U.S. patent application number 14/874332 was filed with the patent office on 2016-05-19 for process for flashing a reaction medium comprising lithium acetate.
The applicant listed for this patent is Celanese International Corporation. Invention is credited to Yaw-Hwa Liu, Mark O. Scates, Ronald D. Shaver.
Application Number | 20160137577 14/874332 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55920014 |
Filed Date | 2016-05-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160137577 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shaver; Ronald D. ; et
al. |
May 19, 2016 |
Process for Flashing A Reaction Medium Comprising Lithium
Acetate
Abstract
A process for producing acetic acid is disclosed, in which the
methyl iodide concentration is maintained in the vapor product
stream formed in a flashing step. The process includes introducing
a lithium compound into the reactor and maintaining a concentration
of lithium acetate in the reaction medium is in an amount from 0.3
to 0.7 wt. %. The reaction medium is fed forward to the flashing
step. The methyl iodide concentration in the vapor product stream
ranges from 24 to less than 36 wt. %, based on the weight of the
vapor product stream. The vapor product stream is distilled in a
first column to obtain an acetic acid product stream comprising
acetic acid and hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or equal
to 300 wppm and/or methyl iodide in an amount from 0.1 to 6 wt.
%.
Inventors: |
Shaver; Ronald D.; (Houston,
TX) ; Liu; Yaw-Hwa; (Missouri City, TX) ;
Scates; Mark O.; (Houston, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Celanese International Corporation |
Irving |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
55920014 |
Appl. No.: |
14/874332 |
Filed: |
October 2, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
14789006 |
Jul 1, 2015 |
9302975 |
|
|
14874332 |
|
|
|
|
62080035 |
Nov 14, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
562/519 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B01J 31/20 20130101;
C07C 51/44 20130101; B01D 3/009 20130101; C07C 51/12 20130101; Y02P
20/127 20151101; Y02P 20/10 20151101; C07C 51/44 20130101; C07C
53/08 20130101; C07C 51/12 20130101; C07C 53/08 20130101 |
International
Class: |
C07C 51/12 20060101
C07C051/12; B01J 31/20 20060101 B01J031/20; C07C 51/44 20060101
C07C051/44 |
Claims
1. A process for producing acetic acid, comprising: carbonylating a
reactant feed stream comprising methanol, methyl acetate, dimethyl
ether, or mixtures thereof in a reactor in the presence of water,
rhodium catalyst, iodide salt and methyl iodide to form a reaction
medium in a reactor; introducing a lithium compound into the
reactor wherein the lithium compound is selected from the group
consisting of lithium acetate, lithium carbonate, lithium
hydroxide, and mixtures thereof; maintaining the concentration of
lithium acetate in the reaction medium in an amount from 0.3 to 0.7
wt. %; separating the reaction medium in a flash vessel to form a
liquid recycle stream and a vapor product stream comprising acetic
acid in an amount from 45 to 75 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount
from 24 to less than 36 wt. %, methyl acetate in an amount of less
than or equal to 9 wt. %, and water in an amount of less than or
equal to 14 wt. %; and distilling at least a portion of the vapor
product stream in a first column to obtain an acetic acid product
stream comprising acetic acid and hydrogen iodide in an amount of
less than or equal to 300 wppm and an overhead stream comprising
methyl iodide, water and methyl acetate.
2. The process of claim 1, wherein the vapor product stream further
comprises acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.005 to 1 wt. %.
3. The process of claim 1, wherein the vapor product stream further
comprises acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.01 to 0.8 wt. %.
4. The process of claim 1, wherein the vapor product stream
comprises acetic acid in an amount from 55 to 75 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount from 24 to 35 wt. %, methyl acetate in an
amount from 0.5 to 8 wt. %, water in an amount from 0.5 to 14 wt.
%, and further comprises hydrogen iodide in an amount less than or
equal to 0.5 wt. %.
5. The process of claim 1, wherein the vapor product stream
comprises acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.01 to 0.7 wt. %.
6. The process of claim 5, wherein the vapor product stream
comprises acetic acid in an amount from 60 to 70 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount from 25 to 35 wt. %, methyl acetate in an
amount from 0.5 to 6.5 wt. %, water in an amount from 1 to 8 wt. %,
acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.01 to 0.7 wt. %, and hydrogen
iodide in an amount less than or equal to 0.1 wt. %.
7. The process of claim 1, wherein the vapor product stream
comprises hydrogen iodide in an amount less than or equal to 1 wt.
%.
8. The process of claim 1, further comprising venting from the
reactor a gaseous stream that comprises hydrogen iodide in an
amount of less than or equal to 1 wt. %.
9. The process of claim 8, wherein the gaseous stream comprises
hydrogen iodide in an amount from 0.001 to 1 wt. %.
10. The process of claim 1, wherein the overhead stream is phase
separated to form a light liquid phase and a heavy liquid
phase.
11. The process of claim 10, wherein the light liquid phase
comprises acetic acid in an amount from 1 to 40 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 10 wt. %, methyl
acetate in an amount from 1 to 50 wt. %, water in an amount from 40
to 80 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount of less than or equal to 5
wt. %, and hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 1
wt. %.
12. The process of claim 10, wherein the light liquid phase
comprises acetic acid in an amount from 5 to 15 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 3 wt. %, methyl
acetate in an amount from 1 to 15 wt. %, water in an amount from 70
to 75 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.1 to 0.7 wt. %, and
hydrogen iodide in an amount from 0.001 to 0.5 wt. %.
13. The process of claim 10, wherein a portion of the heavy liquid
phase is treated to remove at least one permanganate reducing
compound selected from the group consisting of acetaldehyde,
acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, butylaldehyde, crotonaldehyde,
2-ethyl crotonaldehyde, 2-ethyl butyraldehyde, and the aldol
condensation products thereof.
14. The process of claim 10, wherein a portion of the light liquid
phase is returned to the reactor.
15. The process of claim 1, wherein the liquid recycle stream
comprises a rhodium catalyst in an amount from 0.01 to 0.5 wt. %,
lithium iodide in an amount from 5 to 20 wt. %, corrosion metals in
an amount from 10 to 2500 wppm, acetic acid in an amount from 60 to
90 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount from 0.5 to 5 wt. %, methyl
acetate in an amount from 0.1 to 5 wt. %, water in an amount from
0.1 to 8 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.0001 to 1 wt. %,
and hydrogen iodide in an amount from 0.0001 to 0.5 wt. %.
16. (canceled)
17. The process of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a
concentration of hydrogen iodide in the reaction medium in an
amount from 0.1 to 1.3 wt. %.
18. The process of claim 1, wherein the carbonylation is conducted
while maintaining a carbon monoxide partial pressure from 2 to 30
atm and a hydrogen partial pressure in the reactor that is less
than or equal to 0.04 atm.
19. The process of claim 1, wherein the concentration of methyl
acetate in the reaction medium is greater than the concentration of
the lithium acetate in the reaction medium.
20. The process of claim 1, wherein the acetic acid product stream
comprises each of the methyl iodide and the methyl acetate in an
amount within the range of .+-.0.9 wt. % of the water concentration
in the side stream.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is a continuation-in-part and claims
priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/789,006, entitled
"Processes For Flashing A Reaction Medium," filed Jul. 1, 2015, and
claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/080,035,
entitled "Processes For Producing Acetic Acid by Introducing a
Lithium Compound," filed Nov. 14, 2014, the disclosure of which are
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to processes for producing acetic
acid and, in particular, to improved processes for flashing a crude
acetic acid product in an acetic acid production system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Among currently employed processes for synthesizing acetic
acid, one of the most useful, commercially, is the catalyzed
carbonylation of methanol with carbon monoxide as taught in U.S.
Pat. No. 3,769,329, which is incorporated herein by reference in
its entirety. The carbonylation catalyst contains a metal catalyst,
such as rhodium, which is either dissolved or otherwise dispersed
in a liquid reaction medium or supported on an inert solid, along
with a halogen-containing catalyst promoter as exemplified by
methyl iodide. The reaction is conducted by continuously bubbling
carbon monoxide gas through a liquid reaction medium in which the
catalyst is dissolved.
[0004] Methanol and carbon monoxide are fed to a reactor as
feedstocks. A portion of the reaction medium is continuously
withdrawn and provided to a flash vessel where the product is
flashed and sent as a vapor to a purification train. The
purification train includes a light ends column which removes
"light" or low boiling components as an overhead and provides a
sidedraw stream for further purification. The purification train
may further include columns to dehydrate the sidedraw stream or
columns for removing "heavy" or high boiling components, such as
propionic acid, from the sidedraw stream. It is desirable in a
carbonylation process for making acetic acid to minimize the number
of distillation operations to minimize energy usage in the
process.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,237 discloses a process for the
production of acetic acid by carbonylation of methanol in the
presence of a rhodium carbonylation catalyst, methyl iodide and an
iodide salt stabilizer by maintaining a finite concentration of
water of up to about 10% by weight and a methyl acetate
concentration of at least 2% by weight in the liquid reaction
medium and recovering the acetic acid product by passing the liquid
reaction medium through a flash zone to produce a vapor fraction
which is passed to a single distillation column from which an
acetic acid product is removed. The vapor fraction comprises water
up to about 8% by weight, acetic acid product, propionic acid
by-product and the majority of the methyl acetate and methyl
iodide.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 7,820,855 discloses a carbonylation process
for producing acetic acid including: (a) carbonylating methanol or
its reactive derivatives in the presence of a Group VIII metal
catalyst and methyl iodide promoter to produce a liquid reaction
mixture including acetic acid, water, methyl acetate and methyl
iodide; (b) feeding the liquid reaction mixture at a feed
temperature to a flash vessel which is maintained at a reduced
pressure; (c) heating the flash vessel while concurrently flashing
the reaction mixture to produce a crude product vapor stream. The
selection of the reaction mixture and the flow rate of the reaction
mixture fed to the flash vessel as well as the amount of heat
supplied to the flash vessel are controlled, such that the
temperature of the crude product vapor stream is maintained at a
temperature less than 90.degree. F. cooler than the feed
temperature of the liquid reaction mixture to the flash vessel, and
the concentration of acetic acid in the crude product vapor stream
is greater than 70% by weight of the crude product vapor stream.
Through the flash vessel the product acetic acid and the majority
of the light ends (methyl iodide, methyl acetate, and water) are
separated from the reactor catalyst solution, and the crude process
stream is forwarded with dissolved gases to the distillation or
purification section in single stage flash. The methyl iodide
concentrations decrease as the temperature of the flash vessel
increases and the flow rates decrease.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 9,006,483 discloses a production process of
acetic acid that seeks to inhibit the concentration of hydrogen
iodide and provide a liquid-liquid separation of an overhead from a
distillation column. Acetic acid is produced by distilling a
mixture containing hydrogen iodide, water, acetic acid and methyl
acetate in a first distillation column to form an overhead and a
side cut stream or bottom stream containing acetic acid, cooling
and condensing the overhead in a condenser to form separated upper
and lower phases in a decanter. According to this process, a zone
having a high water concentration is formed in the distillation
column above the feed position of the mixture by feeding a mixture
having a water concentration of not less than an effective amount
to not more than 5% by weight (e.g., 0.5 to 4.5% by weight) and a
methyl acetate concentration of 0.5 to 9% by weight (e.g., 0.5 to
8% by weight) as the mixture to the distillation column and
distilling the mixture. In the zone having a high water
concentration, hydrogen iodide is allowed to react with methyl
acetate to produce methyl iodide and acetic acid.
[0008] The need remains for improved acetic acid production
processes having improved separation steps, increased production
capacities and lower operating costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a
process for producing acetic acid comprising carbonylating a
reactant feed stream in the presence of water, rhodium catalyst,
iodide salt and methyl iodide to form a reaction medium in a
reactor. The reactant feed stream comprises methanol, methyl
acetate, dimethyl ether, or mixtures thereof. The process further
comprises introducing a lithium compound into the reactor,
maintaining a concentration of lithium acetate in the reaction
medium in an amount from 0.3 to 0.7 wt. %, separating the reaction
medium in a flash vessel to form a liquid recycle stream and a
vapor product stream, which comprises acetic acid in an amount from
45 to 75 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount from 24 to less than 36
wt. %, methyl acetate in an amount of less than or equal to 9 wt.
%, water in an amount of less than or equal to 14 wt. %. The
process further comprises distilling at least a portion of the
vapor product stream in a first column to obtain an acetic acid
product stream comprising acetic acid and hydrogen iodide in an
amount of less than or equal to 300 wppm, e.g., less than or equal
to 50 wppm, and an overhead stream comprising methyl iodide, water
and methyl acetate. In some embodiments, the vapor product stream
may comprise acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.005 to 1 wt. %, e.g.,
preferably from 0.01 to 0.8 wt. % and more preferably from 0.01 to
0.7 wt. %. In a further embodiment, the vapor product stream may
comprises acetic acid in an amount from 55 to 75 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount from 24 to 35 wt. %, methyl acetate in an
amount from 0.5 to 8 wt. %, water in an amount from 0.5 to 14 wt.
%, and hydrogen iodide in an amount less than or equal to 0.5 wt.
%. In another embodiment, the vapor product stream comprises acetic
acid in an amount from 60 to 70 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount
from 25 to 35 wt. %, methyl acetate in an amount from 0.5 to 6.5
wt. %, water in an amount from 1 to 8 wt. %, and hydrogen iodide in
an amount less than or equal to 0.1 wt. %. In some embodiments, the
process further comprises venting a gaseous stream from the reactor
that comprises hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than 1 wt. %,
e.g., from 0.001 to 1 wt. %.
[0010] In one embodiment, the overhead stream is phase separated to
form a light liquid phase and a heavy liquid phase. The light
liquid phase may comprise acetic acid in an amount from 1 to 40 wt.
%, methyl iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 10 wt. %,
methyl acetate in an amount from 1 to 50 wt. %, water in an amount
from 40 to 80 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount of less than or
equal to 5 wt. %, and hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or
equal to 1 wt. %. In a preferred embodiment, the light liquid phase
comprises acetic acid in an amount from 5 to 15 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 3 wt. %, methyl
acetate in an amount from 1 to 15 wt. %, water in an amount from 70
to 75 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.1 to 0.7 wt. %, and
hydrogen iodide in an amount from 0.001 to 0.5 wt. %. In a further
embodiment, a portion of the heavy liquid phase may be treated to
remove at least one permanganate reducing compound selected from
the group consisting of acetaldehyde, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone,
butylaldehyde, crotonaldehyde, 2-ethyl crotonaldehyde, 2-ethyl
butyraldehyde, and the aldol condensation products thereof.
[0011] In one embodiment, the liquid recycle stream comprises a
metal catalyst in an amount from 0.01 to 0.5 wt. %, lithium iodide
in an amount from 5 to 20 wt. %, corrosion metals in an amount from
10 to 2500 wppm, acetic acid in an amount from 60 to 90 wt. %,
methyl iodide in an amount from 0.5 to 5 wt. %, methyl acetate in
an amount from 0.1 to 5 wt. %, water in an amount from 0.1 to 8 wt.
%, acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.0001 to 1 wt. %, and hydrogen
iodide in an amount from 0.0001 to 0.5 wt. %.
[0012] In one embodiment, the lithium compound is selected from the
group consisting of lithium acetates, lithium carboxylates, lithium
carbonates, lithium hydroxides, and mixtures thereof. The
concentration of methyl acetate in the reaction medium may be
greater than the concentration of the lithium acetate. The process
may further comprises maintaining a concentration of hydrogen
iodide in the reaction medium from 0.1 to 1.3 wt. %. The reaction
may be conducted while maintaining a carbon monoxide partial
pressure from 2 to 30 atm and a hydrogen partial pressure in the
reactor that is less than or equal to 0.04 atm.
[0013] In one embodiment, the acetic acid product stream may
comprise methyl acetate in an amount from 0.1 to 6 wt. %, hydrogen
iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 300 wppm, e.g., less
than or equal to 50 wppm, the water concentration is maintained in
the acetic acid product stream from 1 to 9 wt. %, and/or methyl
iodide in an amount from 0.1 to 6 wt. %. the acetic acid product
stream comprises each of the methyl iodide and the methyl acetate
in an amount within the range of .+-.0.9 wt. % of the water
concentration in the side stream. The acetic acid product stream
may comprise each of the methyl iodide and the methyl acetate in an
amount within the range of .+-.0.9 wt. % of the water concentration
in the side stream.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0014] The present invention will be better understood in view of
the appended non-limiting FIGURE, wherein:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing for producing acetic acid in
accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] At the outset, it should be noted that in the development of
any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation--specific
decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals,
such as compliance with system related and business related
constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. In
addition, the processes disclosed herein can also comprise
components other than those cited or specifically referred to, as
is apparent to one having average or reasonable skill in the
art.
[0017] In the summary and this detailed description, each numerical
value should be read once as modified by the term "about" (unless
already expressly so modified), and then read again as not so
modified unless otherwise indicated in context. Also, in the
summary and this detailed description, it should be understood that
a concentration range listed or described as being useful,
suitable, or the like, is intended that any and every concentration
within the range, including the end points, is to be considered as
having been stated. For example, a range "from 1 to 10" is to be
read as indicating each and every possible number along the
continuum between about 1 and about 10. Thus, even if specific data
points within the range, or even no data points within the range,
are explicitly identified or refer to only a few specific data
points, it is to be understood that inventors appreciate and
understand that any and all data points within the range are to be
considered to have been specified, and that inventors possessed
knowledge of the entire range and all points within the range.
[0018] Throughout the entire specification, including the claims,
the following terms have the indicated meanings unless otherwise
specified.
[0019] As used in the specification and claims, "near" is inclusive
of "at." The term "and/or" refers to both the inclusive "and" case
and the exclusive "or" case, and is used herein for brevity. For
example, a mixture comprising acetic acid and/or methyl acetate may
comprise acetic acid alone, methyl acetate alone, or both acetic
acid and methyl acetate.
[0020] All percentages are expressed as weight percent (wt. %),
based on the total weight of the particular stream or composition
present, unless otherwise noted. Room temperature is 25.degree. C.
and atmospheric pressure is 101.325 kPa unless otherwise noted.
[0021] For purposes herein:
[0022] acetic acid may be abbreviated as "AcOH";
[0023] acetaldehyde may be abbreviated as "AcH";
[0024] methyl acetate may be abbreviated "MeAc";
[0025] methanol may be abbreviated "MeOH";
[0026] methyl iodide may be abbreviated as "MeI";
[0027] hydrogen iodide may be abbreviated as "HI";
[0028] carbon monoxide may be abbreviated "CO"; and
[0029] dimethyl ether may be abbreviated "DME".
[0030] HI refers to either molecular hydrogen iodide or dissociated
hydriodic acid when at least partially ionized in a polar medium,
typically a medium comprising at least some water. Unless otherwise
specified, the two are referred to interchangeably. Unless
otherwise specified, HI concentration is determined via acid-base
titration using a potentiometric end point. In particular, HI
concentration is determined via titration with a standard lithium
acetate solution to a potentiometric end point. It is to be
understood that for purposes herein, the concentration of HI is not
determined by subtracting a concentration of iodide assumed to be
associated with a measurement of corrosion metals or other non H+
cations from the total ionic iodide present in a sample.
[0031] It is to be understood that HI concentration does not refer
to iodide ion concentration. HI concentration specifically refers
to HI concentration as determined via potentiometric titration.
[0032] This subtraction method is an unreliable and imprecise
method to determine relatively lower HI concentrations (i.e., less
than about 5 weight percent) due to the fact that it assumes all
non-H+ cations (such as cations of Fe, Ni, Cr, Mo) are associated
with iodide anion exclusively. In reality, a significant portion of
the metal cations in this process can be associated with acetate
anion. Additionally, many of these metal cations have multiple
valence states, which adds even more unreliability to the
assumption on the amount of iodide anion which could be associated
with these metals. Ultimately, this method gives rise to an
unreliable determination of the actual HI concentration, especially
in view of the ability to perform a simple titration directly
representative of the HI concentration.
[0033] For purposes herein, an "overhead" or "distillate" of a
distillation column refers to at least one of the lower boiling
condensable fractions which exits at or near the top, (e.g.,
proximate to the top), of the distillation column, and/or the
condensed form of that stream or composition. Obviously, all
fractions are ultimately condensable, yet for purposes herein, a
condensable fraction is condensable under the conditions present in
the process as readily understood by one of skill in the art.
Examples of noncondensable fractions may include nitrogen,
hydrogen, and the like. Likewise, an overhead stream may be taken
just below the upper most exit of a distillation column, for
example, wherein the lowest boiling fraction is a non-condensable
stream or represents a de-minimis stream, as would be readily
understood by one of reasonable skill in the art.
[0034] The "bottoms" or "residuum" of a distillation column refers
to one or more of the highest boiling fractions which exit at or
near the bottom of the distillation column, also referred to herein
as flowing from the bottom sump of the column. It is to be
understood that a residuum may be taken from just above the very
bottom exit of a distillation column, for example, wherein the very
bottom fraction produced by the column is a salt, an unusable tar,
a solid waste product, or a de-minimis stream as would be readily
understood by one of reasonable skill in the art.
[0035] For purposes herein, distillation columns comprise a
distillation zone and a bottom sump zone. The distillation zone
includes everything above the bottom sump zone, i.e., between the
bottom sump zone and the top of the column. For purposes herein,
the bottom sump zone refers to the lower portion of the
distillation column in which a liquid reservoir of the higher
boiling components is present (e.g., the bottom of a distillation
column) from which the bottom or residuum stream flows upon exiting
the column. The bottom sump zone may include reboilers, control
equipment, and the like.
[0036] It is to be understood that the term "passages", "flow
paths", "flow conduits", and the like in relation to internal
components of a distillation column are used interchangeably to
refer to holes, tubes, channels, slits, drains, and the like, which
are disposed through and/or which provide a path for liquid and/or
vapor to move from one side of the internal component to the other
side of the internal component. Examples of passages disposed
through a structure, such as a liquid distributor of a distillation
column, include drain holes, drain tubes, drain slits, and the
like, which allow a liquid to flow through the structure from one
side to another. Average residence time is defined as the sum total
of all liquid volume hold-up for a given phase within a
distillation zone divided by the average flow rate of that phase
through the distillation zone. The hold-up volume for a given phase
can include liquid volume contained in the various internal
components of the column including collectors, distributors and the
like, as well as liquid contained on trays, within downcomers,
and/or within structured or random packed bed sections.
Vapor Product Stream
[0037] The production of acetic acid via the carbonylation of
methanol involves the formation of a reaction medium in a reactor,
and flashing the reaction medium in a flash vessel to form a liquid
recycle stream and a vapor product stream. The vapor product stream
is then distilled in one or more distillation columns to remove
byproducts and form an acetic acid product. The present invention
provides processes for producing acetic acid while reducing
byproduct formation by maintaining a specific methyl iodide
concentration in the vapor product stream formed in the flash step.
Methyl iodide is a useful promoter for the carbonylation catalyst.
During separation, however, methyl iodide tends to concentrate with
the acetic acid that is separated from the reaction medium.
Consequently, to avoid costly losses through fugitive emissions and
to reduce iodide impurities in the acetic acid product, the methyl
iodide must be separated from the acetic acid and returned to the
reaction medium.
[0038] According to the present invention, methyl iodide
concentrations are maintained at a sufficient level in the vapor
product to support increased production rates while reducing the
amount of methyl iodide that must be recovered from the vapor
product stream. In one embodiment, the process may also comprise
introducing a lithium compound into the reactor and maintaining a
concentration of lithium acetate in the reaction medium in an
amount from 0.3 to 0.7 wt. %. As described herein, it is
advantageous to reduce methyl iodide in the reactor by maintaining
these levels of lithium acetate. Reducing the methyl iodide in the
reactor by using lithium acetate may advantageously control the
methyl iodide in the vapor product stream in an amount from 24 to
less than 36 wt. %.
[0039] Reducing the amount of methyl iodide advantageously
debottlenecks the distillation columns due to the lower amounts of
methyl iodide that must be separated. Debottlenecking the
distillation columns advantageously increases production capacities
and lowers operating costs. Maintaining methyl iodide at desired
levels in the vapor product also beneficially keeps the hydrogen
iodide concentrations in the downstream distillation columns at low
levels and thus minimizes corrosion to the columns.
[0040] In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a
process for producing acetic acid comprising carbonylating a
reactant feed stream in the presence of water, a rhodium catalyst,
an iodide salt and a methyl iodide to form a reaction medium in a
reactor. Said reactant feed stream comprises methanol, methyl
acetate, dimethyl ether, or mixtures thereof. The process further
comprises introducing a lithium compound into the reactor,
maintaining a concentration of lithium acetate in the reaction
medium in an amount from 0.3 to 0.7 wt. %, separating the reaction
medium in a flash vessel to form a liquid recycle stream and a
vapor product stream, which comprises acetic acid in an amount from
45 to 75 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount from 24 to less than 36
wt. %, methyl acetate in an amount of less than or equal to 9 wt.
%, water in an amount of less than or equal to 14 wt. %, and
distilling at least a portion of the vapor product stream in a
first column to obtain an acetic acid product stream comprising
acetic acid and hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or equal
to 300 wppm and an overhead stream comprising methyl iodide, water
and methyl acetate.
[0041] As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,820,855, production rates
decrease as methyl iodide concentrations decrease, based on mass
flow rate from the reactor to the flash vessel. The present
invention can maintain higher production rates without incurring
the decrease in mass flow rate as described in U.S. Pat. No.
7,820,855. Methyl iodide at a concentration less than 24 wt. %
results in undesirably low production rates. On the other hand,
vapor product streams having methyl iodide at concentrations
greater than or equal to 36 wt. % increase the load on the
distillation columns needed to remove methyl iodide, which
adversely impacts production capacity. Methyl iodide cannot be
eliminated in the vapor product stream using the flash vessel and
thus must be recovered through the distillation columns.
Maintaining methyl iodide concentration in the range from 24 to
less than 36 wt. % in the vapor product is important to control
hydrogen iodide formation, which is resulted from the hydrolysis of
methyl iodide. Hydrogen iodide is a known corrosion-causing
compound and may undesirably concentrate with methyl iodide
concentrations above 36 wt. %. in the vapor product stream. Thus,
having a vapor product stream with 24 wt. % to less than 36 wt. %
methyl iodide may provide the desired hydrogen iodide control.
[0042] The vapor product may be sampled using on-line measuring
techniques to measure methyl iodide content and provide real-time
or near real-time feedback. Sampling the vapor product stream
on-line is easier than sampling the liquid reaction medium. In
addition, the concentration of the methyl iodide in the vapor
product is related to and provides an indirect indication of the
concentration of methyl iodide in the reactor. The ability to
maintain a consistent methyl iodide concentration in the vapor
product stream is useful to set up a schedule for adding methyl
iodide to the reactor. For example, in a commercial process, small
amounts of methyl iodide are lost due to fugitive emissions and the
use of various purge streams in the separation system. As the
methyl iodide concentration in the vapor product decreases,
additional methyl iodide may be added to the reactor. Conversely,
when the methyl iodide concentration is too high, a portion of the
heavy liquid phase from the light ends column may be purged from
the system.
[0043] In addition to methyl iodide, the vapor product stream also
comprises acetic acid, methyl acetate, and water. By-products such
as hydrogen iodide, acetaldehyde, and propionic acid may also be
present in the vapor product stream. The reactants, i.e., methanol
and carbon monoxide, when not consumed, may be recovered in the
vapor product stream. In one embodiment, the vapor product stream
comprises acetic acid in an amount from 45 to 75 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount from 24 to less than 36 wt. %, methyl acetate
in an amount of less than or equal to 9 wt. %, and water in an
amount of less than or equal to 14 wt. %, based on the total weight
of the vapor product stream. More preferably, the vapor product
stream comprises acetic acid in an amount from 55 to 75 wt. %,
methyl iodide in an amount from 24 to 35 wt. %, methyl acetate in
an amount from 0.5 to 8 wt. %, water in an amount from 0.5 to 14
wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.01 to 0.8 wt. %, and
hydrogen iodide in an amount less than or equal to 0.5 wt. %. In
yet a further preferred embodiment, the vapor product stream acetic
acid in an amount from 60 to 70 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount
from 25 to 35 wt. %, methyl acetate in an amount from 0.5 to 6.5
wt. %, water in an amount from 1 to 8 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an
amount from 0.01 to 0.7 wt. %, and hydrogen iodide in an amount
less than or equal to 0.1 wt. %.
[0044] The acetaldehyde concentration in the vapor product stream
may be from 0.005 to 1 wt. %, e.g., from 0.01 to 0.8 wt. %, or from
0.01 to 0.7 wt. %, based on the total weight of the vapor product
stream. In embodiments, the acetaldehyde may be present in amounts
of less than or equal to 1 wt. %, e.g., less than or equal to 0.9
wt. %, less than or equal to 0.8 wt. %, less than or equal to 0.7
wt. %, less than or equal to 0.6 wt. %, or less than or equal to
0.5 wt. %, and/or the acetaldehyde may be present in amounts of
greater than or equal to 0.005 wt. %, e.g., greater than or equal
to 0.01 wt. %, greater than or equal to 0.05 wt. %, or greater than
or equal to 0.1 wt. %. In addition to acetaldehyde, there may also
be other permanganate reducing compounds ("PRC's"), such as
acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, butylaldehyde, crotonaldehyde,
2-ethyl crotonaldehyde, 2-ethyl butyraldehyde, and the aldol
condensation products thereof. In one embodiment, a suitable
potassium permanganate test is JIS K1351 (2007). These compounds,
if present in the vapor product stream, are generally in an amount
similar to or less than the acetaldehyde concentrations. In one
embodiment, is desirable to remove the PRC's, including
acetaldehyde, to maintain low concentrations of PRC's in the vapor
product stream. This may reduce the impurity/byproduct formation in
the reactor.
[0045] The vapor product stream may comprise hydrogen iodide in an
amount of less than or equal to 1 wt. %, based on the total weight
of the vapor product stream, e.g., less than or equal to 0.5 wt. %,
or less than or equal to 0.1 wt. %. In terms of ranges, hydrogen
iodide may be present in amounts from 0.0001 to 1 wt. %, e.g., from
0.0001 to 0.5 wt. %, from 0.0001 to 0.1 wt. %. In some embodiments,
when hydrogen iodide is controlled in the reactor, hydrogen iodide
may be present in an amount of less than 0.0001 wt. %. These lower
amounts are usually slightly above the detection limits.
[0046] The vapor product stream is preferably substantially free
of, i.e., contains less than 0.0001 wt. %, propionic acid, based on
the total weight of the vapor product stream.
[0047] In one embodiment, there is provided a process for producing
acetic acid, comprising separating a reaction medium in a flash
vessel to form a liquid recycle stream and a vapor product stream,
which comprises acetic acid in an amount from 45 to 75 wt. %,
methyl iodide in an amount from 24 to less than 36 wt. %, methyl
acetate in an amount of less than or equal to 9 wt. %, water in an
amount of less than or equal to 14 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount
from 0.005 to 1 wt. %, and hydrogen iodide in an amount less than
or equal to 1 wt. %. The process further comprises distilling at
least a portion of the vapor product stream in a first column to
obtain an acetic acid product stream comprising acetic acid and
hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 300 wppm and
an overhead stream comprising methyl iodide, water and methyl
acetate.
[0048] The present invention also advantageously facilitates
maintaining a water balance in the separation system and, in
particular, during the distillation steps by controlling the net
production of water. As a result, the invention beneficially
inhibits or prevents increases in water content that may
necessitate the purging of water from the system. Purging of water
can also adversely result in the loss of catalyst promoters such as
methyl iodide. In exemplary embodiments, the net production of
water in the distilling step increases by less than or equal to
0.5%, e.g., by less than or equal to 0.1% or by less than or equal
to 0.05%, over the water concentration in the vapor product stream
that is fed to the distilling step. In contrast, U.S. Pat. No.
9,006,483 describes promoting reactions that lead to the formation
of water and allows for adding more water to the distilling step.
Increases in the net production of water would be expected to be
higher due to the promotion of these reactions and additions,
leading to increased load on distillation equipment.
[0049] The vapor product stream is fed to a distillation column,
e.g., a first column, which may also be referred to as a light ends
column. In one optional embodiment, a portion of the vapor product
stream may be condensed. The first column separates the vapor
product stream to form an overhead stream, a product stream, and
optionally a bottoms stream. The acetic acid product stream may be
withdrawn as a sidedraw stream, and more preferably as a liquid
sidedraw stream. In one embodiment, the acetic acid product stream
primarily comprises acetic acid and may also comprise water, methyl
iodide, methyl acetate, or hydrogen iodide. The acetic acid product
stream withdrawn in the sidedraw preferably comprises acetic acid
in an amount of greater than or equal to 90 wt. % acetic acid,
based on the total weight of the sidedraw stream, e.g., greater
than or equal to 94 wt. % or greater than or equal to 96 wt. %. In
terms of ranges, the acetic acid product stream comprises acetic
acid in an amount from 90 to 99.5 wt. %, e.g., 90 to 99 wt. %, or
from 91 to 98 wt. %. Such concentrations allow a majority of the
acetic acid fed to the first column to be withdrawn in the sidedraw
stream for further purification. Although minor amounts of acetic
acid may be present, acetic acid is preferably not recovered as a
product in the overhead or bottoms of the first column.
[0050] The process preferably includes a step of maintaining a
water concentration in the sidedraw stream in an amount from 1 to 9
wt. %, e.g., from 1 to 3 wt. %, and more preferably from 1.1 to 2.5
wt. %. In embodiments, the concentration of water in the side
stream is maintained at greater than or equal to 1 wt. %, or
greater than or equal to 1.1 wt. %, or greater than or equal to 1.3
wt. %, or greater than or equal to 1.5 wt. %, or greater than or
equal to 2 wt. %, and/or in embodiments, the concentration of water
in the side stream is maintained at less than or equal to 3 wt. %,
or less than or equal to 2.8 wt. %, or less than or equal to 2.5
wt. %, or less than or equal to 2.1 wt. %. In embodiments, the
concentration of hydrogen iodide in the side stream is maintained
at less than or equal to 300 wppm, e.g., less than or equal to 275
wppm, less than or equal to 250 wppm, less than or equal to 225
wppm, less than or equal to 175 wppm, or less than or equal to 50
wppm, and/or in embodiments, the concentration of hydrogen iodide
in the side stream is maintained at greater than or equal to 0.05
wppm, e.g., greater than or equal to 0.1 wppm, greater than or
equal to 1 wppm, greater than or equal to 5 wppm, greater than or
equal to 10 wppm or greater than or equal to 50 wppm. In terms of
ranges, the sidedraw stream preferably comprises hydrogen iodide in
an amount from 0.05 to 300 wppm, based on the total weight of the
sidedraw stream, e.g., from 0.1 to 50 wppm, or from 5 to 30 wppm.
Hydrogen iodide is soluble in acetic acid-water mixtures containing
water in an amount from 3 to 8 wt. %, and the solubility of
hydrogen iodide decreases as the water concentration decreases.
This correlation results in increasing hydrogen iodide volatility,
which leads to reduced amounts of hydrogen iodide being collected
in the overhead of the column. Although hydrogen iodide has been
indicated by others to be corrosive, a certain amount of hydrogen
iodide under some conditions may beneficially act as a catalyst,
such as a catalyst for forming dimethyl ether as described in U.S.
Pat. No. 7,223,883 (describing the benefits of dimethyl ether
formation in certain acetic acid separation processes), the
entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
[0051] In addition to acetic acid and water, the sidedraw stream
may also comprise one or more C.sub.1-C.sub.14 alkyl iodides in an
amount from 0.1 to 6 wt. %, e.g., from 0.5 to 5 wt. %, from 0.6 to
4 wt. %, from 0.7 to 3.7 wt. %, or from 0.8 to 3.6 wt. %. In one
embodiment, the one or more C.sub.1-C.sub.14 alkyl iodides comprise
methyl iodide. Other alkyl iodides such as hexyl iodide may also be
formed from carbonyl impurities such as acetaldehyde. More
preferably, the sidedraw stream comprises one or more
C.sub.1-C.sub.14 alkyl iodides in an amount from 0.5 to 3 wt. %.
Due to the presence of water, the sidedraw stream may also contain
methyl acetate in an amount from 0.1 to 6 wt. %, e.g., from 0.5 to
5 wt. %, from 0.6 to 4 wt. %, from 0.7 to 3.7 wt. %, or from 0.8 to
3.6 wt. %.
[0052] In one embodiment, a process is provided for producing
acetic acid comprising separating a reaction medium in a flash
vessel to form a liquid recycle stream and a vapor product stream
comprising acetic acid in an amount from 45 to 75 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount from 24 to less than 36 wt. %, methyl acetate
in an amount of less than or equal to 9 wt. %, water in an amount
of less than or equal to 14 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount from
0.005 to 1 wt. %, and hydrogen iodide in an amount less than or
equal to 1 wt. %. The process further comprises distilling at least
a portion of the vapor product stream in a first column to obtain
an acetic acid product stream comprising acetic acid and methyl
iodide in an amount from 0.1 to 6 wt. % and an overhead stream
comprising methyl iodide, water and methyl acetate. The process
preferably also includes a step of maintaining a water
concentration in the sidedraw stream in an amount from 1 to 9 wt.
%, e.g., from 1 to 3 wt. %. In one embodiment, the concentration of
hydrogen iodide in the side stream is maintained at less than or
equal to 300 wppm.
[0053] In one embodiment, a process is provided for producing
acetic acid comprising separating a reaction medium in a flash
vessel to form a liquid recycle stream and a vapor product stream
comprising acetic acid in an amount from 45 to 75 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount from 24 to less than 36 wt. %, methyl acetate
in an amount of less than or equal to 9 wt. %, water in an amount
of less than or equal to 14 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount from
0.005 to 1 wt. %, and hydrogen iodide in an amount less than or
equal to 1 wt. %. The process further comprises distilling at least
a portion of the vapor product stream in a first column to obtain
an acetic acid product stream comprising acetic acid, and methyl
acetate in an amount from 0.1 to 6 wt. %, and obtain an overhead
stream comprising methyl iodide, water and methyl acetate. The
process preferably also includes a step of maintaining a water
concentration in the sidedraw stream in an amount from 1 to 9 wt.
%, e.g., from 1 to 3 wt. %. In one embodiment, the concentration of
hydrogen iodide in the side stream is maintained at less than or
equal to 300 wppm.
[0054] In one embodiment, a process is provided for producing
acetic acid comprising separating a reaction medium in a flash
vessel to form a liquid recycle stream and a vapor product stream
comprising acetic acid in an amount from 45 to 75 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount from 24 to less than 36 wt. %, methyl acetate
in an amount of less than or equal to 9 wt. %, water in an amount
of less than or equal to 14 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount from
0.005 to 1 wt. %, and hydrogen iodide in an amount less than or
equal to 1 wt. %. The process further comprises distilling at least
a portion of the vapor product stream in a first column to obtain
an acetic acid product stream comprising acetic acid, methyl iodide
in an amount from 0.1 to 6 wt. %, and methyl acetate in an amount
from 0.1 to 6 wt. %, and obtain an overhead stream comprising
methyl iodide, water and methyl acetate. The process preferably
also includes a step of maintaining a water concentration in the
sidedraw stream in an amount from 1 to 9 wt. %, e.g., from 1 to 3
wt. %. In one embodiment, the concentration of hydrogen iodide in
the side stream is maintained at less than or equal to 300
wppm.
[0055] As provided herein, in embodiments, there may be a stable
amount of other reactor components and impurities, such as
C.sub.1-C.sub.14 alkyl iodides, namely methyl iodide, and methyl
acetate in the sidedraw stream based on the water concentration. By
stable amount it is meant that the concentration of the one or more
C.sub.1-C.sub.14 alkyl iodides and the concentration of methyl
acetate is within the range of .+-.0.9 wt. % of the water
concentration in the side stream, e.g., .+-.0.7 wt. %, .+-.0.6 wt.
%, .+-.0.5 wt. %, .+-.0.4 wt. %, .+-.0.3 wt. %, .+-.0.2 wt. %, or
.+-.0.1 wt. %. For example, when the water concentration is 2.5 wt.
%, the concentration of C.sub.1-C.sub.14 alkyl iodides is from 1.6
to 3.4 wt. %, and the concentration of methyl acetate is from 1.6
to 3.4 wt. %. This may be achieved by controlling a recycle rate of
a portion of the light liquid phase to the reactor. In some
embodiments, controlling the recycle rate of a portion of the light
liquid phase to the reactor may achieve a stable concentration of
methyl iodide in the side stream of within the range of .+-.0.6 wt.
% of the water concentration in the side stream, e.g., .+-.0.5 wt.
%, .+-.0.4 wt. %, .+-.0.3 wt. %, .+-.0.2 wt. %, or .+-.0.1 wt.
%.
[0056] In one embodiment, a process is provided for producing
acetic acid comprising carbonylating a reactant feed stream in the
presence of water, rhodium catalyst, iodide salt and methyl iodide
to form a reaction medium in a reactor. The reactant feed stream
comprises methanol, methyl acetate, dimethyl ether, or mixtures
thereof. The process further comprises introducing a lithium
compound into the reactor, maintaining a concentration of lithium
acetate in the reaction medium in an amount from 0.3 to 0.7 wt. %,
separating the reaction medium in a flash vessel to form a liquid
recycle stream and a vapor product stream comprising acetic acid in
an amount from 45 to 75 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount from 24
to less than 36 wt. %, methyl acetate in an amount of less than or
equal to 9 wt. %, water in an amount of less than or equal to 14
wt. The process further comprises distilling at least a portion of
the vapor product stream in a first column to obtain an acetic acid
product stream comprising acetic acid and hydrogen iodide in an
amount of less than or equal to 300 wppm and obtain an overhead
stream comprising methyl iodide, water and methyl acetate. The
acetic acid product stream comprises each of the methyl iodide and
the methyl acetate in an amount .+-.0.9 wt. % of the water
concentration in the side stream. In one embodiment, the vapor
stream may also comprise acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.005 to 1
wt. %.
[0057] Maintaining the desired methyl iodide concentration in the
vapor product stream is an improvement over other processes that
focus on water and methyl acetate concentrations in the vapor
product that feeds the first column, such as those described in
U.S. Pat. No. 9,006,483. Unlike water and methyl acetate, methyl
iodide has significant value and the loss of which can represent a
substantial loss in cost. One of the advantages of the process
disclosed herein is that it separates methyl iodide from the rest
and returns it to the reactor, which allows for the recovery of
this valuable catalyst promoter.
[0058] Hydrogen iodide concentration of the sidedraw stream is
determined by potentiometric titration using lithium acetate as the
titrant. Others have determined hydrogen iodide content indirectly
by calculation. US Pub. No. 2013/0310603, for example, indicates
that iodide ion concentration may be calculated by subtracting the
iodide ion concentration derived from the iodide salt form
(including iodides derived from co-catalysts and metal iodide) from
the total concentration of iodide ion (I.sup.-). Such indirect
calculation techniques are typically inaccurate, resulting in a
poor indication of actual hydrogen iodide concentration owing
largely to the inaccuracies of the underlying ion measurement
methods. In addition, this indirect calculation technique fails to
account for other iodide forms because metal cations are measured
and incorrectly assumed to be completely associated only with
iodide anions while, in fact, the metal cations may be associated
with other anions, such as acetate and catalyst anions. In
contrast, the direct measurement of hydrogen iodide concentration
according to the present invention advantageously reflects the
actual hydrogen iodide concentration in the system, and can result
in accuracy as low as 0.01%. In one embodiment, the hydrogen iodide
concentration in the side stream may be determined by
potentiometric titration using lithium acetate as the titrant.
Reaction Step
[0059] An exemplary reaction and acetic acid recovery system 100 is
shown in FIG. 1. As shown, methanol-containing feed stream 101 and
carbon monoxide-containing feed stream 102 are directed to liquid
phase carbonylation reactor 105, in which the carbonylation
reaction occurs to form acetic acid.
[0060] Methanol-containing feed stream 101 may comprise at least
one member selected from the group consisting of methanol, dimethyl
ether, and methyl acetate. Methanol-containing feed stream 101 may
be derived in part from a fresh feed or may be recycled from the
system. At least some of the methanol and/or reactive derivative
thereof may be converted to methyl acetate in the liquid reaction
medium by esterification with acetic acid.
[0061] Typical reaction temperatures for carbonylation may be from
150 to 250.degree. C., with the range of 180 to 225.degree. C.
being preferred. The carbon monoxide partial pressure in the
reactor may vary widely but is typically from 2 to 30 atm, e.g.,
from 3 to 10 atm. The hydrogen partial pressure in the reactor is
typically from 0.05 to 2 atm, e.g., from 0.25 to 1.9 atm. In some
embodiments, the present invention may be operated with a hydrogen
partial pressure from 0.3 to 2 atm, e.g., from 0.3 to 1.5 atm, or
from 0.4 to 1.5 atm. Because of the partial pressure of by-products
and the vapor pressure of the contained liquids, the total reactor
pressure may range from 15 to 40 atm. The production rate of acetic
acid may be from 5 to 50 mol/Lh, e.g., from 10 to 40 mol/Lh, and
preferably from 15 to 35 mol/Lh.
[0062] Carbonylation reactor 105 is preferably either a
mechanically-stirred vessel, a vessel with an educted or
pump-around mixing, or bubble-column type vessel, with or without
an agitator, within which the reacting liquid or slurry contents
are maintained, preferably automatically, a predetermined level,
which preferably remains substantially constant during normal
operation. Into carbonylation reactor 105, fresh methanol, carbon
monoxide, and sufficient water are continuously introduced as
needed to maintain suitable concentrations in the reaction
medium.
[0063] The metal catalyst may comprise a Group VIII metal. Suitable
Group VIII catalysts include rhodium and/or iridium catalysts. When
a rhodium catalyst is used, the rhodium catalyst may be added in
any suitable form such that rhodium is in the catalyst solution as
an equilibrium mixture including [Rh(CO).sub.2I.sub.2]-anion, as is
well known in the art. Iodide salts optionally maintained in the
reaction mixtures of the processes described herein may be in the
form of a soluble salt of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal,
quaternary ammonium, phosphonium salt or mixtures thereof. In
certain embodiments, the catalyst co-promoter is lithium iodide,
lithium acetate, or mixtures thereof. The catalyst co-promoter may
be added as a non-iodide salt that will generate an iodide salt.
The catalyst co-promoter may be introduced directly into the
reaction system. Alternatively, the iodide salt may be generated
in-situ since under the operating conditions of the reaction
system, a wide range of non-iodide salt precursors will react with
methyl iodide or hydroiodic acid in the reaction medium to generate
the corresponding catalyst co-promoter. For additional detail
regarding rhodium catalysis and iodide salt generation, see U.S.
Pat. Nos. 5,001,259; 5,026,908; 5,144,068 and 7,005,541, which are
incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The
carbonylation of methanol utilizing iridium catalyst is well known
and is generally described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,942,460, 5,932,764,
5,883,295, 5,877,348, 5,877,347 and 5,696,284, which are
incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
[0064] The halogen-containing catalyst promoter of the catalyst
system may include an organic halide, such as an alkyl, aryl, and
substituted alkyl or aryl halides. Preferably, the
halogen-containing catalyst promoter is present in the form of an
alkyl halide. Even more preferably, the halogen-containing catalyst
promoter is present in the form of an alkyl halide in which the
alkyl radical corresponds to the alkyl radical of the feed alcohol,
which is being carbonylated. Thus, in the carbonylation of methanol
to acetic acid, the halide promoter will include methyl halide, and
more preferably methyl iodide. In one embodiment, the methyl iodide
concentration is maintained in the vapor product stream at a
concentration from 24 wt. % to less than 36 wt. %. In one
embodiment, the reaction medium may have methyl iodide
concentration of 7 wt. % or less, e.g., from 4 to 7 wt. %.
[0065] The components of the reaction medium are maintained within
defined limits to ensure sufficient production of acetic acid. The
reaction medium contains a concentration of the metal catalyst,
e.g., rhodium catalyst, in an amount from 200 to 3000 wppm, e.g.,
from 800 to 3000 wppm, or from 900 to 1500 wppm. The concentration
of water in the reaction medium is maintained to be less than or
equal to 14 wt. %, e.g., from 0.1 wt. % to 14 wt. %, from 0.2 wt. %
to 10 wt. % or from 0.25 wt. % to 5 wt. %. Preferably, the reaction
is conducted under low water conditions and the reaction medium
contains water in an amount from 0.1 to 4.1 wt. %, e.g., from 0.1
to 3.1 wt. % or from 0.5 to 2.8 wt. %. The concentration of methyl
iodide in the reaction medium is maintained to be from 3 to 20 wt.
%, e.g., from 4 to 13.9 wt. %, or from 4 to 7 wt. %. The
concentration of iodide salt, e.g., lithium iodide, in the reaction
medium is maintained to be from 1 to 25 wt. %, e.g., from 2 to 20
wt. %, from 3 to 20 wt. %. The concentration of methyl acetate in
the reaction medium is maintained to be from 0.5 to 30 wt. %, e.g.,
from 0.3 to 20 wt. %, from 0.6 to 9 wt. %, or from 0.6 to 4.1 wt.
%. These amounts are based on the total weight of the reaction
medium. The concentration of acetic acid in the reaction medium is
generally greater than or equal to 30 wt. %, e.g., greater than or
equal to 40 wt. % or greater than or equal to 50 wt. %.
Lithium Acetate in Reaction Medium
[0066] In embodiments, the process for producing acetic acid
further includes introducing a lithium compound into the reactor to
maintain the concentration of lithium acetate in an amount from 0.3
to 0.7 wt. % in the reaction medium. Without being bound by theory
lithium acetate in the reaction medium in these concentrations may
reduce the methyl iodide in the reaction medium and thus allow for
controlling the methyl iodide in the vapor stream to be less than
36 wt. % as described herein. Also the introduction of the lithium
compound into the reactor helps to stabilize the rhodium catalyst
and thus reduces the amount of methyl iodide in the reaction medium
required for achieving the suitable activity. Without introducing
the lithium compound, additional rhodium would be needed when the
methyl iodide concentration in the reaction medium decreases.
[0067] In embodiments, an amount of the lithium compound is
introduced into the reactor to maintain the concentration of
hydrogen iodide in an amount from 0.1 to 1.3 wt. % in the reaction
medium. In embodiments, the concentration of the rhodium catalyst
is maintained in an amount from 200 to 3000 wppm in the reaction
medium, the concentration of water is maintained in amount from 0.1
to 4.1 wt. % in the reaction medium, and the concentration of
methyl acetate is maintained from 0.6 to 4.1 wt. % in the reaction
medium, based on the total weight of the reaction medium present in
the carbonylation reactor.
[0068] In embodiments, the lithium compound introduced into the
reactor is selected from the group consisting of lithium acetate,
lithium carboxylates, lithium carbonates, lithium hydroxide, other
organic lithium salts, and mixtures thereof. In embodiments, the
lithium compound is soluble in the reaction medium. In an
embodiment, lithium acetate dihydrate may be used as the source of
the lithium compound.
[0069] Lithium acetate reacts with hydrogen iodide according to the
following equilibrium reaction (I) to form lithium iodide and
acetic acid:
LiOAc+HI.revreaction.LiI+HOAc (I)
[0070] Lithium acetate is thought to provide improved control of
hydrogen iodide concentration relative to other acetates, such as
methyl acetate, present in the reaction medium. Without being bound
by theory, lithium acetate is a conjugate base of acetic acid and
thus reactive toward hydrogen iodide via an acid-base reaction.
This property is thought to result in an equilibrium of the
reaction (I) which favors reaction products over and above that
produced by the corresponding equilibrium of methyl acetate and
hydrogen iodide. This improved equilibrium is favored by water
concentrations of less than or equal to 4.1 wt. % in the reaction
medium. In addition, the relatively low volatility of lithium
acetate compared to methyl acetate allows the lithium acetate to
remain in the reaction medium except for volatility losses and
small amounts of entrainment into the vapor crude product. In
contrast, the relatively high volatility of methyl acetate allows
the material to distill into the purification train, rendering
methyl acetate more difficult to control. Lithium acetate is much
easier to maintain and control in the process at consistent low
concentrations of hydrogen iodide. Accordingly, a relatively small
amount of lithium acetate may be employed relative to the amount of
methyl acetate needed to control hydrogen iodide concentrations in
the reaction medium. It has further been discovered that lithium
acetate is at least three times more effective than methyl acetate
in promoting methyl iodide oxidative addition to the rhodium [I]
complex.
[0071] In embodiments, the concentration of lithium acetate in the
reaction medium is maintained at greater than or equal to 0.3 wt.
%, or greater than or equal to 0.35 wt. %, or greater than or equal
to 0.4 wt. %, or greater than or equal to 0.45 wt. %, or greater
than or equal to 0.5 wt. %, and/or in embodiments, the
concentration of lithium acetate in the reaction medium is
maintained at less than or equal to 0.7 wt. %, or less than or
equal to 0.65 wt. %, or less than or equal to 0.6 wt. %, or less
than or equal to 0.55 wt. %.
[0072] In one embodiment, there is provided a process for producing
acetic acid, comprising carbonylating a reactant feed stream
comprising methanol, methyl acetate, dimethyl ether, or mixtures
thereof in a reactor in the presence of water, rhodium catalyst,
iodide salt and methyl iodide to form a reaction medium in a
reactor, introducing a lithium compound into the reactor,
maintaining a concentration of lithium acetate in the reaction
medium in an amount from 0.3 to 0.7 wt. %, separating the reaction
medium in a flash vessel to form a liquid recycle stream and a
vapor product stream comprising acetic acid in an amount from 45 to
75 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount from 24 to less than 36 wt. %,
methyl acetate in an amount of less than or equal to 9 wt. %, water
in an amount of less than or equal to 14 wt. %. The process further
comprises distilling at least a portion of the vapor product stream
in a first column to obtain an acetic acid product stream
comprising acetic acid and hydrogen iodide in an amount of less
than or equal to 300 wppm and obtain an overhead stream comprising
methyl iodide, water and methyl acetate.
[0073] It has been discovered that an excess of lithium acetate in
the reaction medium can adversely affect the other compounds in the
reaction medium, leading to decrease productivity. Conversely, it
has been discovered that a lithium acetate concentration in the
reaction medium below 0.3 wt. % is unable to maintain the desired
hydrogen iodide concentrations in the reaction medium of below 1.3
wt. %.
[0074] In embodiments, the lithium compound may be introduced
continuously or intermittently into the reaction medium. In
embodiments, the lithium compound is introduced during reactor
start up. In embodiments, the lithium compound is introduced
intermittently to replace entrainment losses.
[0075] In some embodiments, the desired reaction rates are obtained
even at low water concentrations by maintaining an ester
concentration in the reaction medium of the desired carboxylic acid
and an alcohol, desirably the alcohol used in the carbonylation,
and an additional iodide ion that is over and above the iodide ion
that is present as hydrogen iodide. A desired ester is methyl
acetate. The additional iodide ion is desirably an iodide salt,
with lithium iodide being preferred. It has been found that under
low water concentrations, methyl acetate and lithium iodide act as
rate promoters only when relatively high concentrations of each of
these components are present and that the promotion is higher when
both of these components are present simultaneously.
Carbonylation Reaction
[0076] The carbonylation reaction of methanol to acetic acid
product may be carried out by contacting the methanol feed with
gaseous carbon monoxide, bubbled through an acetic acid solvent
reaction medium containing the rhodium catalyst, methyl iodide
promoter, methyl acetate, and additional soluble iodide salt, at
conditions of temperature and pressure suitable to form the
carbonylation product. It will be generally recognized that it is
the concentration of iodide ion in the catalyst system that is
important and not the cation associated with the iodide, and that
at a given molar concentration of iodide, the nature of the cation
is not as significant as the effect of the iodide concentration.
Any metal iodide salt, or any iodide salt of any organic cation, or
other cations such as those based on amine or phosphine compounds
(optionally, ternary or quaternary cations), can be maintained in
the reaction medium provided that the salt is sufficiently soluble
in the reaction medium to provide the desired level of the iodide.
When the iodide is a metal salt, it is preferred that it is an
iodide salt of a member of the group consisting of the metals of
Group IA and Group IIA of the periodic table, as set forth in the
"Handbook of Chemistry and Physics" published by CRC Press,
Cleveland, Ohio, 2002 March (83rd edition). In particular, alkali
metal iodides are useful, with lithium iodide being particularly
suitable. In the low water carbonylation process, the additional
iodide ion over and above the iodide ion present as hydrogen iodide
is generally present in the catalyst solution in amounts such that
the total iodide ion concentration is from 1 to 25 wt. % and the
methyl acetate is generally present in amounts from 0.5 to 30 wt.
%, and the methyl iodide is generally present in amounts from 1 to
25 wt. %. The rhodium catalyst is generally present in amounts from
200 to 3000 wppm.
[0077] The reaction medium may also contain impurities that should
be controlled to avoid byproduct formation. These impurities tend
to concentrate in the vapor stream. One impurity in the reaction
medium may be ethyl iodide, which is difficult to separate from
acetic acid. Applicant has further discovered that the formation of
ethyl iodide may be affected by numerous variables, including the
concentration of acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, methyl acetate and
methyl iodide in the reaction medium. Additionally, ethanol content
in the methanol source, hydrogen partial pressure and hydrogen
content in the carbon monoxide source have been discovered to
affect ethyl iodide concentration in the reaction medium and,
consequently, propionic acid concentration in the final acetic acid
product.
[0078] In embodiments, the propionic acid concentration in the
acetic acid product may further be maintained below 250 wppm by
maintaining the ethyl iodide concentration in the reaction medium
at less than or equal to 750 wppm without removing propionic acid
from the acetic acid product.
[0079] In embodiments, the ethyl iodide concentration in the
reaction medium and propionic acid in the acetic acid product may
be present in a weight ratio from 3:1 to 1:2. In embodiments, the
acetaldehyde:ethyl iodide concentration in the reaction medium is
maintained at a weight ratio from 2:1 to 20:1.
[0080] In embodiments, the ethyl iodide concentration in the
reaction medium may be maintained by controlling at least one of
the hydrogen partial pressure, the methyl acetate concentration,
the methyl iodide concentration, and/or the acetaldehyde
concentration in the reaction medium.
[0081] In embodiments, the concentration of ethyl iodide in the
reaction medium is maintained/controlled to be less than or equal
to 750 wppm, or e.g., less than or equal to 650 wppm, or less than
or equal to 550 wppm, or less than or equal to 450 wppm, or less
than or equal to 350 wppm. In embodiments, the concentration of
ethyl iodide in the reaction medium is maintained/controlled at
greater than or equal to 1 wppm, or e.g., 5 wppm, or 10 wppm, or 20
wppm, or 25 wppm, and less than or equal to 650 wppm, or e.g., 550
wppm, or 450 wppm, or 350 wppm.
[0082] In embodiments, the weight ratio of ethyl iodide in the
reaction medium to propionic acid in the acetic acid product may
range from 3:1 to 1:2, or e.g., from 5:2 to 1:2, or from 2:1 to
1:2, or from 3:2 to 1:2.
[0083] In embodiments, the weight ratio of acetaldehyde to ethyl
iodide in the reaction medium may range from 20:1 to 2:1, or e.g.,
from 15:1 to 2:1 or from 9:1 to 2:1.
[0084] In a typical carbonylation process, carbon monoxide is
continuously introduced into the carbonylation reactor, desirably
below the agitator, which may be used to stir the contents. The
gaseous feed preferably is thoroughly dispersed through the
reacting liquid by this stirring means. The temperature of the
reactor may be controlled and the carbon monoxide feed is
introduced at a rate sufficient to maintain the desired total
reactor pressure. Stream 113 comprising the liquid reaction medium
exits reactor 105.
[0085] Gaseous purge stream 106 desirably is vented from the
reactor 105 to prevent buildup of gaseous by-products and to
maintain a set carbon monoxide partial pressure at a given total
reactor pressure. In one embodiment, the gaseous stream 106
contains low amounts of hydrogen iodide of less than or equal to 1
wt. %, e.g., less than or equal to 0.9 wt. %, less than or equal to
0.8 wt. %, less than or equal to 0.7 wt. %, less than or equal to
0.5 wt. %. Hydrogen iodide in excess of these amounts may increase
the duty on the scrubber to prevent hydrogen iodide from being
purged. In one embodiment, using maintaining a concentration of
lithium acetate in the reaction medium in an amount from 0.3 to 0.7
wt. % may also advantageously control the hydrogen iodide
concentration in the reaction medium in an amount from 0.1 to 1.3
wt. %. Lowering the hydrogen iodide in the reaction medium may also
advantageously lower the hydrogen iodide in the gaseous stream. The
embodiments using lithium acetate in the reaction medium
advantageously reduces hydrogen iodide and results in less hydrogen
iodide being withdrawn to the flash vessel as well as less hydrogen
in the gaseous stream.
[0086] This further embodiment may also comprise scrubbing the
gaseous stream to remove hydrogen iodide from a purge stream.
Typically the treatment system is a scrubber, stripper or absorber,
such as a pressure-swing absorber.
[0087] In one embodiment a process is provided for producing acetic
acid, comprising carbonylating a reactant feed stream comprising
methanol, methyl acetate, dimethyl ether, or mixtures thereof in a
reactor. The reactant feed stream form a reaction medium with
water, rhodium catalyst, iodide salt and methyl iodide in the
reactor. The process further comprises introducing a lithium
compound into the reactor, maintaining a concentration of lithium
acetate in the reaction medium in an amount from 0.3 to 0.7 wt. %,
venting a gaseous stream from the reactor that comprises hydrogen
iodide in an amount of less than 1 wt. %. The process further
comprises separating the reaction medium in a flash vessel to form
a liquid recycle stream and a vapor product stream, which comprises
acetic acid in an amount from 45 to 75 wt. %, methyl iodide in an
amount from 24 to less than 36 wt. %, methyl acetate in an amount
of less than or equal to 9 wt. %, water in an amount of less than
or equal to 14 wt. %. The process further comprises distilling at
least a portion of the vapor product stream in a first column to
obtain an acetic acid product stream comprising acetic acid and
hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 300 wppm and
obtain an overhead stream comprising methyl iodide, water and
methyl acetate.
[0088] The acetic acid production system preferably includes
separation system 108, employed to recover the acetic acid and
recycle metal catalyst, methyl iodide, methyl acetate, and other
system components within the process. One or more of the recycle
streams may be combined prior to being introduced into the reaction
system, which comprises the reactor and flash vessel. The
separation system also preferably controls water and acetic acid
content in the carbonylation reactor, as well as throughout the
system, and facilitates permanganate reducing compound ("PRC")
removal. PRC's may include acetaldehyde, acetone, methyl ethyl
ketone, butylaldehyde, crotonaldehyde, 2-ethyl crotonaldehyde,
2-ethyl butyraldehyde, and the aldol condensation products
thereof.
[0089] The reaction medium is drawn off from the carbonylation
reactor 105 at a rate sufficient to maintain a constant level
therein and is provided to flash vessel 110 via stream 113. Reactor
105 and flash vessel 110, along with the associated pumps, vents,
pipes, and values, comprise the reaction system. The flash
separation may be carried out at a temperature from 80.degree. C.
to 280.degree. C., under an absolute pressure from 0.25 to 10 atm,
and more preferably from 100.degree. C. to 260.degree. C. and from
0.3 to 10 atm. In one embodiment, the flash vessel may operate
under a reduced pressure relative to the reactor. In flash vessel
110, the reaction medium is separated in a flash separation step to
obtain a vapor product stream 112 comprising acetic acid and methyl
iodide, as described herein, and liquid recycle stream 111
comprising a catalyst-containing solution. The catalyst-containing
solution may be predominantly acetic acid containing the rhodium
and the iodide salt along with lesser quantities of methyl acetate,
methyl iodide, and water and is recycled to the reactor, as
discussed above. Prior to returning liquid recycle to the reactor,
a slip stream may pass through a corrosion metal removal bed, such
as an ion exchange bed, to remove any entrained corrosion metals,
such as nickel, iron, chromium, and molybdenum, as described in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,731,252, which is incorporated herein by reference
in their entirety. Also, the corrosion metal removal bed may be
used to remove nitrogen compounds, such as amines, as described in
U.S. Pat. No. 8,697,908, which is incorporated herein by reference
in their entirety.
[0090] The vapor product stream 112 is described above as
comprising acetic acid in an amount from 45 to 75 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount from 24 to less than 36 wt. %, methyl acetate
in an amount of less than or equal to 9 wt. %, and water in an
amount of less than or equal to 14 wt. %, based on the total weight
of the vapor product stream. The acetaldehyde concentration in the
vapor product stream may be in an amount from 0.005 to 1 wt. %,
based on the total weight of the vapor product stream, e.g., from
0.01 to 0.8 wt. %, or from 0.01 to 0.7 wt. %. Vapor product stream
112 may comprise hydrogen iodide in an amount less than or equal to
1 wt. %, based on the total weight of the vapor product stream,
e.g., less than or equal to 0.5 wt. %, or less than or equal to 0.1
wt. %.
[0091] Liquid recycle stream 111 comprises acetic acid, the metal
catalyst, corrosion metals, as well as other various compounds. In
one embodiment, liquid recycle stream comprises acetic acid in an
amount from 60 to 90 wt. %, metal catalyst in an amount from 0.01
to 0.5 wt. %; corrosion metals (e.g., nickel, iron and chromium) in
a total amount from 10 to 2500 wppm; lithium iodide in an amount
from 5 to 20 wt. %; methyl iodide in an amount from 0.5 to 5 wt. %;
methyl acetate in an amount from 0.1 to 5 wt. %; water in an amount
from 0.1 to 8 wt. %; acetaldehyde in an amount of less than or
equal to 1 wt. % (e.g., from 0.0001 to 1 wt. % acetaldehyde); and
hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 0.5 wt. %
(e.g., from 0.0001 to 0.5 wt. % hydrogen iodide).
[0092] In one embodiment a process is provided for producing acetic
acid carbonylating a reactant feed stream comprising methanol,
methyl acetate, dimethyl ether, or mixtures thereof in a reactor.
The reactant feed stream forms a reaction medium in the presence of
water, a rhodium catalyst, an iodide salt and a methyl iodide. The
process further comprises separating the reaction medium in a flash
vessel to form a liquid recycle stream. The liquid recycle stream
comprises rhodium catalyst in an amount from 0.01 to 0.5 wt. %,
lithium iodide in an amount from 5 to 20 wt. %, corrosion metals in
an amount from 10 to 2500 wppm, acetic acid in an amount from 60 to
90 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount from 0.5 to 5 wt. %, methyl
acetate in an amount from 0.1 to 5 wt. %, water in an amount from
0.1 to 8 wt. %. The liquid recycle stream also comprises a vapor
product stream comprising acetic acid in an amount from 45 to 75
wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount from 24 to less than 36 wt. %,
methyl acetate in an amount of less than or equal to 9 wt. % methyl
acetate, water in an amount of less than or equal to 15 wt. %, and
hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 1 wt. %, and
distilling at least a portion of the vapor product stream in a
first column to obtain an acetic acid product stream comprising
acetic acid and hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or equal
to 300 wppm and obtain an overhead stream comprising methyl iodide,
water and methyl acetate.
[0093] The respective flow rates of vapor product stream 112 and
liquid recycle stream 111 may vary, and in one exemplary embodiment
from 15% to 55% of the flow into flash vessel 110 is removed as
vapor product stream 112, and from 45% to 85% of the flow is
removed as liquid recycle stream 111. The catalyst-containing
solution may be predominantly acetic acid containing the metal
catalyst, e.g., rhodium and/or iridium, and the iodide salt along
with lesser quantities of methyl acetate, methyl iodide, and water
and is recycled to reactor 105, as discussed above. Prior to
returning the liquid recycle stream to the reactor, a slip stream
may pass through a corrosion metal removal bed, such as an ion
exchange bed, to remove any entrained corrosion metals as described
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,731,252, which is incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety. Also, the corrosion metal removal bed
may be used to remove nitrogen compounds, such as amines, as
described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,697,908, which is incorporated herein
by reference in its entirety.
[0094] In addition to acetic acid, methyl iodide and acetaldehyde,
vapor product stream 112 also may comprise methyl acetate, water,
hydrogen iodide, and other PRC's, e.g., crotonaldehyde. Dissolved
gases exiting reactor 105 and entering flash vessel 110 comprise a
portion of the carbon monoxide and may also contain gaseous
by-products such as methane, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. Such
dissolved gases exit flash vessel 110 as part of the vapor product
stream 112. In one embodiment, carbon monoxide in gaseous purge
stream 106 may be fed to the base of flash vessel 110 to enhance
rhodium stability.
Recovery of Acetic Acid
[0095] The distillation and recovery of acetic acid is not
particularly limited for the purposes of the present invention. In
one embodiment a process is provided for producing acetic acid,
comprising separating a reaction medium in a flash vessel to form a
liquid recycle stream and a vapor product stream comprising acetic
acid in an amount from 45 to 75 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount
from 24 to less than 36 wt. %, methyl acetate in an amount of less
than or equal to 9 wt. %, water in an amount of less than or equal
to 14 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.005 to 1 wt. %, and
hydrogen iodide in an amount less than or equal to 1 wt. %;
distilling at least a portion of the vapor product stream in a
first column to obtain an acetic acid product stream comprising
acetic acid and hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or equal
to 300 wppm and an overhead stream comprising methyl iodide, water
and methyl acetate; condensing the low boiling overhead vapor
stream and biphasically separating the condensed stream to form a
heavy liquid phase and a light liquid phase, and distilling the
acetic acid product stream in a second column to obtain an acetic
acid product.
First Column
[0096] As shown in FIG. 1, vapor product stream 112 comprising from
24 to less than 36 wt. % methyl iodide is directed to a first
column 120, also referred to as a light ends column. In one
embodiment, vapor product stream 112 comprises acetic acid, methyl
acetate, water, methyl iodide, and acetaldehyde, along with other
impurities such as hydrogen iodide and/or crotonaldehyde, and/or
byproducts such as propionic acid. Distillation yields a low
boiling overhead vapor stream 122, a purified acetic acid product
that preferably is removed via a sidedraw stream 123, and a high
boiling residue stream 121. A majority of the acetic acid is
removed in sidedraw stream 123 and preferably little or no acetic
acid is recovered from high boiling residue stream 121. Although
the concentration of acetic acid may be relatively high in boiling
residue stream 121, the mass flow of the boiling residue stream 121
relative to side stream 123 is very small. In embodiments, the mass
flow of the boiling residue stream 121 is less than or equal to
0.75% of side stream 123, e.g., less than or equal to 0.55%, or
less than or equal to 0.45%.
[0097] In one embodiment, low boiling overhead vapor stream 122
comprises water in amount greater than or equal to 5 wt. %, e.g.,
greater than or equal to 10 wt. %, or greater than or equal to 25
wt. %. In terms of ranges, the low boiling overhead vapor stream
112 may comprise water in an amount from 5 wt. % to 80 wt. %, e.g.,
from 10 wt. % to 70 wt. % or from 25 wt. % to 60 wt. %. Reducing
the water concentration to less than 5 wt. % is generally not
advantageous because it would result in a large acetic acid recycle
stream back to the reaction system and increase the recycle stream
throughout the entire purification system. In addition to water,
low-boiling overhead vapor stream 122 may also comprise methyl
acetate, methyl iodide, and carbonyl impurities, such as PRC's,
which are preferably concentrated in the overhead vapor stream to
be removed from acetic acid in sidedraw stream 123.
[0098] As shown, low-boiling overhead vapor stream 122 preferably
is condensed and directed to an overhead phase separation unit, as
shown by overhead decanter 124. Conditions are desirably maintained
such that the condensed low-boiling overhead vapor stream 122, once
in decanter 124, may separate and form a light liquid phase 133 and
a heavy liquid phase 134. The phase separation should maintain two
separate phases, without forming a third phase or emulsion between
the phases. An offgas component may be vented via line 132 from
decanter 124. In embodiments, the average residence time of the
condensed low-boiling overhead vapor stream 122 in overhead
decanter 124 is greater than or equal to 1 minute, e.g., greater
than or equal to 3 minutes, greater than or equal to 5 minutes,
greater than or equal to 10 minutes, and/or the average residence
time is less than or equal to 60 minutes, e.g., less than or equal
to 45 minutes, or less than or equal to 30 minutes, or less than or
equal to 25 minutes.
[0099] Although the specific compositions of light liquid phase 133
may vary widely, some exemplary compositions are provided below in
Table 1.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Exemplary Light Liquid Phase from Light Ends
Overhead conc. (Wt. %) conc. (Wt. %) conc. (Wt. %) Water 40-80
50-75 70-75 Methyl Acetate 1-50 1-25 1-15 Acetic Acid 1-40 1-25
5-15 PRC's (AcH) <5 <3 <1 Methyl Iodide <10 <5 <3
Hydrogen Iodide <1 <0.5 0.001-0.5
[0100] In one embodiment, overhead decanter 124 is arranged and
constructed to maintain a low interface level to prevent an excess
hold up of methyl iodide. Although the specific compositions of
heavy liquid phase 134 may vary widely, some exemplary compositions
are provided below in Table 2.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Exemplary Heavy Liquid Phase from Light Ends
Overhead conc. (Wt. %) conc. (Wt. %) conc. (Wt. %) Water <3
0.05-1 0.01-1 Methyl Acetate 0.1-25 0.5-20 0.7-15 Acetic Acid
0.1-10 0.5-10 0.7-10 PRC's (AcH) <5 <3 0.05-0.5 Methyl Iodide
60-98 60-95 80-90 Hydrogen Iodide <1 <0.5 0.001-0.5.sup.
[0101] The density of the heavy liquid phase 134 may be from 1.3 to
2, e.g., from 1.5 to 1.8, from 1.5 to 1.75 or from 1.55 to 1.7. As
described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,480, the measured density in the
heavy liquid phase 134 may correlate to the methyl acetate
concentration in the reaction medium. As density decreases, the
methyl acetate concentration in the reaction medium increases. In
one embodiment of the present invention, heavy liquid phase 134 is
recycled to the reactor and the light liquid phase 133 is
controlled to be recycled through the same pump. It may be
desirable to recycle a portion of the light liquid phase 133 that
does not disrupt the pump and to maintain a density of the combined
light liquid phase 133 and heavy liquid phase of greater than or
equal to 1.3, e.g., greater than or equal to 1.4, greater than or
equal to 1.5, or greater than or equal to 1.7. As described herein,
a portion of the heavy liquid phase 134 may be treated to remove
impurities, such as acetaldehyde.
[0102] As indicated by Tables 1 and 2, the water concentration in
the light liquid phase 133 is larger than the heavy liquid phase
134, and thus the present invention can control the side stream
water concentration through the recycle of the light liquid phase.
The concentration of components in sidedraw stream 123, such as
water and/or hydrogen iodide, may be controlled by the recycle rate
of light liquid phase 133 to the reaction system. The reflux ratio
(the mass flow rate of the reflux divided by the total mass flow
exiting the top of the column 120, including both heavy liquid
phase 134, which may or may not be fully recycled, and light liquid
phase 133) to the first column of the light liquid phase 133 via
line 135 preferably is from 0.05 to 0.4, e.g., from 0.1 to 0.35 or
from 0.15 to 0.3. In one embodiment, to reduce the reflux ratio,
the number of theoretical trays above the sidedraw stream and top
of first column may be greater than 5, e.g., preferably greater
than 10. In one embodiment, to reduce the reflux ratio, the number
of theoretical trays above the side stream and top of first column
may be greater than or equal to 5, e.g., preferably greater than or
equal to 10. In one embodiment, a flow valve and/or flow monitor
(not shown) may be used to control the reflux in line 135 and
recycle in line 136.
[0103] In one embodiment, the recycle of light liquid phase in line
136 back to reactor 105 is up to or equal to 20%, e.g., up to or
equal to 10%, of the total light liquid phase 133 condensed from
the column overhead (reflux plus recycle). In terms of ranges the
recycle of light liquid phase in line 136 may be from 0 to 20%,
e.g., from 0.1 to 20%, from 0.5 to 20%, from 1 to 15%, or from 1 to
10%, of the total light liquid phase 133, which is condensed from
the low-boiling overhead vapor stream (reflux plus recycle). The
remaining portion may be used as a reflux on the light ends column
or fed to an PRC removal system. For example, recycle in line 136
may be combined with liquid recycle stream 111 and be returned to
reactor 105. In one embodiment, recycle in line 136 may be combined
with another stream that is being recycled to the reaction system,
e.g., reactor 105 or flash vessel 110. When condensed overhead
stream 138 from drying column 125 is phase-separated to form an
aqueous phase and an organic phase, the recycle in line 136 may be
preferably combined with the aqueous phase. Alternatively, recycle
in line 136 may be combined, or at least partially combined, with
heavy liquid phase 134 and/or the organic phase from the overhead
stream 138.
PRC Removal System
[0104] Although not shown, a portion of light liquid phase 133
and/or heavy liquid phase 134 may be separated and directed to
acetaldehyde or PRC removal system to recover methyl iodide and
methyl acetate during the acetaldehyde removal process. As shown in
Tables 1 and 2, light liquid phase 133 and/or heavy liquid phase
134 each contain PRC's and the process may include removing
carbonyl impurities, such as acetaldehyde, that deteriorate the
quality of the acetic acid product and may be removed in suitable
impurity removal columns and absorbers as described in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 6,143,930; 6,339,171; 7,223,883; 7,223,886; 7,855,306;
7,884,237; 8,889,904; and US Pub. Nos. 2006/0011462, which are
incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Carbonyl
impurities, such as acetaldehyde, may react with iodide catalyst
promoters to form alkyl iodides, e.g., ethyl iodide, propyl iodide,
butyl iodide, pentyl iodide, hexyl iodide, etc. Also, because many
impurities originate with acetaldehyde, it is desirable to remove
carbonyl impurities from the liquid light phase.
[0105] The portion of light liquid phase 133 and/or heavy liquid
phase 134 fed to the acetaldehyde or PRC removal system may vary
from 1% to 99% of the mass flow of either the light liquid phase
133 and/or heavy liquid phase 134, e.g., from 1 to 50%, from 2 to
45%, from 5 to 40%, 5 to 30% or 5 to 20%. Also in some embodiments,
a portion of both the light liquid phase 133 and heavy liquid phase
134 may be fed to the acetaldehyde or PRC removal system. The
portion of the light liquid phase 133 not fed to the acetaldehyde
or PRC removal system may be refluxed to the first column or
recycled to the reactor, as described herein. The portion of the
heavy liquid phase 134 not fed to the acetaldehyde or PRC removal
system may be recycled to the reactor. Although a portion of heavy
liquid phase 134 may be refluxed to the first column, it is more
desirable to return the methyl iodide enriched heavy liquid phase
134 to the reactor.
[0106] In one embodiment, a portion of light liquid phase 133
and/or heavy liquid phase 134 is fed to a distillation column which
enriches the overhead thereof to have acetaldehyde and methyl
iodide. Depending on the configuration, there may be two separate
distillation columns, and the overhead of the second column may be
enriched in acetaldehyde and methyl iodide. Dimethyl ether, which
may be formed in-situ, may also be present in the overhead. The
overhead may be subject to one or more extraction stages to remove
a raffinate enriched in methyl iodide and an extractant. A portion
of the raffinate may be returned to the distillation column, first
column, overhead decanter and/or reactor. For example, when the
heavy liquid phase 134 is treated in the PRC removal system, it may
be desirable to return a portion the raffinate to either the
distillation column or reactor. Also, for example, when light
liquid phase 133 is treated in the PRC removal system, it may be
desirable to return a portion the raffinate to either the first
column, overhead decanter, or reactor. In some embodiments, the
extractant may be further distilled to remove water, which is
returned to the one or more extraction stages. The column bottoms,
which contains more methyl acetate and methyl iodide than light
liquid phase 133, may also be recycled to reactor 105 and/or
refluxed to first column 120.
[0107] In one embodiment, there is provided a process for producing
acetic acid comprising carbonylating a reactant feed stream
comprising methanol, methyl acetate, dimethyl ether, or mixtures
thereof in a reactor in the presence of water, rhodium catalyst,
iodide salt and methyl iodide to form a reaction medium in a
reactor, introducing a lithium compound into the reactor,
maintaining a concentration of lithium acetate in the reaction
medium in an amount from 0.3 to 0.7 wt. %, separating the reaction
medium in a flash vessel to form a liquid recycle stream, and a
vapor product stream comprising acetic acid in an amount from 45 to
75 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount from 24 to less than 36 wt. %,
methyl acetate in an amount of less than or equal to 9 wt. %, water
in an amount of less than or equal to 14 wt. %. The method further
comprises distilling at least a portion of the vapor product stream
in a first column to obtain an acetic acid product stream
comprising acetic acid and hydrogen iodide in an amount of less
than or equal to 300 wppm and obtain an overhead stream comprising
methyl iodide, water and methyl acetate; condensing the overhead
stream and phase-separating the condensing overhead to form a light
liquid phase and a heavy liquid phase; and treating a portion of
the heavy liquid phase to remove at least one permanganate-reducing
compound selected from the group consisting of acetaldehyde,
acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, butylaldehyde, crotonaldehyde,
2-ethyl crotonaldehyde, 2-ethyl butyraldehyde, and the aldol
condensation products thereof.
[0108] In some embodiments, the process includes one or more
on-line analyzers for measuring the concentrations of various
components in the various streams. For example, an on-line analyzer
may be used to determine the hydrogen iodide concentration of
sidedraw stream 123 by feeding a sample stream, e.g., a sample
purge stream, to an on-line analyzer (not shown).
Second Column
[0109] Acetic acid removed via sidedraw stream 123 preferably is
subjected to further purification, such as in a second column 125,
also referred to as a drying column. The second column separates
sidedraw stream 123 to form an aqueous overhead stream 126
comprising primarily water, and product stream 127 comprised
primarily of acetic acid. Water from the side stream is
concentrated in the aqueous overhead stream and the aqueous
overhead comprises greater than or equal to 90% of the water in the
side stream, e.g., greater than or equal to 95%, greater than or
equal to 97%, greater than or equal to 99%. Aqueous overhead stream
126 may comprise water in an amount from 50 to 90 wt. %, e.g., from
50 to 85 wt. %, from 55 to 85 wt. %, from 60 to 80 wt. %, or from
60 to 75 wt. %. In embodiments, aqueous overhead stream may
comprise water in an amount of less than or equal to 90 wt. %,
e.g., less than or equal to 75 wt. %, less than or equal to 70 wt.
%, less than or equal to 65 wt. %. Methyl acetate and methyl iodide
are also removed from the side stream and concentrated in the
overhead stream. Product stream 127 preferably comprises or
consists essentially of acetic acid and may be withdrawn in the
bottom of second column 125 or a side stream near the bottom. When
withdrawn as a side stream near the bottom, the side stream may be
a liquid or a vapor stream. In preferred embodiments, product
stream 127 comprises acetic acid in an amount greater than or equal
to 90 wt. %, e.g., greater than or equal to 95 wt. % or greater
than or equal to 98 wt. %. Product stream 127 may be further
processed, e.g., by passing through an ion exchange resin, prior to
being stored or transported for commercial use.
[0110] Similarly, aqueous overhead stream 126 from second column
125 contains a reaction component, such as methyl iodide, methyl
acetate, and water, and it is preferable to retain these reaction
components within the process. Aqueous overhead stream 126 is
condensed by a heat exchanger into stream 138, which is recycled to
reactor 105 and/or refluxed second column 125. An offgas component
may be vented via line 137 from condensed low-boiling overhead
vapor stream 126. Similar to the condensed low-boiling overhead
vapor stream from first column 120, condensed overhead stream 138
may also be separated to form an aqueous phase and an organic
phase, and these phases may be recycled or refluxed as needed to
maintain the concentrations in the reaction medium.
[0111] In one embodiment, the side stream water concentration is
controlled to balance the water in both the first and second
columns. When less than or equal to 14 wt. % water is used in the
reaction medium, more preferably, less than or equal to 4.1 wt. %
water there may not be sufficient water in the second column to
stably operate the column. Although it may be possible to reduce
the water concentration in the side stream to less than 1 wt. %,
this would result in an imbalance in the second column, which may
cause the recovery of acetic acid to become more difficult and
therefore result in off-spec product. Further by having water in
the side stream, the second column can remove that water in the
aqueous overhead. The recycle ratio between the light liquid phase
from the first column and the aqueous overhead from the second
column helps to maintain desirable water concentrations in the
reactor while maintaining stable operations in the first and second
distillation columns. In one embodiment, the recycle ratio of the
mass flow of the light liquid phase recycled to the reactor to the
mass flow of the aqueous overhead to the reactor is less than or
equal to 2, e.g., less than or equal to 1.8, less than or equal to
1.5, less than or equal to 1, less than or equal to 0.7, less than
or equal to 0.5, less than or equal to 0.35, less than or equal to
0.25 and/or the recycle ratio of the mass flow of the light liquid
phase recycled to the reactor to the mass flow of the aqueous
overhead to the reactor is greater than or equal to 0, e.g.,
greater than or equal to 0.05, greater than or equal to 0.1,
greater than or equal to 0.15, or greater than or equal to 0.2.
[0112] Thus, in one embodiment, there is provided a process for
producing acetic acid comprising carbonylating a reactant feed
stream in the presence of water, rhodium catalyst, iodide salt and
methyl iodide to form a reaction medium in a reactor. The reactant
feed stream comprises methanol, methyl acetate, dimethyl ether, or
mixtures thereof. The process further comprises introducing a
lithium compound into the reactor, maintaining a concentration of
lithium acetate in the reaction medium in an amount from 0.3 to 0.7
wt. %; separating the reaction medium in a flash vessel to form a
liquid recycle stream and a vapor product stream comprising acetic
acid in an amount from 45 to 75 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount
from 24 to less than 36 wt. %, methyl acetate in an amount of less
than or equal to 9 wt. %, water in an amount of less than or equal
to 14 wt. %; and distilling at least a portion of the vapor product
stream in a first column to obtain an acetic acid product stream
comprising acetic acid and hydrogen iodide in an amount of less
than or equal to 300 wppm, and obtain an overhead stream comprising
methyl iodide, water and methyl acetate, condensing the first low
boiling overhead vapor stream and biphasically separating the
condensed stream to form a heavy liquid phase and a light liquid
phase; distilling the side stream in a second column to obtain a
purified acetic acid product and a second low boiling overhead
vapor stream; condensing the second low-boiling overhead vapor
stream to obtain an aqueous recycle stream, comprising water in an
amount of less than or equal to 90 wt. %; and recycling the second
low boiling overhead vapor stream to the reactor, wherein the
recycle ratio of the mass flow of the light liquid phase recycled
to the reactor to the mass flow of the aqueous recycle stream to
the reactor is less than or equal to 2, e.g., from 0 to 2.
[0113] To recover residual liquids from the vent stream, in
particular lines 106, 132, and 137, these lines may be fed to a
scrubber that operates with cooled methanol and/or acetic acid to
remove methyl acetate and methyl iodide. A suitable scrubber is
described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,318,977, which is incorporated herein
by reference in its entirety.
[0114] The distillation columns of the present invention may be a
conventional distillation column, e.g., a plate column, a packed
column, and others. Plate columns may include a perforated plate
column, bubble-cap column, Kittel tray column, uniflux tray, or a
ripple tray column. For a plate column, the theoretical number of
plates is not particularly limited, and depending on the species of
the component to be separate, may include up to 80 plates, e.g.,
from 2 to 80, from 5 to 60, from 5 to 50, or more preferably from 7
to 35. The distillation column may include a combination of
different distillation apparatuses. For example, a combination of
bubble-cap column and perforated plate column may be used as well
as a combination of perforated plate column and a packed
column.
[0115] The distillation temperature and pressure in the
distillation system can suitably be selected depending on the
condition such as the species of the objective carboxylic acid and
the species of the distillation column, or the removal target
selected from the lower boiling point impurity and the higher
boiling point impurity, according to the composition of the feed
stream. For example, in a case where the purification of acetic
acid is carried out by the distillation column, the inner pressure
of the distillation column (usually the pressure of the column top)
may be from 0.01 to 1 MPa, e.g., from 0.02 to 0.7 MPa, and more
preferably, from 0.05 to 0.5 MPa in terms of gauge pressure.
Moreover, the distillation temperature for the distillation column,
namely the inner temperature of the column at the temperature of
the column top, can be controlled by adjusting the inner pressure
of the column, and, for example, may be from 20 to 200.degree. C.,
e.g., from 50 to 180.degree. C., and more preferably from 100 to
160.degree. C.
[0116] The material of each member or unit associated with the
distillation system, including the columns, valves, condensers,
receivers, pumps, reboilers, and internals, and various lines, each
communicating to the distillation system may be made of suitable
materials such as glass, metal, ceramic, or combinations thereof,
and is not particularly limited to a specific one. According to the
present invention, the material of the foregoing distillation
system and various lines are a transition metal or a
transition-metal-based alloy such as iron alloy, e.g., a stainless
steel, nickel or nickel alloy, zirconium or zirconium alloy
thereof, titanium or titanium alloy thereof, or aluminum alloy.
Suitable iron-based alloys include those containing iron as a main
component, e.g., a stainless steel that also comprises chromium,
nickel, molybdenum and others. Suitable nickel-based alloys include
those containing nickel as a main component and one or more of
chromium, iron, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, and
others, e.g., HASTELLOY.TM. and INCONEL.TM.. Corrosion-resistant
metals may be particularly suitable as materials for the
distillation system and various lines.
Guard Bed
[0117] A low total iodide concentration, e.g., up to 5 wppm, e.g.,
up to 1 wppm, in the purified acetic acid product, allows for
removal of iodide using a guard bed. The use of one or more guard
beds to remove residual iodide greatly improves the quality of the
purified acetic acid product. Carboxylic acid streams, e.g., acetic
acid streams, that are contaminated with halides and/or corrosion
metals may be contacted with the ion exchange resin composition
under a wide range of operating conditions. Preferably, the ion
exchange resin composition is provided in a guard bed. The use of
guard beds to purify contaminated carboxylic acid streams is well
documented in the art, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,615,806;
5,653,853; 5,731,252; and 6,225,498, which are hereby incorporated
by reference in their entireties. Generally, a contaminated liquid
carboxylic acid stream is contacted with the ion exchange resin
composition, which is preferably disposed in the guard bed. The
halide contaminants, e.g., iodide contaminants, react with the
metal to form metal iodides. In some embodiments, hydrocarbon
moieties, e.g., methyl groups, that may be associated with the
iodide may esterify the carboxylic acid. For example, in the case
of acetic acid contaminated with methyl iodide, methyl acetate
would be produced as a byproduct of the iodide removal. The
formation of this esterification product typically does not have a
deleterious effect on the treated carboxylic acid stream.
[0118] In one embodiment, the ion exchange resin is a
metal-exchanged ion exchange resin and may comprise at least one
metal selected from the group consisting of silver, mercury,
palladium and rhodium. In one embodiment, at least 1% of the strong
acid exchange sites of said metal-exchanged resin are occupied by
silver. In another embodiment, at least 1% of the strong acid
exchange sites of said metal-exchanged resin are occupied by
mercury. The process may further comprise treating the purified
acetic acid product with a cationic exchange resin to recover any
silver, mercury, palladium or rhodium.
[0119] The pressure during the contacting step is limited primarily
by the physical strength of the resin. In one embodiment, the
contacting is conducted at pressures ranging from 0.1 MPa to 1 MPa,
e.g., from 0.1 MPa to 0.8 MPa or from 0.1 MPa to 0.5 MPa. For
convenience, however, both pressure and temperature preferably may
be established so that the contaminated carboxylic acid stream is
processed as a liquid. Thus, for example, when operating at
atmospheric pressure, which is generally preferred based on
economic considerations, the temperature may range from 17.degree.
C. (the freezing point of acetic acid) to 118.degree. C. (the
boiling point of acetic acid). It is within the purview of those
skilled in the art to determine analogous ranges for product
streams comprising other carboxylic acid compounds. The temperature
of the contacting step preferably is kept relatively low to
minimize resin degradation. In one embodiment, the contacting is
conducted at a temperature ranging from 25.degree. C. to
120.degree. C., e.g., from 25.degree. C. to 100.degree. C. or from
50.degree. C. to 100.degree. C. Some cationic macroreticular resins
typically begin degrading (via the mechanism of acid-catalyzed
aromatic desulfonation) at temperatures of 150.degree. C.
Carboxylic acids having up to 5 carbon atoms, e.g., up to 3 carbon
atoms, remain liquid at these temperatures. Thus, the temperature
during the contacting should be maintained below the degradation
temperature of the resin utilized. In some embodiments, the
operating temperature is kept below temperature limit of the resin,
consistent with liquid phase operation and the desired kinetics for
halide removal.
[0120] The configuration of the guard bed within an acetic acid
purification train may vary widely. For example, the guard bed may
be configured after a drying column. Additionally or alternatively,
the guard be may be configured after a heavy ends removal column or
finishing column. Preferably, the guard bed is configured in a
position wherein the temperature acetic acid product stream is low,
e.g., less than or equal to 120.degree. C. or less than or equal to
100.degree. C. Aside from the advantages discussed above, lower
temperature operation provides for less corrosion as compared to
higher temperature operation. Lower temperature operation provides
for less formation of corrosion metal contaminants, which, as
discussed above, may decrease overall resin life. Also, because
lower operating temperatures result in less corrosion, vessels
advantageously need not be made from expensive corrosion-resistant
metals, and lower grade metals, e.g., standard stainless steel, may
be used.
[0121] In one embodiment, the flow rate through the guard bed
ranges from 0.1 bed volumes per hour ("BV/hr") to 50 BV/hr, e.g., 1
BV/hr to 20 BV/hr or from 6 BV/hr to 10 BV/hr. A bed volume of
organic medium is a volume of the medium equal to the volume
occupied by the resin bed. A flow rate of 1 BV/hr means that a
quantity of organic liquid equal to the volume occupied by the
resin bed passes through the resin bed in a one hour time
period.
[0122] To avoid exhausting the resin with a purified acetic acid
product that is high in total iodide concentration, in one
embodiment the purified acetic acid product in bottoms stream 127
is contacted with a guard bed when total iodide concentration of
the purified acetic acid product is up to 5 wppm, e.g., preferably
up to 1 wppm. In one exemplary embodiment, the total iodide
concentration of the purified acetic acid product may be from 0.01
wppm to 5 wppm, e.g., from 0.01 wppm to 1 wppm. Concentrations of
iodide above 5 wppm may require re-processing the off-spec acetic
acid. Total iodide concentration includes iodide from both organic,
C.sub.1 to C.sub.14 alkyl iodides, and inorganic sources, such as
hydrogen iodide. A purified acetic acid composition is obtained as
a result of the guard bed treatment. The purified acetic acid
composition, in one embodiment, comprises less than or equal to 100
wppb iodides, e.g., less than or equal to 90 wppb, less than or
equal to 50 wppb, or less than or equal to 25 wppb. In one
embodiment, the purified acetic acid composition comprises less
than or equal to 1000 wppb corrosion metals, e.g., less than or
equal to 750 wppb, less than or equal to 500 wppb, or less than or
equal to 250 wppb. In terms of ranges, the purified acetic acid
composition may comprise from 0 to 100 wppb iodides, e.g., from 1
to 50 wppb; and/or from 0 to 1000 wppb corrosion metals, e.g., from
1 to 500 wppb. In other embodiments, the guard bed removes at least
25 wt. % of the iodides from the crude acetic acid product, e.g.,
at least 50 wt. % or at least 75 wt. %. In one embodiment, the
guard bed removes at least 25 wt. % of the corrosion metals from
the crude acetic acid product, e.g., at least 50 wt. % or at least
75 wt. %.
[0123] In another embodiment, the product stream may be contacted
with cationic exchanger to remove lithium compounds. The cationic
exchanger in the acid form comprises a resin of acid-form strong
acid cation exchange macroreticular, macroporous or mesoporous
resins. Without being bound by theory feeding a product stream to
an ion-exchange comprising lithium compounds in an amount of
greater than or equal to 10 wppm results in displacement of metals
in the treated product. Advantageously, this may be overcome by
using an cationic exchanger upstream of the ion-exchange resin.
After contacting with the cationic exchanger, the product stream
may have a lithium ion concentration of less than 50 weight part
per billion (wppb), e.g., less than 10 wppb, or less than 5
wppb.
[0124] Although the product stream may be contacted with an
ion-exchange resin to remove iodides, it is preferred not to flash
the product stream or contact with product stream with an
adsorption system that contains activated carbon. Flashing the
product stream is not efficient because there is not a sufficient
pressure drop to recover greater than 50% of the acetic acid from
the product stream. Thus, in one embodiment, a non-flashed portion
of the product stream is fed to the ion-exchange bed to remove
iodides.
[0125] As is evident from the figures and text presented above, a
variety of embodiments are contemplated.
E1. A process for producing acetic acid, comprising:
[0126] carbonylating a reactant feed stream comprising methanol,
methyl acetate, dimethyl ether, or mixtures thereof in a reactor in
the presence of water, rhodium catalyst, iodide salt and methyl
iodide to form a reaction medium in a reactor;
[0127] introducing a lithium compound into the reactor;
[0128] maintaining a concentration of lithium acetate in the
reaction medium in an amount from 0.3 to 0.7 wt. %;
[0129] separating the reaction medium in a flash vessel to form a
liquid recycle stream and a vapor product stream comprising acetic
acid in an amount from 45 to 75 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount
from 24 to less than 36 wt. %, methyl acetate in an amount of less
than or equal to 9 wt. %, and water in an amount of less than or
equal to 14 wt. %; and
[0130] distilling at least a portion of the vapor product stream in
a first column to obtain an acetic acid product stream comprising
acetic acid and hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or equal
to 300 wppm and an overhead stream comprising methyl iodide, water
and methyl acetate.
E2. The process of embodiment E1, wherein the vapor product stream
further comprises acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.005 to 1 wt. %.
E3. The process of any one embodiments E1-E2, wherein the vapor
product stream further comprises acetaldehyde in an amount from
0.01 to 0.8 wt. %. E4. The process of any one embodiments E1-E3,
wherein the vapor product stream comprises acetic acid in an amount
from 55 to 75 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount from 24 to 35 wt.
%, methyl acetate in an amount from 0.5 to 8 wt. %, water in an
amount from 0.5 to 14 wt. %, and further comprises hydrogen iodide
in an amount less than or equal to 0.5 wt. %. E5. The process of
any one embodiments E1-E4, wherein the vapor product stream
comprises acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.01 to 0.7 wt. %. E6. The
process of embodiment E5, wherein the vapor product stream
comprises acetic acid in an amount from 60 to 70 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount from 25 to 35 wt. %, methyl acetate in an
amount from 0.5 to 6.5 wt. %, water in an amount from 1 to 8 wt. %,
acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.01 to 0.7 wt. %, and hydrogen
iodide in an amount less than or equal to 0.1 wt. %. E7. The
process of any one embodiments E1-E6, wherein the vapor product
stream comprises hydrogen iodide in an amount less than or equal to
1 wt. %. E8. The process of any one embodiments E1-E7, further
comprising venting from the reactor a gaseous stream that comprises
hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 1 wt. %. E9.
The process of embodiment E8, wherein the gaseous stream comprises
hydrogen iodide in an amount from 0.001 to 1 wt. %. E10. The
process of any one embodiments E1-E9, wherein the overhead stream
is phase separated to form a light liquid phase and a heavy liquid
phase. E11. The process of embodiment E10, wherein the light liquid
phase comprises acetic acid in an amount from 1 to 40 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 10 wt. %, methyl
acetate in an amount from 1 to 50 wt. %, water in an amount from 40
to 80 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount of less than or equal to 5
wt. %, and hydrogen iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 1
wt. %. E12. The process of embodiment E10, wherein the light liquid
phase comprises acetic acid in an amount from 5 to 15 wt. %, methyl
iodide in an amount of less than or equal to 3 wt. %, methyl
acetate in an amount from 1 to 15 wt. %, water in an amount from 70
to 75 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an amount from 0.1 to 0.7 wt. %, and
hydrogen iodide in an amount from 0.001 to 0.5 wt. %. E13. The
process of embodiment E10, wherein a portion of the heavy liquid
phase is treated to remove at least one permanganate reducing
compound selected from the group consisting of acetaldehyde,
acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, butylaldehyde, crotonaldehyde,
2-ethyl crotonaldehyde, 2-ethyl butyraldehyde, and the aldol
condensation products thereof. E14. The process of embodiment E10,
wherein a portion of the light liquid phase is returned to the
reactor. E15. The process of any one embodiments E1-E14, wherein
the liquid recycle stream comprises a rhodium catalyst in an amount
from 0.01 to 0.5 wt. %, lithium iodide in an amount from 5 to 20
wt. %, corrosion metals in an amount from 10 to 2500 wppm, acetic
acid in an amount from 60 to 90 wt. %, methyl iodide in an amount
from 0.5 to 5 wt. %, methyl acetate in an amount from 0.1 to 5 wt.
%, water in an amount from 0.1 to 8 wt. %, acetaldehyde in an
amount from 0.0001 to 1 wt. %, and hydrogen iodide in an amount
from 0.0001 to 0.5 wt. %. E16. The process of any one embodiments
E1-E15, wherein the lithium compound is selected from the group
consisting of lithium acetates, lithium carboxylates, lithium
carbonates, lithium hydroxides, and mixtures thereof. E17. The
process of any one embodiments E1-E16, further comprising
maintaining a concentration of hydrogen iodide in the reaction
medium in an amount from 0.1 to 1.3 wt. %. E18. The process of any
one embodiments E1-E17, wherein the carbonylation is conducted
while maintaining a carbon monoxide partial pressure from 2 to 30
atm and a hydrogen partial pressure in the reactor that is less
than or equal to 0.04 atm. E19. The process of any one embodiments
E1-E18, wherein the concentration of methyl acetate in the reaction
medium is greater than the concentration of the lithium acetate in
the reaction medium. E20. The process of any one embodiments
E1-E19, wherein the acetic acid product stream comprises each of
the methyl iodide and the methyl acetate in an amount within the
range of .+-.0.9 wt. % of the water concentration in the side
stream.
[0131] While the invention has been described in detail,
modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be
readily apparent to those of skill in the art. In view of the
foregoing discussion, relevant knowledge in the art and references
discussed above in connection with the Background and Detailed
Description, the disclosures of which are all incorporated herein
by reference. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of
the invention and portions of various embodiments and various
features recited below and/or in the appended claims may be
combined or interchanged either in whole or in part. In the
foregoing descriptions of the various embodiments, those
embodiments which refer to another embodiment may be appropriately
combined with other embodiments as will be appreciated by one of
skill in the art. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art
will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example
only, and is not intended to limit the invention.
EXAMPLES
[0132] The present invention will be better understood in view of
the following non-limiting examples.
Example 1
[0133] The reactor, containing approximately 900 ppm by weight of
rhodium in the form of a rhodium carbonyl iodide compound and
approximately 9 wt. % methyl iodide as well as lithium iodide,
water, and methyl acetate, was fed with methanol, carbon monoxide
and hydrogen to maintain a hydrogen partial pressure of at least
about 0.27 atm (i.e. at least about 4 psi). The water concentration
was less than 4 wt. %. The reactor maintained a temperature between
about 190.degree. C. and 200.degree. C. and operated at a pressure
above 28 atm (i.e. above 400 psig). By means of a level control
sensing the liquid level within the reactor, liquid reaction medium
was continuously withdrawn and fed to the a single-tray flash
vessel operating at approximately 150.degree. C. and approximately
3.2 atm (i.e. 32.3 psig). Carbon monoxide recovered from the
reactor vent was spraged into the withdrawn reaction medium prior
to entering the flash vessel. About 28% of reaction medium exits
the as the vapor product stream and the remaining amount is
returned as a liquid to the reactor. The vapor product stream was
withdrawn at a temperature of approximately 50.degree. C. The vapor
product stream composition was as follows: 66.35 wt. % acetic acid,
25.01 wt. % methyl iodide; 5.97 wt. % methyl acetate, 1.53 wt. %
water, 0.1 wt. % acetaldehyde, and less than 1 wt. % hydrogen
iodide.
[0134] The vapor product stream was fed to a light ends column to
obtain an overhead and a sidedraw stream. A typical example of the
HI concentration in sidedraw stream was determined by titrating a
sufficient amount of sidedraw stream sample with 0.01 M lithium
acetate solution in 50 ml acetone. A pH electrode was used with
Metrohm 716 DMS Titrino to determine the end point at Dynamic
Equivalence-point Titration mode. HI concentration in wt. % was
calculated based on the consumption of lithium acetate titrant as
depicted in following equation.
H I wt . % = ( ml of LiOAc ) ( 0.01 M ) ( 128 g / mole ) .times.
100 ( g sample ) ( 1000 ml / L ) ##EQU00001##
[0135] A sample sidedraw stream composition having about 1.9 wt. %
water, about 2.8 wt. % methyl iodide, and about 2.5 wt. % methyl
acetate, was tested using this HI titration method. The HI
concentrations varied from 50 wppm to 300 wppm, when there was a
recycle of the light liquid phase from the overhead light ends to
the reaction system. Thus, maintaining the methyl iodide
concentration in the vapor product stream contributed to
controlling the HI concentrations in the light ends column.
Example 2
[0136] The reaction of Example 1 was repeated except the methyl
iodide in the reaction medium was approximately 12 wt. % and the
pressure of the flash vessel was slightly lower, approximately 3.1
atm (i.e. 30.8 psig). About 31% of reaction medium exited as the
vapor product stream and the remaining amount was returned as a
liquid to the reactor. The vapor product stream composition was as
follows: 61.97 wt. % acetic acid, 30.34 wt. % methyl iodide; 5.05
wt. % methyl acetate, 1.54 wt. % water, 0.09 wt. % acetaldehyde,
and less than 1 wt. % hydrogen iodide.
[0137] A portion of the light liquid phase from the light ends
overhead was recycled to the reaction system. The sidedraw stream
contained 1.5 wt. % water, 3.6 wt. % methyl acetate, 2.1 wt. %
methyl iodide, and less than 25 wppm HI, and the balance comprised
acetic acid. HI concentrations were too low to measure directly
with titration. The presence of other cations in the sidedraw made
directly measuring HI difficult. The measure of total inorganic
iodide, i.e., total possible maximized HI, was done directly. Other
inorganic iodides may include lithium iodide, as well as corrosion
metal iodide. Again, maintaining the methyl iodide concentration in
the vapor product stream beneficially contributed to controlling
the HI concentration in the light ends column and ultimately in the
sidedraw stream.
* * * * *