Assessment of Chemical and Mechanical Properties of Polymers Aiming to Replace the Stainless Steel in Distillation Column

Small scale ethanol production process faces a number of challenges that negatively impact productivity and economic costs. The present work aims at finding alternative materials with lower cost and suitable resistance to replace the stainless steel commonly used in distillation columns in small scale businesses. For that we analyzed the chemical and mechanical behavior of nine different polymeric materials. An important parameter to consider in this case is the compatibility of polymer with the ethanol, which was determined according to the ASTM D543, as well as the swelling degree and ethanol diffusion in material being also studied in this work. Three-point flexural tests were performed because the material when in service is subjected to forces or loads. The results show that some of the materials under test present chemical resistance and satisfactory mechanic performance after the contact with the ethanol in temperatures compatible with the distillation process.

小规模乙醇生产工艺面临诸多挑战，这些挑战会对生产效率与经济成本产生负面影响。本研究旨在寻找成本更低、具备合适耐蚀性的替代材料，以替代小型企业蒸馏塔中常用的不锈钢。为此，本研究对九种不同的高分子聚合物材料的化学与力学性能进行了分析。本研究需考量的关键参数之一为聚合物与乙醇的相容性，该相容性依据ASTM D543标准进行测定；同时本研究还对材料的溶胀度以及乙醇在材料中的扩散行为展开了探究。由于材料在服役过程中会承受外力与载荷，因此本研究开展了三点弯曲试验。研究结果表明，部分受试材料在与蒸馏工艺适配温度下的乙醇接触后，仍表现出良好的耐化学腐蚀性与令人满意的力学性能。