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From organic waste to fine chemicals
Organic acids used in the production of plasticisers, flavorings, fragrances and pharmaceuticals are presently being produced by using expensive raw materials and catalysts. A simple, effective process that recovers and purifies the acids from the waste stream of a local petrochemical company has been developed by Reshan Sewnarain as part of his Masters degree at the University of Natal.
Waste streams emanating from a local petrochemical company contain organic acids in substantial amounts. These streams are currently being disposed of by incineration. The process uses a combination of two well-developed industrial separation processes. The first step recovers the valuable organic acids from the waste stream and the second step purifies the acids by separating the recovered acids from each other.
The developed process is simple and cost-effective, as it requires no expensive raw materials or catalysts and uses relatively inexpensive equipment to produce chemicals of very high purity. The benefits to the company are cleaner operating conditions for their existing process. This is because the process is environmentally friendly as the waste stream is processed rather than incinerated. Incineration produces gases, which eventually creates pollution. It also offers similar waste generators a cost-effective alternative to disposal by incineration. As the process operations are multi-purpose the process can be implemented into other companies producing similar waste streams.
The process was developed from a project initiated by a local petrochemical company and due to the relatively inexpensive nature of the process the recovered acids can be sold at prices lower than their current market value. Therefore, a business opportunity could be created for an entrepreneur interested in running the acid separation and purification process. This in turn could create employment opportunities for South African graduates who are currently finding it difficult to find jobs.
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