EniChem Approach TS-1 Allows the Integration of HP and PO Synthesis

Compared to existing PO process technologies, HPPO is claimed to offer unique benefits from economic and environmental points of view. New PO plants built using HPPO technology are claimed to be more economical because they require up to 25% less capital. The simplicity of the process derives from the fact that there is no need for 

EniChem first developed the concept of process integration for PO production [7f]. The main advantages of the process, compared to the conventional industrial technologies, were reported to be  

The high selectivity for PO and the generation of limited amounts of by-products, which can be easily disposed of 

The independence from an external supply of HP, since hydrogen and oxygen can be produced at most chemical sites by existing technologies, helping to improve the flexibility of the process in relation to the market, and avoiding the coproduction of a second chemical. 

The reaction is carried out at 50-60 °C, with methanol as solvent (it dissolves both HP and the alkene), and a pressure of 10-15 atm. The reaction is kinetically more favorable in the most polar solvents water might be even better than methanol however, in this case, the TS-1 rapidly decays. EniChem chose a mixture of water and methanol as the solvent for the development of the process, as did other companies later on. It is now accepted that the solvent has a role in the partition of the reagents 

---