Tennessee-Eastman acetic anhydride process

Outline the catalytic processes involved in the manufacture of acetic acid (Monsanto process) and acetic anhydride (Tennessee-Eastman process). 

Several large-scale industrial processes use homogeneous catalysts [e.g., hydrofor-mylation, hydrocyanation (DuPont), ethene-oligomerization (SHOP), acetic add (Eastman Kodak), acetic acid anhydride (Tennessee-Eastman), acetaldehyde (Wacker) and terephthalic acid (Amoco)] as well as smaller scale applications [e.g., metolachlor (Novartis), citronellal (Takasago), indenoxide (Merck) and glycidol (ARCO, SIPSY)]. 

Figure 2. A typical homogeneous catalytic cycle - the Tennessee Eastman process for the conversion of methyl acetate to acetic anhydride via carbon monoxide insertion. [From reference 2, page 713. Reproduced with permission.]...

This process is one of the three commercially practiced processes for the production of acetic anhydride. The other two are the oxidation of acetaldehyde [75-07-0] and the carbonylation of methyl acetate [79-20-9] in the presence of a rhodium catalyst (coal gasification technology, Halcon process) (77). The latter process was put into operation by Tennessee Eastman in 1983. In the United States the total acetic anhydride production has been reported to be in the order of 1000 metric tons. 

The high cost of coal handling and preparation and treatment of effluents, compounded by continuing low prices for cmde oil and natural gas, has precluded significant exploitation of coal as a feedstock for methanol. A small amount of methanol is made from coal in South Africa for local strategic reasons. Tennessee Eastman operates a 195,000-t/yr methanol plant in Tennessee based on the Texaco coal gasification process to make the methyl acetate intermediate for acetic anhydride production (15). 

Eastman Chemical Company has operated a coal-to-methanol plant in Kingsport, Tennessee, since 1983. Two Texaco gasifiers (one is a backup) process 34 Mg/h (37 US ton/h) of coal to synthesis gas. The synthesis gas is converted to methanol by use of ICl methanol technology. Methanol is an intermediate for producing methyl acetate and acetic acid. The plant produces about 225 Gg/a (250,000 US ton/a) of acetic anhydride. As part of the DOE Clean Coal Technology Program, Air Products and Cnemicals, Inc., and Eastman Chemic Company are constructing a 9.8-Mg/h (260-US ton/d) slurry-phase reactor for the conversion of synthesis gas to methanol and dimethyl... 

The most successful example of generating chemicals directly from coal is the Tennessee Eastman integrated process for producing acetic anhydride. The commercial plant gasifies approximately 900 tons of coal per day and performs four chemical steps to yield annually 500 million pounds of acetic anhydride, 390 million pounds of methyl acetate, and 365 million pounds of methanol. In addition, 150 million pounds per year of acetic acid may be produced from acetic anhydride. 

The direct carbonylation of methanol yielding acetic acid, the Monsanto process, represents the best route for acetic acid. Carbonylation of methyl acetate, obtained from methanol and acetic acid, gives acetic anhydride, a technology commercialized by Tennessee Eastman (22). It is noteworthy that this process is based on coal derived synthesis gas to give as the final product cellulose acetate. A combination of Monsanto and Tennessee Eastman technology opens the door for the combined synthesis of acetic acid and acetic anhydride. 

Today acetic acid is produced mainly from methanol and carbon monoxide. This process, along with the Tennessee Eastman acetic anhydride plant using syn gas, are the current standards in the industry when considering new expansion regardless of the price of ethylene. The vinyl acetate process described here may achieve this stature if its commercial development is permitted to occur. 

In 1983, Tennessee Eastman began a similar process for producing acetic anhydride from methyl acetate tei... 

Thermodynamically, the carbonylation of methyl acetate (AG298 -10 kJ/mol) is considerably less favourable than that of methanol (AG298 -74 kJ/mol). This means that the reaction does not reach completion but attains an equilibrium which is dependent on the temperature and the CO pressure. Two variants are currently practised commercially that developed by Tennessee Eastman, based on a Halcon process, and a BP process in which acetic acid and the anhydride are co-produced in proportions which can be varied according to demand. Syngas for the Eastman process is made from coal which is mined close to the plant in Tennessee and the acetic anhydride produced is used to make cellulose acetate for film production. The BP process uses syngas generated from North Sea gas which is piped directly to the BP plant in EIull. [Acetic anhydride manufacture M. J. Eloward, M. D. Jones, M. S. Roberts, S. A. Taylor, Catalysis Today, 1993, 18, 325]. 

A very closely related process is the Tennessee Eastman (Kodak) carbonylation of methyl acetate to produce acetic anhydride. The rhodium-catalyzed portion of the mechanism is the same as shown in Scheme 19. Differences occur in the iodide-promoted pre- and post-rhodium reactions shown in Scheme 20. 

The main difference between the Monsanto acetic acid process and Tennessee Eastman acetic anhydride process is the presence of water in the acetic acid process, which produces HI and acetic acid. In both reactions, a small amount of H2 is added to the CO stream to act as a reducing agent to keep the catalyst in the more active Rh oxidation state. An engineering problem with both processes is the highly corrosive nature of the Hl/iodide mixture, requiring the use of special chemically resistant alloys, pumps, and seals. 

This development began to reduce steadily the capacities of acetaldehyde which previously had been made by oxidation of ethylene (Wacker-Hoechst process cf. Section 2.4.1) and converted to acetic acid (cf. Section 2.4.4). Moreover, the Monsanto process, the second-generation process for methanol carbonylation is now being followed by the third generation of highly efficient carbonylation processes, enabling acetic anhydride as well as acetic acid to be produced (cf Scheme 2 Tennessee-Eastman [36] and BP [37] processes). The most advanced process (Hoechst [40]) has so far not been implemented industrially because of neglects... 

The Tennessee-Eastman acetic anhydride process converts methyl acetate to acetic anhydride (equation 26.16) and has been in commercial use since 1983. 

Fig. 26.7 Catalytic cycle for the Tennessee-Eastman acetic anhydride process. 3. In Figure 26.7, which step is an oxidative addition ...

Fig. 27.10 Catalytic cycle for the Tennessee-Eastman acetic anhydride process.

Acetic Anhydride via Methyl Acetate Carbonylation. The second major development, pioneered by Tennessee Eastman (25) is the carbonylation of methyl acetate to acetic anhydride, which also comprises the first example of a totally integrated synthesis gas-based process for such chemistry, dependent entirely on coal as feedstock. 

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