Abstract: To determine the optimal operating conditions for the simulated moving bed adsorption separation of para-xylene, a dynamic model of the simulated moving bed adsorption separation process for para-xylene was developed using Aspen Chromatography software, targeting the SINOPEC SorPX process. The model was optimized using a multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm with objective functions focused on maximizing adsorbent productivity and minimizing desorbent consumption, as well as maximizing product purity and yield.After the model reached a cyclic steady state and under the premise of satisfying the constraints, the optimization results showed that maximizing adsorbent productivity and minimizing desorbent consumption could be successfully achieved, as an increase in adsorbent productivity led to a decrease in desorbent consumption. Conversely, the optimization results targeting maximum product purity and maximum product yield indicated that an increase in product purity correspondingly reduced product yield, suggesting that these two goals could not be optimized simultaneously but could still yield relatively optimal results.In conclusion, the product purity, product yield, adsorbent productivity, and desorbent consumption in the simulated moving bed adsorption separation process cannot be optimized simultaneously. Therefore, appropriate operating parameters should be selected based on actual production requirements.

Key words: simulated moving bed, para-xylene, optimization, multi-objective particle swarm, Aspen Chromatography