Aniline is the prototypical aromatic amine which has a pungent odor, flammable and burns with a
smoky flame. Aniline is usually used in various chemical industries, such as: Synthetic Dyes,
Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate (MDI), Pharmaceuticals, Rocket Fuel and Synthetic Rubber Raw
Materials for Tires. The raw materials for making aniline are nitrobenzene and hydrogen gas. As the
chemical industry grows, the demand for aniline in Indonesia has increased quantitatively every year
according to data from BPS for 2022 of 2,076.6 tons and with projected data using an average growth
of 2,246.7 tons in 2025, it is necessary to establish an Aniline factory. The aim is to reduce Indonesia's
dependence on imported Aniline and some of it is exported to increase the country's foreign exchange.
The aniline factory to be built in 2025 has a capacity of 35,000 tons per year. Planned location for the
aniline factory in the Cilegon Industrial Area, Banten Province. The production process for Aniline is
Nitrobenzen Hydrogenation in the gas phase where Nitrobenzene and Hydrogen gas enter the Fixed
Bed Multi Tube reactor, the process conditions are at a temperature of 250oC and a pressure of 2.36
atm with a Pd-Al2O3 catalyst, the reaction takes place exothermic. The reaction mixture consisting of
aniline, water, nitrobenzene and excess hydrogen gas is cooled and condensed. The first purification
process is to change the nitrobenzen phase from vapor to liquid which is separated from the other
components of the mixture. The second purification process changes the Aniline phase from vapor to
liquid and separates it from the other components in the Flash Separator (FG-02) and comes out as a
product. The results of the third separation change the vapor phase to liquid and separate the hydrogen
gas and water. This factory also needs a utility unit providing water, electricity and fuel. Water is
obtained from PDAM, as much as 109,626.39 kg/hour at start-up and 116,300 kg/hour for continuous.
Electricity is provided from PT. PLN Banten with a need of 105 KWH. Diesel fuel is obtained from
PT. Pertamina of 2,179 m3/day. This company is legally incorporated as a Limited Liability Company
(PT) with a line and staff organizational structure. The company is led by a Director with a total of 224
employees.
Based on the results of the economic analysis carried out, obtained:a. Total capital investment
• Total Capital = IDR 2.520.591.000.000,00
• Own Capital (73.4%) = IDR 1.863.330.000.000,00
• Bank Loans (26.6%) = IDR 657.261.000.000,00
b. Net Cash Flow Present Value (NPV) : IDR 6.793.000.000.000,00 (positive)
c. Internal Rate of Return : 40,48 %
d. Minimum Payback Period : 3 years 6 months
Assuming that the Indonesian economy is stable for the coming years, the analysis above shows that
the Aniline factory is feasible to establish.
Keywords : Nitrobenzen, Hydrogen, Aniline, Flash Separator and Economic Analysis