existing literature, followed by the development of the mathematical model of a packed bed reactor. The simulation of the DMC plant model was done using Aspen HYSYS software. DMC is a widely utilized liquid chemical with diverse applications ranging from transportation fuel and energy. The planned DMC production plant was designed to employ the methanol dehydration method for synthesizing 30,000 metric tons of DMC annually. The primary feedstock used in the process is natural gas. Methanol is synthesized from natural gas, and then DMC is produced from the dehydration of methanol in the second step. The methodology involves the compression of natural gas to extract methane, followed by dry reforming to produce syngas, methanol synthesis, and subsequent conversion to DMC. For the simulation of DMC production from natural gas in this study, a flow rate of 3847 kg/h of natural gas (feed) was supplied with a temperature and pressure of 30°C and 10 bar, respectively, at the plug flow reactor (PFR). The DMC was produced at the conversion reactor where methanol and carbon dioxide (CO2) were synthesized at a temperature and pressure of 162.7oC and 60 bar, respectively. The DMC production was optimized at a methanol conversion rate of 80% to yield DMC. Material and Energy balance, development of models, and sizing of major equipment of the plant were considered. For the cost estimation and economic evaluation for the first year, an estimated capital investment of approximately 2,823,220 USD and an operating cost of 1,506,050 USD/year will be required. The establishment of the plant is anticipated to yield encompassing job creation, increased tax revenue, and local economic development. Overall, the proposed project plant holds significant potential and annually produces 30,000 t of 95% pure DMC from natural gas.

Keywords: Dimethyl carbonate, natural gas, plant, design, methanol, simulation

[This article belongs to Emerging Trends in Chemical Engineering ]

How to cite this article:
Beker Benjamin, ThankGod Oweifea GoodHead, Chukwuemeka Peter Ukpaka. Design of Plant for the Production of 30,000 Tons Per Year Capacity of Dimethyl Carbonate (DMC) from Natural Gas Using Aspen HYSYS. Emerging Trends in Chemical Engineering. 2025; 12(03):45-60.
How to cite this URL:
Beker Benjamin, ThankGod Oweifea GoodHead, Chukwuemeka Peter Ukpaka. Design of Plant for the Production of 30,000 Tons Per Year Capacity of Dimethyl Carbonate (DMC) from Natural Gas Using Aspen HYSYS. Emerging Trends in Chemical Engineering. 2025; 12(03):45-60. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/etce/article=2025/view=233829


References

  1. Adegoriola AE, Suleiman IM. Adopting Gas Automobile Fuels (LPG and CNG) into the Nigerian Transportation System. J Econ Sustain Dev. 2020; 10(14): 12–19.
  2. Arteconi A, Mazzarini A, Nicola GD. Emissions from ethers and organic Carbonate Fuel Additives: A Review. Water Air Soil Pollut. 2011; 221(1–4): 405–423.
  3. Babi DK. Teaching Sustainable Process Design using 12 systematic Computer-Aided Tasks. Comput-Aided Chem Eng. 2015; 37: 173–178.
  4. Baggio L, Govaert M, Marchal B, Rouxhet A. Direct Dimethyl Carbonate Production from Carbon Dioxide and Methanol. University of Liege Eurecha; 2022; 2–17.
  5. Chibuzo EB. Gas flaring and rainwater composition – a negative synergy: a case study of Utorogu Community in Niger Delta, Nigeria. J Environ Soc Sci. 2016;3(2):124–132.
  6. Bruno TJ, Wolk A, Naydich A, Huber ML. Composition-explicit distillation curves for mixtures of diesel fuel with dimethyl carbonate and diethyl carbonate. Energy Fuels. 2009;23(8):3989–97. doi:10.1021/ef900215v.
  7. Challa P, Paleti G, Madduluri VR, Gadamani SB, Pothu R, Burri DR, Boddula R, Perugopu V, Kamaraju SRR. Trends in emission and utilization of CO₂: Sustainable feedstock in the synthesis of value-added fine chemicals. Catal Surv Asia. 2022;26(2):80–91. doi:10.1007/s10563-021-09352-6.
  8. Cheung CS, Zhu RJ, Huang ZH. Investigation on the gaseous and particulate emissions of a compression ignition engine fueled with diesel-dimethyl carbonate blends. Sci Total Environ. 2011; 409(3): 523–529.
  9. De Groot FFT, Lammerink RRGJ, Heidemann C, van der Werff MPM, Garcia TC, van der Ham LAGJ, van den Berg H. The industrial production of dimethyl carbonate from methanol and carbon dioxide. Chem Eng Trans. 2014; 39: 1561–1566. DOI:10.3303/CET14392611562.
  10. Dong-Hwi J, Yun-Gyu L, Hyeong Uk L, Jae ML, Na-Young K. Design of Dimethyl Carbonate (DMC) synthesis process using CO2, techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment. Research Square. 2023; 1–27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3390777/v1.
  11. Gong YF, Liu SH, Guo HJ, Hu TG, Zhou LB. A new diesel oxygenates additive and its effects on engine combustion and emissions. Appl Therm Eng. 2021; 27(1): 202–207.
  12. Hou Z, Han B, Liu Z, Jiang T, Yang G. Synthesis of dimethyl carbonate using CO2 and methanol: Enhancing the conversion by controlling the phase behavior. Green Chem. 2022; 4(5): 467–471.
  13. Huang H, Samsun RC, Peters R, Stolten D. Greener production of dimethyl carbonate by the Power-to-Fuel concept: a comparative technoeconomic analysis. Green Chem. 2021; 23(4): 1734–1747.
  14. International Energy Agency. The Future of Trucks: Implications for Energy and the Environment, Paris: IEA; 2023. doi:10.1787/9789264279452-en.
  15. Climate Change (2022): Impacts; Adaptation and Vulnerability. Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. 2022.
  16. Kitagawa H, Murayama T, Tosaka S, Fujiwara Y. The effect of oxygenated fuel additive on the reduction of diesel exhaust particulates. SAE paper 2001-01-2020. 2001.
  17. Kohli K, Sharma BK, Panchal CB. Dimethyl Carbonate: Review of Synthesis Routes and Catalysts Used. Energies. 2022; 15(14): 5133. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15145133.
  18. Kongpanna P, Pavarajarn V, Gani R, Assabumrungrat S. Techno-economic evaluation of different CO2-based processes for dimethyl carbonate production. Chem Eng Res Des. 2015; 93: 496–510.
  19. Kreutzberger CB. Chloroformates and Carbonates. In: Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Wiley; 2001.
  20. Mei D, Hielscher K, Baar R. Study on combustion process and emissions of a single-cylinder diesel engine fueled with DMC/diesel blend. J Energy Eng. 2014; 140(1): 04013004.
  21. Morgan T. Autogas Incentive Policies: A Country-By-Country Analysis of Why and How Governments Encourage Autogas and What Works. Brussels, Belgium: European LPG Association. 2024.
  22. Naujoks J, Sakthi Nallasivam SM, Venkatesh N, Jhamb S. (189n) A Systematic Process Design for Sustainable Dimethyl Carbonate Production through Carbon Dioxide Utilization. 2017 AIChE Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. 2017.
  23. Navas-Anguita Z, García-Gusano D, Iribarren D. A review of techno-economic data for road transportation fuels. Renew Sustain Energy Rev. 2019; 112: 11–26.
  24. Pacheco MA, Marshall CL. Review of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) manufacture and its characteristics as a fuel additive. Energy Fuels. 2020; 11(1): 2–29.
  25. Perugopu RV, Kamaraju SRR. Trends in emission and utilization of CO2: Sustainable feedstock in the synthesis of value-added fine chemicals. Catal Surv Asia. 2022; 26(2): 80–91.
  26. Pilavachi PA, Schenk M, Perez-Cisneros E, Gani R. Modeling and simulation of reactive distillation operations. Ind Eng Chem Res. 1997;36(8):3188–94. doi:10.1021/ie9606404.
Regular Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 12
Issue 03
Received 24/09/2025
Accepted 03/10/2025
Published 24/10/2025
Publication Time 30 Days
93

Login


My IP

PlumX Metrics