Optimization of the homogeneous rhodium-catalyzed methanol carbonylation reactor to reduce CO2 emissions

The optimization of the homogeneous rhodium-catalyzed methanol carbonylation reactor to reduce CO2 emissions was studied in this line of research. The average relative error of 4.8 percent between the simulation and industrial results indicates the accuracy of the simulation. The central composite design (CCD) and genetic algorithm (GA) with the aid of a simplified simulation process using Aspen HysysV.9 software were used to evaluate the effect of individual variables (the liquid level, the temperature of the catalyst-rich recycle stream, the mole ratio of CO to methanol (MeOH) in the feed, and the flow rate of the dilute acid stream) and their mutual interactions to reduce CO2 emissions. It was obtained that the liquid level of 46 %, the catalyst-rich recycle stream temperature of 120 °C, the CO: MeOH molar ratio equal to 1.13:1, and the dilute acid flow rate of 513.14 kmol/h lead to the CO2 reduction by 34 %.