Shell Oil Comapny

Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij, B.v.

Charles-Edouard Sanders

Sivakumar Sadasivan Vijayakumari

Pieter Huizenga

Vatsal Mukundlal Shah

The invention relates to a process for recovering methane from a gas stream comprising methane and ethylene, comprising a sorption step which comprises contacting the gas stream comprising methane and ethylene with a sorption agent which has a lower affinity for methane than for ethylene, resulting in sorption of ethylene and 0 to 90% of the methane by the sorption agent and in a gas stream comprising methane in an amount of 10 to 100% based on the amount of methane in the gas stream that is subjected to the sorption step; and a desorption step which comprises desorbing sorbed ethylene and optionally sorbed methane resulting in a gas stream comprising ethylene and optionally methane.

Process for recovering methane from a gas stream comprising methane and ethylene

The invention relates to a process for recovering methane from a gas stream comprising methane and ethylene, comprising: a sorption step which comprises contacting the gas stream comprising methane and ethylene with a sorption agent which has a lower affinity for methane than for ethylene, wherein the gas stream comprising methane and ethylene also comprises a compound for which the sorption agent has a lower affinity than for methane and ethylene, resulting in sorption of ethylene and methane by the sorption agent and in a gas stream comprising the compound for which the sorption agent has a lower affinity than for methane and ethylene; a first desorption step which comprises desorbing part of the sorbed methane resulting in a gas stream comprising methane in an amount of 1 to 99.9% based on the amount of methane in the gas stream that is subjected to the sorption step; and a second desorption step which comprises desorbing sorbed compounds resulting in a gas stream comprising the desorbed compounds.

The invention provides a process for separating monoethylene glycol from a mixture comprising monoethylene glycol and 1,2-butanediol, said process comprising the steps of: a. providing a first stream comprising monoethylene glycol and 1,2-butanediol to a first distillation zone operated at a first pressure and under conditions to remove a first bottoms stream comprising 1,2-butanediol and to remove a first azeotrope of monoethylene glycol and 1,2-butanediol from the first distillation zone as a first overheads stream; b. withdrawing said first overheads stream from said first distillation zone; and c. providing said first overheads stream to a second distillation zone operated at a second pressure higher than said first pressure and under conditions to remove a second bottoms stream comprising monoethylene glycol and providing a second azeotrope of monoethylene glycol and 1,2-butanediol as a second overheads stream; d. withdrawing said second overheads stream from the second distillation zone and providing it to the first distillation zone as at least a portion of the first stream comprising monoethylene glycol and 1,2-butanediol, e. wherein the mixture comprising monoethylene glycol and 1,2-butanediol is initially provided to at least one of the first distillation zone and the second distillation zone.

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Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea

Charles-Edouard Sanders