Nitrous oxide, medical, processing

N20 emission at chemical plants and the methods of its abatement have been considered in several reviews [185-187]. The major emission is related to the preparation of nitric add and its use in oxidation processes, like those involved in the production of adipic acid, caprolactam, glyoxal, acrylonitrile, and so forth. Of them, the biggest emission is the offgases of adipic acid about 1 M MT N 20 per year with a concentration of 30-40%. Recovery and purification of N20 from these offgases for use in the oxidation of benzene to phenol are described by Uriarte [188], Some companies use these off-gases to obtain medical-grade nitrous oxide. 

Despite its brilliant results, it seems unlikely that the Solutia process can become a major source of phenol. Nitrous oxide availability is quite limited and its production on-purpose (by the conventional ammonium nitrate decomposition, which enables nitrous oxide of high purity to be produced for medical anesthetic applications, or even by selective oxidation of ammonia) would result too expensive. Therefore, the only reasonable scenario to exploit the Solutia process is its implementation close to adipic acid plants, where nitrous oxide is co-produced by the nitric oxidation of cyclohexanol-cyclohexanone mixtures and where it could be used to produce phenol instead of being disposed of However, the stoichiometry of the process is such that a relatively small phenol plant would require a world-scale adipic acid plant for its nitrous oxide supply. In fact, a pilot plant has been operated using this technology, but its commercialization has been postponed. 

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