Process for producing ethanol from methyl acetate
a technology of methyl acetate and ethanol, applied in the direction of carbon monoxide carboxylic preparation, organic chemistry, carbon monoxide compound preparation, etc., can solve the problems of limiting the production of ethanol, expensive and complex purification trains,
Inactive Publication Date: 2014-05-22
CELANESE INT CORP
View PDF0 Cites 0 Cited by
- Summary
- Abstract
- Description
- Claims
- Application Information
AI Technical Summary
Benefits of technology
The present invention relates to a process for producing ethanol by hydrogenolysis of methyl acetate. The process involves reacting carbon monoxide and methanol in a reaction medium to form a reaction solution that comprises acetic acid and from 0.5 to 25 wt. % methyl acetate. The reaction solution is then flashed to yield a carbonylation product and a liquid catalyst recycle stream. The carbonylation product is separated into a first methyl acetate stream and an acetic acid stream. The first methyl acetate stream and the second methyl acetate stream are then fed to a distillation column to remove alkyl halides and obtain a third methyl acetate stream. The third methyl acetate stream is reacted with hydrogen in the presence of a second catalyst to form an alcohol product that comprises ethanol and methanol. The process produces a high yield of ethanol and methanol.
Problems solved by technology
In addition, fermentation of starchy or cellulosic materials competes with food sources and places restraints on the amount of ethanol that can be produced for industrial use.
These impurities may limit the production of ethanol and may require expensive and complex purification trains to separate the impurities from the ethanol.
Method used
the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
View moreImage
Smart Image Click on the blue labels to locate them in the text.
Smart ImageViewing Examples
Examples
Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test
example
Example 1
[0129]Multiple simulations of processes under different catalyst performances in accordance with FIG. 1 were completed using ASPEN™ software. In each stream, the flow rate and composition vary with the catalyst performance and design specifications. In general, an illustrative composition for the various process streams is demonstrated in Table 4 based upon the simulation results. For simplicity, the composition of a component in Table 4 is displayed as 0% if its level is so low that it becomes hardly detectable. For simplicity, the composition of a component in Table 4 is displayed as 100% if other components are so low and hardly detectable.
TABLE 4SIMULATED COMPOSITIONAL DATA FOR PROCESS STREAMSComposition (wt. %)MeOAcHOAcMeOHEtOHH2OMeIHeaviesAcHOtherCarbonylation Reaction ZoneCrude Methyl Acetate24.942.43—11.110.67—1Stream 134Overhead stream 13640.9194.1—10.424.10—1.5First ColumnVapor Stream 14044.603.1—1.839.7———Sidestream 1425.459.65.2—29.30———Esterification ZoneEster ...
the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More PUM
| Property | Measurement | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| wt. % | aaaaa | aaaaa |
| wt. % | aaaaa | aaaaa |
| wt. % | aaaaa | aaaaa |
Login to View More
Abstract
The present invention relates to a process for producing ethanol by methyl acetate hydrogenolysis. The process comprises the step of reacting carbon monoxide and methanol in a reaction medium to form a reaction solution that comprises acetic acid and from 0.5 to 25 wt. % methyl acetate. The process further comprises the step of esterifying the acetic acid and feeding the methyl acetate to a distillation column to remove alkyl halides. The process further comprises the steps of reacting the methyl acetate stream that does not contain alkyl halides and hydrogen in the presence of a second catalyst to form an alcohol product that comprises ethanol and / or methanol.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates generally to alcohol production processes and, in particular, to ethanol production processes that use carbonylation processes to produce methyl acetate as an intermediate to form ethanol.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Ethanol for industrial use is conventionally produced from petrochemical feed stocks, such as oil, natural gas, or coal, from feed stock intermediates, such as syngas, or from starchy materials or cellulosic materials, such as corn or sugar cane. Conventional methods for producing ethanol from petrochemical feed stocks, as well as from cellulosic materials, include the acid-catalyzed hydration of ethylene, methanol homologation, direct alcohol synthesis, and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Instability in petrochemical feed stock prices contributes to fluctuations in the cost of conventionally produced ethanol, making the need for alternative sources of ethanol production all the greater when feed stock prices rise...
Claims
the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More Application Information
Patent Timeline
Login to View More Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): C07C29/00
CPCC07C29/149C07C67/08C07C67/36C07C67/54C07C51/12Y02P20/582Y02P20/10C07C53/08C07C69/14C07C31/08C07C29/00
Inventor SHUFF, ANDREWTORRENCE, G. PAULLHOKKANEN, BRIANPAN, TIANSHUSCATES, MARK O.SHAVER, RONALD D.
Owner CELANESE INT CORP