Conceptual Design of Methyl Ethyl Ketone Production via 2,3-Butanediol for Fuels and Chemicals

Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK, also 2-butanone) is both a common chemical and potentially a promising fuel. It can be produced biotechnologically via 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) followed by dehydration with the byproducts acetoin and isobutyraldehyde (IBA). This article presents a process development including thermodynamic modeling of the separation steps. Alternatives are analyzed for energy efficiency including heat integration as a first measure to assess viability but also the effect of capacity. The efficiency largely depends on the separation technology for 2,3-BD and its efficiency. Hybrid separation strategies show a total product yield of nearly 38 wt % at a specific primary energy demand of 0.25 MJ/MJ MEK . The competitiveness to bioethanol and the low degree of heat integration make the concept promising for small-scale production with acetoin and IBA as high-value products. Efficient production mandates further research on simplification and realization of 2,3-BD separation integrated with fermentation, dehydration, and management of dilute and concentrated ions.