An Optimal Distillation Process for Turpentine Separation Using a Firefly Algorithm

The optimal design of distillation separation processes has become a fundamental tool in industries in order to minimize operating costs and investments. In many cases, the optimization stage has been carried out using metaheuristics, with the process simulation stage carried out externally to the o...

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Main Authors: Gustavo Mendes Platt, Otávio Knevitz de Azevedo, Francisco Bruno Souza Oliveira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Modelling
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3951/6/2/34
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author Gustavo Mendes Platt
Otávio Knevitz de Azevedo
Francisco Bruno Souza Oliveira
author_facet Gustavo Mendes Platt
Otávio Knevitz de Azevedo
Francisco Bruno Souza Oliveira
author_sort Gustavo Mendes Platt
collection DOAJ
description The optimal design of distillation separation processes has become a fundamental tool in industries in order to minimize operating costs and investments. In many cases, the optimization stage has been carried out using metaheuristics, with the process simulation stage carried out externally to the optimization. This paper presents an optimal design methodology for separating the components of turpentine, a raw material of natural origin, based on coupling a distillation process simulator with the Firefly metaheuristic as an optimizer. Results were obtained for a distillation process to obtain <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>α</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>-pinene and <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>β</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>-pinene (two of the main components of turpentine), meeting purity criteria in the top products of the equipment while minimizing a measure of the total annualized cost. The results show that the tool developed—together with the Firefly algorithm—is capable of obtaining optimized results (although there is no guarantee of a global optimum) from a small set of initial design configurations.
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spelling doaj-art-a8c4dc4b4bdd422492c20e4111c74f412025-06-25T14:13:06ZengMDPI AGModelling2673-39512025-04-01623410.3390/modelling6020034An Optimal Distillation Process for Turpentine Separation Using a Firefly AlgorithmGustavo Mendes Platt0Otávio Knevitz de Azevedo1Francisco Bruno Souza Oliveira2Graduate Program in Agroindustrial Systems and Processes, School of Chemistry and Food, Federal University of Rio Grande (PPGSPA/FURG), Santo Antônio da Patrulha 95500-000, BrazilGraduate Program in Agroindustrial Systems and Processes, School of Chemistry and Food, Federal University of Rio Grande (PPGSPA/FURG), Santo Antônio da Patrulha 95500-000, BrazilGraduate Program in Computational Modelling in Science and Technology, Department of Engineering and Computing, State University of Santa Cruz (PPGMC/UESC), Ilhéus 45662-900, BrazilThe optimal design of distillation separation processes has become a fundamental tool in industries in order to minimize operating costs and investments. In many cases, the optimization stage has been carried out using metaheuristics, with the process simulation stage carried out externally to the optimization. This paper presents an optimal design methodology for separating the components of turpentine, a raw material of natural origin, based on coupling a distillation process simulator with the Firefly metaheuristic as an optimizer. Results were obtained for a distillation process to obtain <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>α</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>-pinene and <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>β</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>-pinene (two of the main components of turpentine), meeting purity criteria in the top products of the equipment while minimizing a measure of the total annualized cost. The results show that the tool developed—together with the Firefly algorithm—is capable of obtaining optimized results (although there is no guarantee of a global optimum) from a small set of initial design configurations.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3951/6/2/34optimizationmetaheuristicFirefly algorithmdistillation
spellingShingle Gustavo Mendes Platt
Otávio Knevitz de Azevedo
Francisco Bruno Souza Oliveira
An Optimal Distillation Process for Turpentine Separation Using a Firefly Algorithm
Modelling
optimization
metaheuristic
Firefly algorithm
distillation
title An Optimal Distillation Process for Turpentine Separation Using a Firefly Algorithm
title_full An Optimal Distillation Process for Turpentine Separation Using a Firefly Algorithm
title_fullStr An Optimal Distillation Process for Turpentine Separation Using a Firefly Algorithm
title_full_unstemmed An Optimal Distillation Process for Turpentine Separation Using a Firefly Algorithm
title_short An Optimal Distillation Process for Turpentine Separation Using a Firefly Algorithm
title_sort optimal distillation process for turpentine separation using a firefly algorithm
topic optimization
metaheuristic
Firefly algorithm
distillation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3951/6/2/34
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