The process used in the manufacture of aniline from nitrobenzene is described in Appendix F, Design Problem F.8, which is available in the online material at booksite.Elsevier.com/Towler. The process involves six significant stages:
Vaporization of the nitrobenzene
Hydrogenation of the nitrobenzene
Separation of the reactor products by condensation
Recovery of crude aniline by distillation
Purification of the crude nitrobenzene
Recovery of aniline from waste water streams
Estimate the capital cost of a plant to produce 20,000 metric tons per year.