MTBE production starts

Mainly involves soaking the catalyst and cleaning the sulfonic acid

Resin catalysts typically contain about 50% water content for long-term storage, and water-containing resin catalysts are highly detrimental to the etherification reaction. Firstly, water reacts with isobutylene in the reactant C4 under the action of the catalyst to form tert-butanol; this reaction occurs more rapidly than the formation of MTBE, as a result of which MTBE products contain large amounts of tert-butanol, affecting their purity. Secondly, water and C4 are immiscible media; the feed C4 flows in the reactor in an extrusion flow pattern. Since the resin catalyst has a very strong affinity for water, when the catalyst bed contains a large amount of water, significant pressure loss occurs as the reaction material C4 passes through the bed. Thirdly, water occupies the active centers of the catalyst, affecting its activity and resulting in a decrease in conversion rate.

Are you still focusing on the MTBE process? The prospects for it don’t seem very good

It has been over a year since the **Notice on the Plan for the Nationwide Use of Ethanol-Blended Gasoline** was issued on September 13, 2017, yet there have been no significant changes in the market situation; the shortage of ethanol remains severe. Coupled with Sino-U.S. trade tensions, there are still many uncertainties regarding whether MTBE will be phased out of gasoline use on schedule

Since the catalyst may contain water, it is soaked in methanol to remove water, thereby preventing the introduction of water after feeding and affecting the quality of tert-butanol production.

In the catalytic fractionation tower, methanol is introduced to remove the moisture from the catalyst using a pump-driven circulation washing method. A methanol purity of 85% or higher is sufficient. The conditions for commencement are met.