Pra-Rancangan Pabrik Sorbitol dari Glukosa dengan Hidrogenasi Katalitik Kapasitas 20.000 Ton/Tahun

Abstract

In the era of globalization, it is important for Indonesia, as a developing country, to increase development in all fields, including the industrial sector. One sector that can be developed is the chemical industry. The development of the chemical industry can be marked by the establishment of new chemical factories, which are intended to meet the demand for materials for the domestic industry. One type of chemical that has not been fulfilled and is obtained by import from producing countries, including sorbitol. Because of this, the concept emerged that, in the future, the establishment of a sorbitol factory has a good opportunity to support various other industries in addition to being able to save foreign exchange by reducing the need for sorbitol imports from abroad. Sorbitol is known as a sugar alcohol that has a slow metabolism in the body. Sorbitol is widely used as a raw material in the pharmaceutical industry, toothpaste manufacture, and the textile industry. The Sorbitol factory is planned to be built in 2028 in the Cilegon Estate Industrial Area, West Java, with a capacity of 20,000 tons per year. The main raw material for making sorbitol is glucose using a catalytic hydrogenation process. The catalytic hydrogenation process was carried out by reacting glucose with hydrogen and a raney nickel catalyst in a trickle bed reactor with a pressure of 68 atm and a temperature of 145°C. From a technical and economic point of view, this factory is feasible to establish.