Process for the preparation of ethanol from methanol, carbon monoxide _and hydrogen
AssigneeThe Halcon SD Group, Inc.
InventorChee-Gen Wan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated process for the preparation of ethanol from methanol, carbon monoxide and hydrogen feedstock is disclosed; the process featuring the steps of esterifying methanol and acetic acid to form methyl acetate; carbonylating the methyl acetate to form acetic anhydride; esterifying acetic anhydride with a lower aliphatic alcohol in an anhydrous zone to form the corresponding aliphatic acetate; hydrogenating the aliphatic acetate in a second anhydrous zone to form ethanol and the corresponding aliphatic alcohol; and separating the formed ethanol stream into an ethanol product stream and/or aliphatic alcohol recycle stream, which is recycled to react with acetic anhydride.
Claims7
A process for the preparation of ethanol from methanol, carbon monoxide and hydrogen feedstocks, comprising the steps of
- (a) reacting methanol and acetic acid in a first esterification zone to form methyl acetate;
- (b) reacting the formed methyl acetate with carbon monoxide in a carbonylation zone to form acetic anhydride;
- (c) reacting the formed acetic anhydride with at least one lower aliphatic alcohol in a substantially anhydrous second esterification zone to form the corresponding lower aliphatic acetates and acetic acid;
- (d) reacting the formed lower aliphatic acetates with hydrogen in a substantially anhydrous hydrogenation zone to form both ethanol and also the corresponding aliphatic alcohols from the acetates;
- (e) separating the formed alcohol into a first ethanol product stream and a second stream comprising the formed corresponding aliphatic alcohols;
- and
- (f) recycling the second stream to the second esterification zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.