Simulation and System Identification of a Biomethanol Production Plant

Biomethanol is simply methanol produced from non-fossil feedstock. The process requires gasification of biomass, black liquor, or the gas can be obtained from landfill or animal waste. Typically, Biodiesel production requires methanol as a main feedstock, and the latter can be obtained from biomass waste, turning the biodiesel production process even more sustainable, as the necessary materials involved come from renewable sources. This investigation addresses the need to develop a simulation model of a biomethanol production process, to determine the feasibility of the plant by analyzing different operating conditions at the process units. Also, a subspace system identification technique is used to capture the dynamics of the process at one operating condition for further optimization of operational costs. The results showed that H2/CO ratio significantly affects the final amount of biomethanol (CH3OH) obtained.