Abstract:
Disclosed is a process for the coproduction of acetic acid and acetic anhydride by producing in a first carbonylation reactor a carbonylation product mixture containing acetic anhydride, removing the carbonylation mixture from the first carbonylation reactor, contacting the carbonylation mixture with methanol to react with and convert some or all of the acetic anhydride contained in the mixture to acetic acid and methyl acetate, feeding the resulting reaction composition to a second carbonylation reactor and contacting the reaction composition to carbonylation.
Abstract:
A method of making acetic anhydride or a mixture of acetic anhydride and acetic acid comprising: (a) catalytically reacting a feedstock containing methyl acetate and/or dimethyl ether with carbon monoxide in the presence of a homogeneous rhodium catalyst and methyl iodide in a reactor vessel which contains a substantially anhydrous liquid reaction mixture including acetic acid, acetic anhydride, methyl acetate and/or dimethyl ether, methyl iodide and the homogeneous catalyst, the reactor vessel being operated at a reactor pressure; (b) withdrawing reaction mixture from the reaction vessel and feeding the withdrawn reaction mixture along with additional carbon monoxide to a pre-flasher/post reactor vessel operated at a reduced pressure below the reactor vessel pressure; (c) venting light ends in the pre-flasher vessel and concurrently consuming methyl acetate and/or dimethyl ether in the pre-flasher/post reactor vessel to produce a pre-flash mixture which is enriched in acetic anhydride and diminished in methyl iodide and methyl acetate and/or dimethyl ether as compared with the reaction mixture; (d) withdrawing the pre-flash reaction mixture from the pre-flasher/post reactor vessel and feeding the pre-flash mixture to a flash vessel; and (e) flashing a crude product stream from the mixture in a flash vessel operated at a pressure substantially below the pressure of the pre-flasher/post reactor vessel.
Abstract:
Ethanol is produced from acetic acid or acetic anhydride or a mixture of acetic acid and acetic anhydride by a hydrogenation reaction. The acetic acid or acetic anhydride or a mixture of acetic acid and acetic anhydride is produced from methyl acetate by a carbonylation reaction. The methyl acetate is produced as a byproduct during the conversion of a vinyl acetate polymer or copolymer to a polymer or copolymer of vinyl alcohol. By integrating processes as described herein, a valuable product, i.e. ethanol, is produced from a methyl acetate byproduct.
Abstract:
Process for carbonylating an alcohol or reactive derivative thereof, by (a) feeding one or more feed streams to a reaction zone, at least one feed stream containing an alcohol or reactive derivative thereof, and at least one feed stream contains CO, (b) maintaining in the reaction zone a temperature and pressure sufficient to allow an exothermic carbonylation reaction to occur to produce a carboxylic acid or carboxylic acid anhydride, (c) removing one or more product streams containing carboxylic acid or carboxylic acid anhydride from the reaction zone, and (d) transferring heat contained in one or more product streams to a first heat-exchange stream. Heat is transferred from a second heat-exchange stream to a feed stream of step (a) before the feed stream is fed to the reaction zone, and the temperature of the second heat-exchange stream before heat transfer is lower than that of the one or more product streams.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a process for the coproduction of acetic acid and acetic anhydride by producing in a first carbonylation reactor a carbonylation product mixture containing acetic anhydride, removing the carbonylation mixture from the first carbonylation reactor, contacting the carbonylation mixture with methanol to react with and convert some or all of the acetic anhydride contained in the mixture to acetic acid and methyl acetate, feeding the resulting reaction composition to a second carbonylation reactor and contacting the reaction composition to carbonylation.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a process for producing carboxylic acid anhydrides, in which a carboxylic acid ester, derived from an alcohol and a carboxylic acid, and carbon monoxide containing a small amount of hydrogen are used as raw materials and subjected to a carbonylation reaction in a liquid reaction medium in the presence of a Group VIII B catalyst to produce a carboxylic acid anhydride. The reaction medium comprises the Group VIII B catalyst, an organic halide, the carboxylic acid ester, an alkali metal salt, at least one organic promoter, the carboxylic acid anhydride and the carboxylic acid, wherein the organic promoter is selected from at least one of the following structural forms (I), (II) and (III). According to the process of the present invention, the reaction rate of the carbonylation reaction is increased by the use of the specified organic promoters.
Abstract:
A system and method for a high shear mechanical device incorporated into a process for the production of acetic anhydride as a reactor device is shown to be capable of decreasing mass transfer limitations, thereby enhancing the process. A system for the production of acetic anhydride including the mixing of catalyst and acetic acid via a high shear device.
Abstract:
The present invention is directed to using methyl acetate from a vinyl acetate-based or a vinyl-or ethylene-alcohol based polymer or copolymer process directly for use in a methanol carbonylation production process to produce acetic acid, acetic anhydride, or a coproduction of each. Methyl acetate is a by-product of commercial polyvinyl-alcohol or alkene vinyl alcohol copolymer-based processes. Generally, this material is processed to recover methanol and acetic acid. Discussed herein is a cost-saving scheme to by-pass the methyl acetate processing at production or plant facilities and utilize the methyl acetate in an integrated methanol carbonylation unit. The scheme discussed eliminates an expensive hydrolysis step often associated with the polymer process.
Abstract:
A method of co-producing acetic anhydride and an acetate ester includes pyrolizing acetic acid at elevated temperature to produce a first ketene stream, the first ketene stream being a vapor phase stream comprising ketene, acetic acid and water; cooling the first ketene stream to condense acetic acid and water therefrom, thereby generating (i) a weak acid aqueous stream and (ii) a ketene feed stream; feeding the ketene feed stream to an acetic anhydride reactor where the ketene is reacted with acetic acid to produce acetic anhydride; concurrently with step (c), feeding the weak acid aqueous stream to an esterification reactor wherein acetic acid in the weak acid stream is reacted with an organic alcohol to produce an acetate ester. Preferably, the organic alcohol is selected from organic alcohols which (i) form acetate esters which esters and optionally alcohols provide azeotropic mixtures with water and (ii) wherein the azeotropic mixtures have a water content greater than the amount of water generated by reaction of the alcohol with acetic acid to facilitate azeotropically separating the acetate ester from the reaction mixture.
Abstract:
The present invention is directed to using methyl acetate from a vinyl acetate-based or a vinyl-or ethylene-alcohol based polymer or copolymer process directly for use in a methanol carbonylation production process to produce acetic acid, acetic anhydride, or a coproduction of each.Methyl acetate is a by-product of commercial polyvinyl-alcohol or alkene vinyl alcohol copolymer-based processes. Generally, this material is processed to recover methanol and acetic acid. Discussed herein is a cost-saving scheme to by-pass the methyl acetate processing at production or plant facilities and utilize the methyl acetate in an integrated methanol carbonylation unit. The scheme discussed eliminates an expensive hydrolysis step often associated with the polymer process.