Bp Chemicals Limited

Technip E&c Limited

The British Petroleum Company, P.l.c.

T.en E&c Ltd

Stephen James Smith

Andrew David Poole

John Glenn Sunley

Bruce Leo Williams

Stephen Roy Partington

Sean Anthony Hennigan

Nakul Thakar

David John Law

Leslie William Bolton

Derrick John Watson

George Ernest Morris

Jeremy B Cooper

Robert John Watt

Simon Frederick Thomas Froom

Andrew John Miller

Andrew John Hogben

Peter John Wilson

Martin John Sellers

Nigel Stewart Brown

Euan S Ross

Andrew R McClarron

Clive Richard Breeden

John Dixon-Hall

David Edward George Jeffers

Susan Elizabeth Little

Lewis Adam Heptonstall

Liam O'Neill

Simon Frederick Froom

Francois-Xavier Chiron

William Fullerton

Leslie Ann Key

Simon Frederik Thomas Froom

The present invention provides a process for the preparation of ethene by vapor phase chemical dehydration of a feed comprising ethanol and optionally water and/or ethoxyethane, said process comprising contacting a dried supported heteropoly acid catalyst in a reactor with the feed-stream having feed temperature of at least 200&#xb0; C.; wherein the pressure inside the reactor is at least 0.80 MPa but less than 1.80 MPa; and before the supported heteropolyacid catalyst is contacted with the feed-stream having a feed temperature of at least 200&#xb0; C., the process is initiated by: (i) drying a supported heteropolyacid catalyst in a reactor under a stream of inert gas having a feed temperature of from above 100&#xb0; C. to 200&#xb0; C.; and (ii) contacting the dried supported heteropolyacid catalyst with an ethanol-containing vapor stream having a feed temperature of from above 100&#xb0; C. to 160&#xb0; C.

Process for preparing ethene

The present invention provides a process for the preparation of ethene by vapor phase chemical dehydration of a feed-stream comprising ethanol and optionally water and/or ethoxy ethane, said process comprising contacting a dried supported heteropolyacid catalyst in a reactor with the feed-stream having a feed temperature of at least 200&#xb0; C.; wherein before the supported heteropolyacid catalyst is contacted with the feed-stream having a feed temperature of at least 200&#xb0; C., the process is initiated by: (i) drying a supported heteropolyacid catalyst in a reactor under a stream of inert gas having a feed temperature of from above 100&#xb0; C. to 200&#xb0; C.; and (ii) contacting the dried supported heteropolyacid catalyst with an ethanol-containing vapor stream having a feed temperature of from above 100&#xb0; C. to 160&#xb0; C.

A process for the acid-catalyzed dehydration of ethanol, the process comprising the steps of distilling an ethanol feedstock () comprising at least one nitrogen-containing contaminant to form an overhead stream () and a bottom stream comprising ethanol (), wherein the distillation has a reflux ratio of at least 20:1; and reacting the bottom stream in the presence of an acid catalyst to form a product stream comprising ethylene.

Process for the acid-catalysed dehydration of ethanol

Process for removing acetone from a stream including acetone (A), methyl acetate (MA) and methyl iodide (MI), by (a) introducing the stream into a first distillation zone (FDZ); (b) introducing acetic acid (AA) into the FDZ, by adding AA to the stream or by introducing AA to the FDZ at or above the introduction point of the stream, or a combination thereof; (c) removing from the FDZ an overhead stream including MI and a bottoms stream containing A, MA, AA, and a reduced amount of MI; (d) introducing the bottoms stream into a second distillation zone (SDZ); (e) removing from the SDZ an overhead stream containing MA and MI and a bottoms stream containing A, MA and AA; (f) introducing the bottoms stream from (e) into a third distillation zone (TDZ); removing from the TDZ an overhead stream containing MA and A and a bottoms stream containing MA and AA.

Process for removing acetone from a stream comprising acetone, methyl acetate and methyl iodide

Process for the production of acetic acid by (a) introducing methanol, methyl acetate, dimethyl ether and/or methyl iodide and carbon monoxide into a first reaction zone containing a liquid reaction composition comprising a carbonylation catalyst, optionally a carbonylation catalyst promoter, methyl iodide, methyl acetate, acetic acid and water, (b) withdrawing at least a portion of the liquid reaction composition together with dissolved and/or entrained carbon monoxide and other gases from the first reaction zone, (c) passing at least a portion of the withdrawn liquid reaction composition to a second reaction zone, wherein at least a portion of the dissolved and/or entrained carbon monoxide is consumed, (d) passing at least a portion of the liquid reaction composition from the second reaction zone into a flash separation zone to form a vapor fraction, which comprises acetic acid, methyl iodide, methyl acetate and low pressure off-gas, comprising carbon monoxide; and a liquid fraction, which comprises carbonylation catalyst and optional carbonylation catalyst promoter, and (e) passing the vapor fraction from the flash separation zone to one or more distillation zones to recover acetic acid product. The temperature of the liquid reaction composition withdrawn from the first reaction zone is in the range of 170 to 195&#xb0; C.; and the temperature of the liquid reaction composition passed from the second reaction zone to the flash separation zone is at least 8&#xb0; C. greater than the temperature of the liquid reaction composition withdrawn from the first reaction zone.

Process for the production of acetic acid

A process for the removal of corrosion metal contaminants from a carbonylation catalyst solution comprising an iridium and/or rhodium carbonylation catalyst, an alkali and/or alkaline earth metal and corrosion metal contaminants in which the catalyst solution is contacted with a cation exchange resin having its active sites partially loaded with a sufficient amount of alkali and/or alkaline earth metal to maintain the concentration of said alkali and/or alkaline earth metal in the catalyst solution and recovering a catalyst solution of reduced corrosion metal contaminant content.

Process for the removal of corrosion metals from carbonylation catalyst solutions

Process for the selective removal of Iridium carbonylation catalyst metal and/or at least one promoter selected from ruthenium, osmium and rhenium from a liquid composition comprising a carbonylation product, iridium carbonylation catalyst metal and/or the promoter metal, corrosion metals and optionally alkali or alkaline earth metals. The process is carried out by contacting the liquid composition with a chelating resin to remove at least a portion of the iridium carbonylation catalyst metal and/or at least one promoter metal contained in the liquid composition. The chelating resin contains at least one thiourea functional group. The process is suitable for treating process streams obtained in the production of carboxylic acids and/or carboxylic anhydrides.

Process for the removal of catalytic metals and promoter metals from carbonylation process streams

A process for the production of acetic acid by carbonylating methanol and/or a reactive derivative thereof with carbon monoxide in the presence of an iridium promoted carbonylation catalyst wherein the promoters are ruthenium and at least one of niobium and tantalum.

A process for the production of acetic acid by carbonylating methanol and/or a reactive derivative thereof with carbon monoxide in a carbonylation reactor containing a liquid reaction composition comprising an iridium carbonylation catalyst, methyl iodide co-catalyst, a finite concentration of water, acetic acid, methyl acetate, at least one promoter selected from ruthenium, osmium and rhenium and a stablising compound selected from the group consisting of alkali metal iodides, alkaline earth metal iodides, metal complexes capable of generating I&#x2212;, salts capable of generating I&#x2212;, and mixtures of two or more thereof wherein the molar ratio of promoter to iridium is greater than 2:1, and the molar ratio of stabilising compound to iridium is in the range [greater than 0 to 5]:1.

In a process for purifying a carboxylic acid fraction obtained by liquid phase carbonylation of an alkyl alcohol and/or its reactive derivative in which volatile iridium- and/or volatile co-promoter contaminants are converted to involatile forms by contacting with an iodide in the absence of carbon monoxide or at a partial pressure less than that of the carbonylation reaction. The involatile contaminants are then separated from the carboxylic acid.

Process for purifying a carboxylic acid

Corrosion metal contaminants are removed from a liquid composition comprising a carboxylic acid and/or an anhydride thereof, a rhodium carbonylation catalyst, and a carbonylation catalyst co-promoter by using a chelating resin selective for the removal of corrosion metals rather than carbonylation catalyst and co-promoter.

Process for the removal of corrosion metal contaminants from liquid

A process for removing acetone from an acetone/methyl acetate/methyl iodide mixture utilizing extractive distillation with water being introduced to the distillation zone above the point of introduction of the mixture and acetic acid being introduced at or above the point of introduction of the mixture. In a preferred embodiment the mixture is subjected to an initial extraction with an aqueous extractant to remove most of the methyl iodide. The process is particularly applicable to removing acetone by-product in carbonylation processes for the production of acetic anhydride.

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East Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Stephen James Smith