Celanese International Corporation

Al Amleh

Victor J Johnston

Radmila Jevtic

Lincoln Sarager

Trinity Horton

R Jay Warner

Heiko Weiner

Radmila Wollrab

Trinity Horton Hale

Gerald Gruesendorf

Purification and/or recovery of ethanol from a crude ethanol product obtained from the hydrogenation of acetic acid. Separation and purification processes of a crude ethanol mixture are employed to allow recovery of ethanol and remove impurities. In particular, the process involves one or more sidedraws to regulate C+ alcohols concentration in the recovered ethanol.

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Vaporizing acetic acid in the presence of hydrogen to provide a vapor feed stream for a hydrogenation process that produces ethanol. The vaporizer forms a vapor feed stream and a blowdown stream having a weight ratio of the vapor feed stream to the blowdown stream of at least 2:1. The acetic acid may vaporized at a temperature below acetic acid's boiling point at the operating pressure of the reactor. The hydrogenation process produces a crude ethanol product and ethanol is separated from the crude product. In addition, at least one recycle stream comprising acetic acid and less than 1.0 wt. % compounds having a boiling point higher than acetic acid, may also be separated. The recycle streams may be introduced to the vaporizer along with acetic acid to form the vapor feed stream.

Process for vaporizing acetic acid for hydrogenation processes to produce ethanol

Growing community of inventors

Pearland, TX, United States of America

Al Amleh