Security analysis of ethylene glycol production pathways

Abstract

In the production process of ethylene glycol (EG), which is considered a crucial basic chemical material, China's energy consumption and carbon emissions are greatly affected. This study examines seven different routes for EG production, focusing on their security implications. To evaluate the security of these production routes, a framework is proposed that considers various aspects of the chemical industry chain involved in EG production. The evaluation is conducted across five dimensions, namely the raw materials, technology, economics, environment, and energy consumption. The results show that CTEG and BTEG processes have advantage of high security performance in the raw materials scenario (R-Scenario). Corresponding, CTEG-2 and BTEG-1 routes have advantage of high security performance in the technology scenario (T-Scenario). NTEG and BTEG routes should be adopted according to environment scenario (E-Scenario). In the cost scenario (C-Scenario) and energy consumption scenario (EC-Scenario), OTEG and NTEG routes have the benefit of superior security capabilities because much better economic performance and low energy consumption compared with other routes. The findings of this study serve as a crucial foundation for enhancing the manufacturing process of EG. Additionally, it aids decision makers in selecting the most appropriate production method for EG, taking into account the prevailing circumstances.