ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Energy-efficient co-aromatization of methanol and n-pentane via thermal coupling: process simulation and plant-scale optimization

Yitong Chen, Ruiqi Wang, Limei Zhong, Na Ma, and Dai Wei

Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China

E-mail: daiwei@zjnu.edu.cn

Received: 25 November 2022  Accepted: 13 October 2025

Abstract:

To address China’s growing dependence on imported crude oil and the rising demand for aromatic hydrocarbons, this study develops a novel co-aromatization strategy utilizing abundant C₅ alkanes as non-petroleum feedstocks for efficient BTX (benzene, toluene, xylene) production through catalytic conversion of n-pentane. Critically, we demonstrate that thermally coupling the endothermic aromatization of n-pentane with the exothermic aromatization of methanol enables exceptional process efficiency. Aspen Plus simulation results reveal that this integrated approach achieves near-complete conversion of n-pentane (100%) and high conversion of methanol (90%), while yielding BTX and by-products with outstanding recovery (99.89%) and purity (99.90%). Furthermore, systematic energy optimization via heat pump rectification, inter-feed heat exchange, and heat exchanger network design reduces overall system energy consumption by 7.55%. This work establishes a highly efficient and energy-conscious pathway for industrial-scale BTX production from non-traditional feedstocks, offering significant potential to alleviate petroleum dependency.

Keywords: C5 alkanes; Methanol; n-Pentane; Co-aromatization; BTX aromatics; Thermal coupling

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04498-3

Chemical Papers 80 (2) 1913–1929 (2026)