Alcohol manufacture, higher linear

A.luminum Jilkyl Chain Growth. Ethyl, Chevron, and Mitsubishi Chemical manufacture higher, linear alpha olefins from ethylene via chain growth on triethyl aluminum (15). The linear products are then used as oxo feedstock for both plasticizer and detergent range alcohols and because the feedstocks are linear, the linearity of the alcohol product, which has an entirely odd number of carbons, is a function of the oxo process employed. Alcohols are manufactured from this type of olefin by Sterling, Exxon, ICI, BASE, Oxochemie, and Mitsubishi Chemical. 

Polymers. The manufacture of alcohols fiom higher olefins via the oxo process for use m plasticizers is a significant outlet for both linear a-olefins and branched olefins such as heptenes, nonenes, and dodecenes. These olefins are converted into alcohols containing one more carbon number than the original olefin. The alcohols then react with dibasic anhydrides or adds to form PVC plasticizers. The plasticizers produced from the linear olefins have superior volatility and cold-weallier flexibility characteristics, making them an ideal product to use in flexible PVC for automobile interiors. 

Vincent, R. E, Higher linear Oxo alcohols manufacture", ACS I79th National Meeting. Houston, Texas (25/26 March 1980). 

Most higher alcohols of commercial importance are primary alcohols secondary alcohols have more limited specialty uses. Detergent range alcohols are apt to be straight chain materials and are made either from natural fats and oils or by petrochemical processes. The plasticizer range alcohols are more likely to be branched chain materials and are made primarily by petrochemical processes. Whereas alcohols made from natural fats and oils are always linear, some petrochemical processes produce linear alcohols and others do not. Industrial manufacturing processes are discussed in Synthetic processes. 

Higher n-olefins of Cs-Ci4 are used as intermediates in the manufacture of several types of surfactant materials. Linear internal olefins are used in the production of linear alkylbenzene alkylphenol detergent alcohols, which in turn is used to produce alcohol sulfates, alcohol ethoxylates, and alcohol ether sulfates and synthetic lubricants. a-Olefins are used in the production of detergent alcohols, linear alkylbenzene, synthetic lubricants, and a-olefin sulfonates (another ionic surfactant). 

Over the past few years, market forces have reduced the supply and increased the costs of the linear alcohols used to make linear sidechain phthalate plasticizers. Normal C8 alpha olefins became higher valued in copolymerized metallocene polyolefins (a very big end use) than in production of plasticizer precursors. Olefin manufacturing operations became more efficient in producing targeted olefins fewer low and high MW olefins were coproduced and available for recycling into other olefins. The North American flexible PVC producers have found themselves in the same situation which exists for producers everywhere else in the world linear plasticizers have become less plentiful and more expensive. 

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