Checklist

Checklist for Preparing a Feasibility Study

The first step in process design for vacuum distillation involves preliminary trials, laboratory tests, and small-scale tests using glass apparatus as part of a feasibility study. These serve as the basis for both contract distillation and any potential future upscaling via pilot-scale testing prior to purchasing the equipment. Providing the following parameters in advance ensures that meaningful results are obtained quickly:

Objectives

  • Light-fraction separation
  • Heavy-fraction separation
  • Fractionation (multistage distillation)
  • Determining the technology best suited for the respective separation task
  • Color improvement
  • Odor improvement (deodorization)
  • Taste improvement
  • Viscosity modification
  • Contaminant removal (VOC removal, pesticide removal, MOSH/MOAH removal, …)
  • Specification of purity targets
  • regulatory minimum requirements
  • market expectations
  • economic considerations

Information on the raw material

  • Components/ingredients/impurities
  • Ratios/percentages
  • Is the feed composition the same for every batch, or is there potential for variation?
  • Does the material contain particles (particle size?)
  • Thermal stability of the product (Is there a maximum temperature for thermal stability?)
  • Is the product a homogeneous solution?
  • Is the material corrosive (Which ingredients cause the corrosiveness?)
  • What is the product’s hazard potential (best communicated by providing the safety data sheet)
  • Viscosity (approximate values are sufficient)
  • Melting point (approximate values are sufficient)
  • Do the products tend to oxidize? Is inerting necessary?
  • Requirements for transport and storage? (e.g., is the product unstable if the cold chain is not strictly maintained?)

What quantity can be provided for testing?

Analytics (if desired)

Desired methods/results, consistent with the defined process objectives/separation tasks

For specific methods such as GC (gas chromatography), HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography), and titration, provide precise details of the desired methodology

Regulatory

Is a hazardous materials classification available?

Are MSDS safety data sheets available and up to date?