Koch Modular Process Systems, LLC

IPA and water form an azeotrope. Conventional distillation can't separate them. So how do you recover IPA at pharmaceutical-grade purity?

Koch Modular engineered a dual-mode azeotropic distillation system that operates in batch and continuous modes, uses IPE as an entrainer, and handles complex solids in the feed. The result: 96 wt% IPA product, reduced disposal costs, and reliable long-term operation.

Read the full case study: https://kochmodular.com/past-project/azeotropic-distillation-for-the-recovery-of-ipa/

Benzene is a known carcinogen subject to strict EPA regulations, and petrochemical facilities have little margin for error when it comes to removal performance.

Koch Modular designs modular steam stripping systems that reduce benzene concentrations in wastewater to as low as 5 parts per billion. The process preheats the wastewater feed using heat exchange with stripped effluent for energy efficiency, then introduces live steam at the base of the stripping column to volatize benzene due to its low boiling point and limited solubility in water. Overhead v***rs are condensed and phase-separated, with benzene decanted off and the aqueous layer refluxed back to the column. Systems are engineered to handle fouling-prone feed streams and include structural steel, process equipment, piping, instrumentation, and control systems, all delivered as a road-transportable modular unit backed by a process performance guarantee.

Koch Modular has completed over 30 successful benzene stripping implementations.

Read the full article: https://kochmodular.com/wastewater-treatment-and-benzene-stripping/

Koch Modular was selected to design and supply the modular pilot plant for a carbon capture and storage facility installed at a pulverized coal-fueled power plant. The process absorbed CO2 using an ammonium carbonate solvent, stripped it out in a regenerator, and returned the solvent to the absorber in a closed loop cycle.

Key design challenges included designing the system to accommodate a broad range of operating conditions. Additionally, the tendency of the ammonium carbonate solvent to form solids (bicarbonate) at low temperatures and in stagnant spots made proper temperature control and equipment and piping design essential. The pilot unit ran for two years, capturing and sequestering at least 300 tons per day of CO2 underground.

Read the full case study: https://kochmodular.com/past-project/carbon-capture-from-power-plant-flue-gas/

Scaling a bio-based plastics process from R&D to full production is no small task, especially when feedstocks keep evolving and byproduct compositions are changing along the way.

Koch Modular was engaged early to provide process engineering, pilot testing, and fabrication for the front end of a biorefinery converting biomass to chlorinated hydrocarbon and ultimately into PET. A two-phase project approach was proposed so the client could continue R&D on the back end of their process while front-end engineering and fabrication moved forward simultaneously.

The result: 15 process modules, 2 stair modules, and a large stand-alone vessel delivered on time and on budget, with control systems for both the Koch Modular modules and the broader plant.

Read the full case study: https://kochmodular.com/past-project/biorefinery/

A U.S. mining and metallurgical company needed to reduce ammonia emissions and recover ammonia as a reusable resource from a variable vent v***r feed stream.

Koch Modular designed a system using two modules: the first module included an absorber column to capture ammonia from vent v***r streams using water, and the second module included a stripper column to concentrate the aqueous ammonia to product specification while regenerating water for recycle to the absorber. The system was designed with built-in feed flexibility to handle varying ammonia concentrations and flow rates across the plant.

The outcome: ammonia emissions were reduced by >99%, and recovered ammonia concentrations of up to 18% were being measured at the product outlet, well above the 11 to 12% design specification. The system shipped from Koch Modular's shop on exactly the date promised.

Read the full case study: https://kochmodular.com/past-project/ammonia-recovery-system/

When Chemours needed a modular reactor and distillation system for chlorinated hydrocarbon production, the challenge wasn't just technical — it was a race against the clock.

The system was a late addition to an already in-progress project, and a stick-built approach would have delayed the main project by 6 to 8 months due to permitting. Koch Modular proposed a modular approach, allowing fabrication to begin before permits were received.

The result: a system optimized to greater than 99.5 wt% purity for the chlorinated hydrocarbon product, with solvent recovery at greater than 85 wt% purity from a recycle column. The system was delivered well ahead of the main facility's completion and has been running reliably ever since.

Read the full case study: https://kochmodular.com/past-project/thermal-oxidizer-system/

Fouling is one of the biggest reliability challenges in ammonia recovery.

Koch Modular's engineers explored how a direct contact condenser design can prevent solid buildup, reduce downtime, and keep ammonia recovery systems running efficiently.

Read the full article: https://kochmodular.com/from-waste-to-resource-avoiding-fouling-in-ammonia-recovery/

From Waste to Resource: Avoiding Fouling in Ammonia Recovery - Koch Modular Process System Explore insights on enhancing ammonia recovery efficiency with direct contact condenser technology.