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Dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is an eco-friendly and sustainable compound with widespread industrial applications. Various extensive routes have been exploited in the chemical industry to produce DMC. However, these routes have several environmental and energy drawbacks. In this study, a promising novel industrial scheme for the synthesis of DMC via the oxidative carbonylation of vaporized methanol with dimethyl oxalate (DMO) as a byproduct is investigated. A methanol conversion of 81.86% and a DMC selectivity of 83.47% were achieved using an isothermal fixed-bed reactor at 130 °C. The DMC is withdrawn at a purity of >99 mol% via pressure-swing azeotropic distillations. Heat integration was performed to optimize energy consumption, reducing the energy requirements by 28%. An economic evaluation was performed for estimating the profitability via cash-flow diagrams, predicting a payback period of 3.7 years. The proposed green process exhibits several benefits, including high profitability and being environmentally friendly. It also eliminates the use or production of hazardous materials, and it enhances safety characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various kinetic models of methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether over a commercial γ‐alumina catalyst were compared with a view to selecting the most appropriate model as a basis for process optimization. To achieve significant improvements in the conventional design, the Berčič‐and‐Levec kinetic model was employed and process intensification was applied to develop a more energy‐efficient process, by enhancing the adiabatic reactor performance and maximizing the heat recovery from the highly exothermic reactor. The single‐pass conversion of methanol was increased to 83 %, with an inlet temperature of 217 °C to the adiabatic reactor. Application of process intensification resulted in an improved flowsheet, which reduced the total energy requirements by 59.3 % and cut the CO2 emissions by 60.8 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]