Ethylene oxide direct oxidation

AH ethylene oxide direct-oxidation plants are based on the original process chemistry discovered by Lefort in 1931 (7,8). The main reaction is as follows ... 

Ethylene oxide Direct oxidation 100,000 9,000,000 90 0.67 Cost also includes conversion... 

To exemplify the second relationship, process competition, there are the two alternate routes from ethylene to ethylene oxide-direct oxidation and chlorohydrination. Even more involved is the acetic acid picture, in which, as has been described, at least ten processes have been in use at the same time in commercial competition with one another. 

Alternatively, the AC may react with oxiranes (eg, ethylene oxide (R" = H) or propylene oxide (R" = CH3) (eq. 3)) this is a catalyzed addition and requires a much lower caustic-to-ceUulose ratio than is used in direct displacement (eq. 2). 

Materials similar ia high temperature properties to the Du Pont material with better low temperature properties have been synthesized usiag direct fluofination. The first was produced by reaction of fluorine with iaexpensive hydrocarbon polyethers such as poly(ethylene oxide). In the simplest case, poly(ethylene oxide) is converted to the perfluoroethylene oxide polymer ... 

In 1937 the first commercial apphcation of the Lefort direct ethylene oxidation to ethylene oxide [73-21-8] followed by hydrolysis of ethylene oxide became, and remains in the 1990s, the main commercial source of ethylene glycol production (1) (see Ethylene oxide). Ethylene oxide hydrolysis proceeds with... 

Another attractive commercial route to MEK is via direct oxidation of / -butenes (34—39) in a reaction analogous to the Wacker-Hoechst process for acetaldehyde production via ethylene oxidation. In the Wacker-Hoechst process the oxidation of olefins is conducted in an aqueous solution containing palladium and copper chlorides. However, unlike acetaldehyde production, / -butene oxidation has not proved commercially successflil because chlorinated butanones and butyraldehyde by-products form which both reduce yields and compHcate product purification, and also because titanium-lined equipment is required to withstand chloride corrosion. 

Diol Components. Ethylene glycol (ethane 1,2-diol) is made from ethylene by direct air oxidation to ethylene oxide and ring opening with water to give 1,2-diol (40) (see Glycols). Butane-1,4-diol is stiU made by the Reppe process acetylene reacts with formaldehyde in the presence of catalyst to give 2-butyne-l,4-diol which is hydrogenated to butanediol (see Acetylene-DERIVED chemicals). The ethynylation step depends on a special cuprous... 

Thermoplasticity. High molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) can be molded, extmded, or calendered by means of conventional thermoplastic processing equipment (13). Films of poly(ethylene oxide) can be produced by the blown-film extmsion process and, in addition to complete water solubiUty, have the typical physical properties shown in Table 3. Films of poly(ethylene oxide) tend to orient under stress, resulting in high strength in the draw direction. The physical properties, melting behavior, and crystallinity of drawn films have been studied by several researchers (14—17). 

Another subclass of substituted amides that is of great commercial value is the ethoxylated amides. They can be synthesized from alkanolamides by chain extending with ethylene or propylene oxide or by ethoxylation directly from the primary amide (46—48). It was originally beheved that the stepwise addition of ethylene oxide (EO) would produce the monoethano1 amide and then the diethanolamide when sufficient ethylene oxide was added (49), but it has been discovered that only one hydrogen of the amide is substituted with ethylene oxide (50—53). As is typical of most ethylene oxide adducts, a wide distribution of polyethylene oxide chain length is seen as more EO is added. A catalyst is necessary to add ethylene oxide or propylene oxide to a primary or an ethoxylated amide or to ethoxylate a diethoxy alkanolamide synthesized from diethanolamine (54). 

Direct Oxidation of Propylene to Propylene Oxide. Comparison of ethylene (qv) and propylene gas-phase oxidation on supported silver and silver—gold catalysts shows propylene oxide formation to be 17 times slower than ethylene oxide (qv) formation and the CO2 formation in the propylene system to be six times faster, accounting for the lower selectivity to propylene oxide than for ethylene oxide. Increasing gold content in the catalyst results in increasing acrolein selectivity (198). In propylene oxidation a polymer forms on the catalyst surface that is oxidized to CO2 (199—201). Studies of propylene oxide oxidation to CO2 on a silver catalyst showed a rate oscillation, presumably owing to polymerization on the catalyst surface upon subsequent oxidation (202). 

General recommendations for instmmentation include monitoring gas concentration, temperature, time, and the moisture content of the chamber. Hospital sterilizers are not usually equipped with instmmentation providing direct display of gas concentration and moisture content. These rely instead on a specific sequence of steps performed automatically and the recording of pressure which when 100% ethylene oxide is used is a perfect measure for the concentration of this gas. 

Sorbitol is the most important higher polyol used in direct esterification of fatty acids. Esters of sorbitans and sorbitans modified with ethylene oxide are extensively used as surface-active agents. Interesteritication of fatty acid methyl esters with sucrose yields biodegradable detergents, and with starch yields thermoplastic polymers (36). 

Benzyl chloride readily forms a Grignard compound by reaction with magnesium in ether with the concomitant formation of substantial coupling product, 1,2-diphenylethane [103-29-7]. Benzyl chloride is oxidized first to benzaldehyde [100-52-7] and then to benzoic acid. Nitric acid oxidizes directly to benzoic acid [65-85-0]. Reaction with ethylene oxide produces the benzyl chlorohydrin ether, CgH CH20CH2CH2Cl (18). Benzylphosphonic acid [10542-07-1] is formed from the reaction of benzyl chloride and triethyl phosphite followed by hydrolysis (19). 

For many years ethylene chlorohydrin was manufactured on a large iadustrial scale as a precursor to ethylene oxide, but this process has been almost completely displaced by the direct oxidation of ethylene to ethylene oxide over silver catalysts. However, siace other commercially important epoxides such as propylene oxide and epichlorohydrin cannot be made by direct oxidation of the parent olefin, chlorohydrin iatermediates are stiU important ia the manufacture of these products. 

Ethylene oxide [75-21-8] was first prepared in 1859 by Wurt2 from 2-chloroethanol (ethylene chlorohydrin) and aqueous potassium hydroxide (1). He later attempted to produce ethylene oxide by direct oxidation but did not succeed (2). Many other researchers were also unsuccesshil (3—6). In 1931, Lefort achieved direct oxidation of ethylene to ethylene oxide using a silver catalyst (7,8). Although early manufacture of ethylene oxide was accompHshed by the chlorohydrin process, the direct oxidation process has been used almost exclusively since 1940. Today about 9.6 x 10 t of ethylene oxide are produced each year worldwide. The primary use for ethylene oxide is in the manufacture of derivatives such as ethylene glycol, surfactants, and ethanolamines. 

Grown Ethers. Ethylene oxide forms cycHc oligomers (crown ethers) in the presence of fluorinated Lewis acids such as boron tritiuoride, phosphoms pentafluoride, or antimony pentafluoride. Hydrogen fluoride is the preferred catalyst (47). The presence of BF , PF , or SbF salts of alkah, alkaline earth, or transition metals directs the oligomerization to the cycHc tetramer, 1,4,7,10-tetraoxacyclododecane [294-93-9] (12-crown-4), pentamer, 1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxacyclopentadecane [33100-27-6] (15-crown-6), andhexamer, 1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane [17455-13-9]... 

Ethylene oxide has been produced commercially by two basic routes the ethylene chlorohydrin and direct oxidation processes. The chlorohydrin process was first iatroduced dufing World War I ia Germany by Badische Anilin-und Soda-Eabfik (BASE) and others (95). The process iavolves the reaction of ethylene with hypochlorous acid followed by dehydrochlofination of the resulting chlorohydrin with lime to produce ethylene oxide and calcium chloride. Union Carbide Corp. was the first to commercialize this process ia the United States ia 1925. The chlorohydrin process is not economically competitive, and was quickly replaced by the direct oxidation process as the dominant technology. At the present time, all the ethylene oxide production ia the world is achieved by the direct oxidation process. 

In addition to ethylene oxide, carbon dioxide, and water, small quantities of acetaldehyde and traces of formaldehyde are also produced in the process. They generally total less than 0.2% of the ethylene oxide formed. Acetaldehyde is most likely formed by isomerization of ethylene oxide, whereas formaldehyde is most likely formed by direct oxidation of ethylene (108). 

Air-Based Direct Oxidation Process. A schematic flow diagram of the air-based ethylene oxide process is shown in Figure 2. Pubhshed information on the detailed evolution of commercial ethylene oxide processes is very scanty, and Figure 2 does not necessarily correspond to the actual equipment or process employed in any modem ethylene oxide plant. Precise information regarding process technology is proprietary. However, Figure 2 does illustrate all the saUent concepts involved in the manufacturing process. The process can be conveniently divided into three primary sections reaction system, oxide recovery, and oxide purification. 

Fig. 2. Air-based direct oxidation process for ethylene oxide (96,102,109,117—119)).

Table 10. Ranges of Reaction System Variables in the Direct Oxidation Process for Ethylene Oxide ...

Ethylene Oxide Catalysts. Of all the factors that influence the utihty of the direct oxidation process for ethylene oxide, the catalyst used is of the greatest importance. It is for this reason that catalyst preparation and research have been considerable since the reaction was discovered. There are four basic components in commercial ethylene oxide catalysts the active catalyst metal the bulk support catalyst promoters that increase selectivity and/or activity and improve catalyst life and inhibitors or anticatalysts that suppress the formation of carbon dioxide and water without appreciably reducing the rate of formation of ethylene oxide (105). 

Unsteady-State Direct Oxidation Process. Periodic iatermption of the feeds can be used to reduce the sharp temperature gradients associated with the conventional oxidation of ethylene over a silver catalyst (209). Steady and periodic operation of a packed-bed reactor has been iavestigated for the production of ethylene oxide (210). By periodically varyiag the inlet feed concentration of ethylene or oxygen, or both, considerable improvements ia the selectivity to ethylene oxide were claimed. 

Liquid Hazards. Pure liquid ethylene oxide will deflagrate given sufficient initiating energy either at or below the surface, and a propagating flame may be produced (266,267). This requites certain minimum temperatures and pressures sensitive to the mode of initiation and system geometry. Under fire exposure conditions, an ethylene oxide pipeline may undergo internal decomposition either by direct initiation of the Hquid, or by formation and subsequent decomposition of a vapor pocket (190). 

Ethylene bromohydrin has been prepared by the reaction between ethylene glycol and hydrobromic acid and phosphorus tribromide. It has also been prepared by the direct addition of hypobromous acid to ethylene, and by the reaction between ethylene and dilute bromine water. With ethylene oxide now available at a reasonable price, the method described is probably the best because of the high yields and the convenience of reaction. 

These equations hold if an Ignition Curve test consists of measuring conversion (X) as the unique function of temperature (T). This is done by a series of short, steady-state experiments at various temperature levels. Since this is done in a tubular, isothermal reactor at very low concentration of pollutant, the first order kinetic applies. In this case, results should be listed as pairs of corresponding X and T values. (The first order approximation was not needed in the previous ethylene oxide example, because reaction rates were measured directly as the total function of temperature, whereas all other concentrations changed with the temperature.) The example is from Appendix A, in Berty (1997). In the Ignition Curve measurement a graph is made to plot the temperature needed for the conversion achieved. 

Ethylene oxide secondary oxidation with C-tagged ethylene oxide, to clarify the source of CO2, was done at Union Carbide but not published. This was about 10 years before the publication of Happel (1977). With very limited radioactive supply only a semi-quantitative result could be gained but it helped the kinetic modeling work. It became clear that most CO2 comes from ethylene directly and only about 20% from the secondary oxidation of ethylene oxide. 

Many accidents occur because process materials flow in the wrong direction. Eor example, ethylene oxide and ammonia were reacted to make ethanolamine. Some ammonia flowed from the reactor in the opposite direction, along the ethylene oxide transfer line into the ethylene oxide tank, past several non-return valves and a positive displacement pump. It got past the pump through the relief valve, which discharged into the pump suction line. The ammonia reacted with 30m of ethylene oxide in the tank, which ruptured violently. The released ethylene oxide vapor exploded causing damage and destruction over a wide area [5]. A hazard and operability study might have disclosed the fact that reverse flow could occur. 

A direct route for acetone from propylene was developed using a homogeneous catalyst similar to Wacker system (PdCl2/CuCl2). The reaction conditions are similar to those used for ethylene oxidation to acetaldehyde. ... 

An alternative route to PET is by the direct reaction of terephthalic acid and ethylene oxide. The product bis(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalate reacts in a second step with TPA to form a dimer and ethylene glycol, which is released under reduced pressure at approximately 300°C. 

Extend Range of Feedstocks for the Process. Feedstock flexibility can enable maximum advantage to be taken of market fluctuations in the price and availability within the range of feedstocks which can be used. Obviously this is inappropriate in some cases where there is a close chemical link between feedstock and product, e.g. direct oxidation of ethylene to ethylene oxide, but in some processes, e.g. steam-reforming, flexibility is possible and may be advantageous. 

A packed-bed nonpermselective membrane reactor (PBNMR) is presented by Diakov et al. [31], who increased the operational stability in the partial oxidation of methanol by feeding oxygen directly and methanol through a macroporous stainless steel membrane to the PB. Al-Juaied et al. [32] used an inert membrane to distribute either oxygen or ethylene in the selective ethylene oxidation. By accounting for the proper kinetics of the reaction, the selectivity and yield of ethylene oxide could be enhanced over the fixed-bed reactor operation. 

After treatment, the gases are evacuated either diieetly to the outside atmosphere or through a speeial exhaust system. Filtered, sterile air is then admitted either for a repeat of the vaeuum/air cycle or for air purging until the ehamber is opened. In this w, safe removal of the ethylene oxide is achieved ledueing the toxie hazard to the operator. Sterilized artieles are removed directly from the ehamber and arranged for desorption. 

---