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US 2014/0275620 A1Published application
Process For Separating Product Gas Using Carbonylation Processes
AssigneeCelanese International Corporation
InventorG. Paull Torrence
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is related to separating product gas using a carbonylation reactor in which the carbon monoxide is consumed to produce acetic acid, and hydrogen and carbon dioxide are recovered. The recovered hydrogen may be further purified to reduce the concentration of carbon oxides. The present invention provides improved methods for converting product gas or syngas to ethanol.
Claims20
A process for producing acetic acid comprising:
- introducing a product gas comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide and at least one reactant selected from the group consisting of methanol, methyl acetate, methyl formate, dimethyl ether and mixtures thereof to a reactor comprising a reaction medium comprising a catalyst, methyl acetate, promoter, and catalyst stabilizer under carbonylation conditions effective to produce acetic acid;
- withdrawing a vent gas from the reactor, provided that the carbon monoxide partial pressure in the reactor is less than 15 atm to maintain a carbon monoxide content in the vent gas of less than 40 mol. %;
- withdrawing a reaction solution from the reactor;
- and
- recovering acetic acid from the reaction solution.
2 more elements
A process for producing ethanol, the process comprising:
- feeding a gas stream having a H2:CO molar ratio of 0.2:1 to 6:1 and at least one reactant selected from the group consisting of methanol, methyl acetate, methyl formate, dimethyl ether and mixtures thereof to a carbonylation reactor in the presence of a first catalyst and a finite amount of water under conditions effective to form a crude product comprising acetic acid and at least one non-condensable gas, and removing a first vent stream comprising hydrogen from the first reactor;
- separating the crude product to yield an acetic acid product and a second vent stream comprising the at least one non-condensable gas;
- recovering a hydrogen-enriched stream from at least one of the first vent stream or the second vent stream;
- and
- feeding the hydrogen-enriched stream and the acetic acid product to a hydrogenation reactor in the presence of a second catalyst to produce ethanol.
2 more elements
A process for producing ethanol, the process comprising:
- feeding a gas stream having a H2:CO molar ratio of 0.2:1 to 6:1 and at least one reactant selected from the group consisting of methanol, methyl acetate, methyl formate, dimethyl ether and mixtures thereof to a carbonylation reactor in the presence of a first catalyst and a finite amount of water under conditions effective to form a crude product comprising acetic acid and at least one non-condensable gas, and removing a first vent gas comprising hydrogen from the first reactor, provided that the carbon monoxide partial pressure in the reactor is less than 15 atm to maintain a carbon monoxide content in the vent gas of less than 40 mol. %;
- separating crude product to yield an acetic acid product;
- recovering a hydrogen-enriched stream from the first vent stream;
- and
- feeding the hydrogen-enriched stream and the acetic acid product to a hydrogenation reactor in the presence of a second catalyst to produce ethanol.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.