Abstract
Industrial decarbonization is crucial to reducing global emissions. Efficient processes lower energy use and reduce the environmental impacts, such as material use and waste, decreasing the overall industrial footprint. In this context, the present study explores the impact of reducing steam consumption (thermal energy) during the ammonia regeneration process in the production of sodium carbonate. A key feature of the Solvay process is ammonia recycling, which significantly reduces raw material consumption and ensures both economic and environmental sustainability. However, this stage is highly energy-intensive. To enhance energy efficiency in soda ash production, a study was conducted to analyze variation in temperature, pressure, and steam flow introduced into the ammonia regeneration system. The objective is to understand its impact on both ammonia recovery and the process's energy consumption. Variations in steam pressure do not impact on energy consumption of the process. By reducing the temperature and steam flow introduced into the system, in order to reduce the energy consumption, it was found that there is no decrease in ammonia recovery. The reduction in both the total injected steam flow and operating temperature led to lower heat exchange requirements and a decreased the cooling energy demand, highlighting the potential for optimizing steam flow as an effective strategy to improve process efficiency. Instead, it underscores a potential for energy optimization, promoting a more sustainable and cost-effective operation.