Process for purifying carbon dioxide-containing gas streams

Abstract

A process for removing at least one compound selected from acetic acid, acetate esters and aldehydes from a gaseous fraction comprising carbon dioxide and such a compound. The process includes the steps of (a) scrubbing in a scrubber at least part of the gaseous fraction with water and acetic acid to remove the acetic acid, acetate esters and/or aldehydes and (b) removing carbon dioxide from the scrubbed product of step (a) by absorption in aqueous potassium carbonate. The process may be used to remove acetate esters such as vinyl acetate and ethyl acetate and aldehydes such as acetaldehyde. The process may be employed in the manufacture of vinyl acetate by the reaction of ethylene, acetic acid and an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a catalyst, or in the catalytic oxidation of (a) ethane and/or (b) ethylene to produce respectively (a) acetic acid and/or ethylene and (b) acetic acid.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.