Amt International Inc.

Cpc Corporation, Taiwan

Cpc Corporation

Other

University of Alberta

Karl Tze-Tang Chuang

Kuang-Yeu Wu

Tzong-Bin Lin

Hung-Chung Shen

Cheng-Tsung Hong

Ji-Young Jang

Yung-Sheng Ho

Wei-Bin Su

Adam T Lee

Jyh-Haur Hwang

Hsun-Yi Huang

Fu-Ming Lee

Alan Rodney Sanger

Larry W Burton

Jeng-Cheng Lee

Douglas A Lillico

Pai-Yu Polly Chiang

Varagur S V Rajan

Zhengrong Xu

Chung-Chen Lai

Jing-Li Luo

A dual-bed catalytic distillation tower has a catalytic column having an upper catalytic bed filled with low temperature dehydration catalysts and a lower catalytic bed filled with high temperature dehydration catalysts. When using the dual-bed catalytic distillation tower, the feeding may be fed to the tower at the top of the upper catalytic bed, between the upper and lower catalytic beds, or at the bottom of the lower catalytic bed for dehydration to obtain DME. The dual-bed catalytic distillation tower has the advantage of flexible set-up depending on various feedings such as anhydrous or crude methanol and on different grades of DME to be obtained.

Dual-bed catalytic distillation tower and method for preparing dimethyl ether using the same

A carboxylic acid e.g. acetic acid, is recovered from an aqueous feed stream containing the corresponding ester, an alcohol and a small amount of water by catalytically dehydrating the alcohol to the corresponding ether and water, and reacting the water with the ester to generate a liquid carboxylic acid rich product stream. The acid is recovered by distillation. In a second embodiment, additional alcohol and/or water are co-fed with the feed or fed directly to a catalytic distillation column, resulting in a liquid bottom product stream of substantially pure acetic acid and a top distillate stream of substantially pure ether.

Process for recovery of a carboxylic acid from a feed stream containing the corresponding ester

This invention describes a method for co-producing isobutene and methyl tert-butyl ether in a catalytic distillation column, wherein contacting with solid acid catalysts the charged tert-butanol mixture undergoes dehydration and etherification. The mixture of isobutene and methyl tert-butyl ether withdrawn from the column top can be further separated, thus high purity isobutene and fuel-additive methyl tert-butyl ether are obtained.

Method for coproducing isobutene and MTBE from tert-butanol mixture in a catalytic distillation column

This invention describes a method for co-producing isobutene and ethyl tert-butyl ether from tert-butanol mixture in a catalytic distillation column, wherein catalyzing the tert-butanol mixture with the ethanol undergoes dehydration and etherification. The tert-butanol mixture contains absolute ethanol or aqueous ethanol as the antifreeze agent. The isobutene and the ethyl tert-butyl ether withdrawn from the column top are further separated, thus high purity isobutene and ethyl tert-butyl ether for fuel-additive are obtained.

Method for coproducing isobutene and ETBE from tert-Butanol mixture

Various substantially styrene-, methylstyrene- and ethylbenzene-free C6-C9 aromatic hydrocarbon blends are produced from a hydrocarbon feed stream containing C5-C9 aromatic hydrocarbons including styrene, methylstyrene and sulphur compounds by first separating the stream into a distillate containing C5-C7 hydrocarbons, and a bottoms fraction containing C8 and C9 hydrocarbons; and converting the styrene and methylstyrene to their corresponding ethers by reacting with a C1-C3 lower alcohol in the presence of a selective acidic etherification catalyst. The effluent may be sent to a gasoline pool for blending or the effluent is separated by distillation into an ether stream and either a C8 or a C8-C9 aromatic hydrocarbon rich stream. The C5-C7 distillate is hydrogenated.

Process for producing styrene-, methylstyrene- and ethylbenzene-free C6-C9 aromatic hydrocarbon blends

The invention disclosed relates to a process for refining a hydrocarbon feed to make substantially styrene-free C6-C8 aromatic hydrocarbons (BTX). The hydrocarbon feed, for example, unhydrotreated pyrolysis gasoline, is distilled to make a BTX rich stream containing styrene which is fractionated to separate C6 and C7 hydrocarbons from C8 hydrocarbons including styrene. Styrene in the C8 hydrocarbons reacts in the presence of a selective etherification catalyst with a C1-C3 lower alkyl alcohol to form the corresponding styrene ether, which is then separated by distillation into a styrene ether stream and a C8 hydrocarbons rich stream. The C8 hydrocarbons rich stream is then re-mixed with the C6 and C7 hydrocarbons, and sent to hydrogenation reactors to remove sulphur and olefinic hydrocarbons to form substantially styrene-free BTX.

Separating styrene from C6-C8 aromatic hydrocarbons

A method for recovering acetic acid from an aqueous feed stream containing acetic acid and, in particular, a stream generated during terephthalic acid production includes feeding a water-rich feed stream to a liquid-liquid extraction column, which includes a guard bed near the top thereof for conversion of alcohol within the feed stream by reaction with acetic acid to the corresponding ester, and removing residual water from acetic acid in an azeotropic distillation column by feeding water-poor feed streams from the extraction column to the distillation column at a height at which the mixture has a similar water concentration. The liquid-liquid extraction column produces an extract of an extraction solvent and acetic acid which is sent to the azeotropic distillation column to separate residual water and acetic acid.

Method for recovery of acetic acid from an aqueous solution thereof

The present disclosure relates to an ion conductive material useful as an anode catalyst comprising LaCrO, a vanadium oxide (VO) and a solid electrolyte, and methods of making the same. The catalysts are useful in solid oxide fuels cells and, in particular, using impure hydrogen.

Anode catalyst and methods of making and using the same

The invention disclosed relates to an apparatus and method for recovering acetic acid from an aqueous feed stream containing acetic acid, in particular a stream generated during terephthalic acid production. The apparatus includes: a liquid-liquid extraction column to which water-rich feed streams are fed, having a guard bed situated near the top and within the extraction column for conversion by reaction with acetic acid of alcohol within the mixture to the corresponding ester; and an azeotropic distillation column to remove residual water from acetic acid, to which water-poor feed streams are fed directly at a height of the azeotropic distillation column at which the mixture therein has a similar water concentration. The liquid-liquid extraction column produces an extract comprising an extraction solvent and acetic acid which is sent to the azeotropic distillation column to separate residual water and acetic acid.

Apparatus and method for recovery of acetic acid from an aqueous solution thereof

An improved oxidative process that employ a robust, non-aqueous, and oil-soluble organic peroxide oxidant for effective desulfurization and denitrogenation of hydrocarbons including petroleum fuels, hydrotreated vacuum gas oil (VGO), non-hydrotreated VGO, petroleum crude oil, synthetic crude oil from oil sand, and residual oil. Even at low concentrations and without the assistance of catalysts, the non-aqueous organic peroxide oxidant is extremely active and fast in oxidizing the sulfur and nitrogen compounds in the hydrocarbon feedstocks. Furthermore, the process generates a valuable organic acid by-product that is also used internally as the extractive solvent for effective removal of the oxidized sulfur and nitrogen from the hydrocarbons without the need of a final adsorption step. Novel process steps are also disclosed to substantially prevent yield loss in the oxidative process.

Oxidative desulfurization and denitrogenation of petroleum oils

A gas-liquid contactor baffle includes a body having a first portion, a second portion and a middle portion, the middle portion being positioned between the first portion and the second portion. The middle portion is a corrugated sheet having a first face and a second face. The corrugated sheet has alternating ridges and open ended channels extending across each of the first face and the second face between the first portion and the second portion. The first portion has a first collection channel adapted to collect liquids from the open ended channels of the middle portion when flow is along the first face in a first direction. The second portion having a second collection channel adapted to collect liquids from the open ended channels of the middle portion when flow is along the second face in a second direction.

Gas-liquid contactor baffle

A robust, non-aqueous, and oil-soluble organic peroxide oxidant is employed for oxidative desulfurization and denitrogenation of hydrocarbon feedstocks including petroleum fuels. Even at low concentrations, the non-aqueous organic peroxide oxidant is extremely active and fast in oxidizing the sulfur and nitrogen compounds in the hydrocarbon feedstocks without catalyst. Consequently, the oxidation reactions that employ the non-aqueous organic peroxide oxidant take place at substantially lower temperatures and shorter residence times than reactions in other oxidative desulfurization and denitrogenation processes. As a result, a higher percentage of the valuable non-sulfur and non-nitrogen containing components in the hydrocarbon feedstock are more likely preserved with the inventive process. Desulfurization and denitrogenation occur in a single phase non-aqueous environment so that no phase transfer of the oxidant is required.

Structured packing for mass-exchange or energy-exchange processes uses a stack of parallel, flat sheets forming flat channels therebetween. A number of tabs extends between adjacent pairs of sheets to form both bridges for fluid flow and spacers for structural rigidity of the packing. Some of the tabs serve predominantly to divert fluid over the entire surface of a given sheet to prevent so-called channeling, while other tabs are disposed to predominantly enhance fluid transfer between the adjacent sheets. Fluid communication between both sides of each sheet is facilitated due to slots caused by the punching of the tabs. Preferably, the tabs or even entire sheets are perforated as well to facilitate fluid wetting of downward-faced portions of the tabs thus reducing &ldquo;dry zones&rdquo; on the packing.

Growing community of inventors

Edmonton, Canada

Karl Tze-Tang Chuang