Development and evaluation of new routes for sustainable Caprolactam

Client: DFI (China, India, Brazil, Europe) 

Objectives: From a research desktop study over 20 chemical/biobased routes were identified for the alternative commercial scale production of caprolactam. The project aimed to identify the top 5 routes and evaluate these in detail with respect to technology, economics and finance. 

Scope of work: Starting point in all cases were basic chemical/biochemical formulations and simple PFDs; using advanced simulation and economic modelling the top 5 viable routes have been identified. These were further developed and evaluated based on technological and technical feasibility, energy requirements, economic and financial parameters, taking into consideration plant location and OBL. To achieve this, detailed simulation models have been developed, process mass and energy balances generated, equipment sized, and project scope developed for feasibility estimate. Apart from this, a thorough risk assessment study has been conducted to identify major technological, technical and financial risks, with a proposed strategy for their mitigation.