To produce acetic acid using the process, ACETICA. Methanol and carbon monoxide (CO) are reacted with the carbonylation reaction using a heterogeneous Rh catalyst.
Fresh methanol is split into two streams and is contacted with reactor offgas in the high-pressure absorber (7) and light gases in the low-pressure absorber (8). The methanol, exiting the absorbers, are recombined and mixed with the recycle liquid from the recyclesurge drum (6). This stream is charged to a unique bubble-column
reactor (1).
Carbon monoxide is compressed and sparged into the reactor riser. The reactor has no mechanical moving parts, and is free from leakage/ maintenance problems. The ACETICA Catalyst is an immobilized Rhcomplex catalyst on solid support, which offers higher activity and operates under less water conditions in the system due to heterogeneous system, and therefore, the system has much less corrosivity.
Reactor effluent liquid is withdrawn and flash-vaporized in the Flasher (2). The vaporized crude acetic acid is sent to the dehydration column (3) to remove water and any light components. Dried acetic acid is routed to the finishing column (4), where heavy byproducts are removed in the bottom draw off. The finished acetic-acid product is treated to remove trace iodide components at the iodide removal unit (5).
Vapor streams from the dehydration column overhead contacted with methanol in the low-pressure absorber (8). Unconverted CO, methane, other light byproducts exiting in the vapor outlets of the high- and low-pressure absorbers and heavy byproducts from the finishing column are sent to the incinerator with scrubber (9).
Licensor: Chiyoda Corp.
