Integrated cracking and olefins derivative process utilizing dilute olefins

An integrated process for the production of polyethylene and polypropylene comprising the steps of:

• (a) cracking a hydrocarbon feedstock in a cracking reactor to produce a cracked product comprising ethylene, ethane, methane, hydrogen, propylene, propane, other C.sub.3 components, C.sub.4 components and heavier compounds;
• (b) separating ethylene from said cracked product to produce a dilute ethylene stream comprising at least about 85 weight percent ethylene and separating propylene from said cracked product to produce a dilute propylene stream comprising at least about 85 weight percent propylene;
• (c) polymerizing ethylene in said ethylene-containing stream to produce polyethylene and polyethylene polymerization reaction by-products wherein said ethylene polymerization is carried out either
• (i) by a gas phase polymerization reaction wherein said dilute ethylene stream comprises at least about 95 weight percent ethylene, or
• (ii) by a solution phase polymerization reaction wherein said dilute ethylene stream comprises at least about 85 weight percent ethylene;
• (d) recovering said polyethylene product;
• (e) polymerizing propylene in said propylene-containing stream to produce polypropylene and polypropylene polymerization by-products wherein said propylene polymerization is carried out either
• (i) by a bulk phase polymerization reaction wherein said propylene-containing stream comprises at least about 85 weight percent propylene, or
• (ii) by a gas phase polymerization reaction wherein said propylene-containing stream comprises at least about 95 weight percent propylene;
• (f) recovering said polypropylene;
• and
• (g) recycling said ethylene polymerization by-products to said cracking step (a) in the case of a gas phase ethylene polymerization reaction or recycling said polymerization by-products to said ethylene separation step (b) in the case of a solution phase ethylene polymerization reaction.

An integrated process for the processing a mixed C.sub.4 hydrocarbon feedstock comprising ethyl acetylene, vinyl acetylene, 1,3-butadiene, 1,2-butadiene, isobutylene, cis-2-butene, trans-2-butene, 1-butene, isobutane and n-butane, said process comprising the following process steps conducted in sequence:

• (A) catalytically hydrogenating ethyl acetylene, vinyl acetylene, 1,3-butadiene and 1,2-butadiene to butenes and catalytically converting 1-butene to 2-butenes in the presence of a catalyst comprising at least one hydrogenating metal and a moderately acidic carrier at a temperature ranging from about 40.degree. C. to about 400.degree. C. and a pressure ranging from about 1 to about 100 bars in a hydroisomerization zone to produce a hydrogenated stream comprising isobutylene, 1-butene, 2-butenes and C.sub.4 paraffins;
• (B) reacting isobutylene in the hydrogenated stream either
• (1) with methanol in a methyl tertiary butyl ether synthesis zone in the presence of an acid type ion exchange resin catalyst at a temperature ranging from about 60.degree. F. to about 300.degree. F. and a pressure ranging from about 80 to 400 psig to produce a methyl tertiary butyl ether-rich product effluent and a by-product effluent comprising C.sub.4 paraffins and C.sub.4 olefins, or
• (2) polymerizing said isobutylene in a polymerization zone to produce a polyisobutylene-rich product effluent and a by-product effluent comprising C.sub.4 paraffins and C.sub.4 olefins;
• (C) separating the C.sub.4 paraffins from the C.sub.4 olefins in said by-product effluent in a paraffin/olefin separation zone to produce a C.sub.4 paraffin-rich effluent and a C.sub.4 olefin-rich effluent comprising 1-butene and 2-butenes;
• (D) catalytically converting 2-butenes in said C.sub.4 olefin rich effluent to isobutylene in a skeletal isomerization zone in the presence of an acidic catalyst at a pressure of about atmospheric and a temperature ranging from about 600.degree. F. to about 1100.degree. F. to produce a skeletal isomerized effluent;
• (E) recycling said skeletal isomerized effluent to step (A) or step (B);
• and
• (F) where methyl tertiary butyl ether is produced in step (B) either
• (1) producing methyl methacrylate from the methyl tertiary butyl ether by a process comprising:
• (i) decomposing said methyl tertiary butyl ether into a methanol-containing stream and an isobutylene-containing stream,
• (ii) catalytically oxidizing the isobutylene over a complex molybdenum oxide catalyst at temperatures ranging from about 350 to about 450.degree. C. and from about 15 to about 25 psig to produce methacrolein,
• (iii) oxidizing the methacrolein over a molybdenum catalyst at temperatures of from about 250 to about 350.degree. C. and from about 15 to about 25 psig to produce methacrylic acid,
• (iv) esterifying the methacrylic acid with methanol to produce methyl methacrylate, or
• (2) producing butyl rubber from the methyl tertiary butyl ether by a process comprising:
• (i) decomposing said methyl tertiary butyl ether into a methanol-containing stream and an isobutylene-containing stream,
• (ii) cationically copolymerizing the isobutylene in said isobutylene-containing stream with isoprene at temperatures ranging from about -30 to about -100.degree. F. in the presence of a Lewis acid catalyst and a small amount of water as a cocatalyst, and
• (iii) recovering butyl rubber product;
• or
• (G) where polyisobutylene is produced in step (B)(2), recovering said polyisobutylene product.