Production of ethylbenzene from ethanol (dry gas) and benzene
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Currently, the main industrial methods for obtaining ethylbenzene are as follows: 1) Separation of C8 mixed aromatics produced in refineries or through aromatization; the output is very small, and the quality is not sufficient to meet the demands of styrene production； 2) 2. The liquid-phase hydrocarbonation method using benzene and ethylene as raw materials and an aluminum trichloride complex as catalyst has been largely phased out due to severe pollution and equipment corrosion ； 3) 3. Using benzene and ethylene as raw materials, ethylbenzene is obtained through a gas-phase reaction carried out at 400°C and 1.9 MPa pressure, with molecular sieves acting as catalysts. This method causes little pollution; it features efficient use of materials and energy, requires a small amount of catalyst, and is currently a widely used industrial production method worldwide ； 4) 4. Using benzene and ethylene as raw materials, a liquid-phase reaction is carried out at around 280°C and 3.5 MPa, with molecular sieves acting as catalysts, to produce ethylbenzene. The advantages of this method are that the reaction temperature is lower than that of the gas-phase method, the selectivity of the reaction is better, and there is little pollution; however, more catalyst is required and the equipment investment is high. It is currently also widely used in the styrene industry ； 5) The development of a technology using ethanol and benzene as raw materials builds on the advantages of the molecular sieve high-temperature gas-phase hydrocarbonation process. From the perspective of sustainable resource utilization, renewable ethanol is employed in place of ethylene, which is becoming increasingly scarce and expensive; moreover, the process steps required to convert ethanol into ethylene are eliminated. This approach offers certain economic competitiveness, and the quality of the product meets the requirements for styrene production. The disadvantages are that the catalyst consumption and the overall energy consumption of the facility are slightly higher than those in the ethylene-based method, yet the overall economic indicators are significantly better than those of the ethylene method. I would like to ask everyone: who is aware of the costs of other methods and the current price of ethylbenzene? songligang@gmail.com
Such technology is suitable for companies that want to operate styrene plants but lack a sufficient supply of ethylene
There is a plant with a capacity of 50,000 tons in Jiangsu, and one with a capacity of 200,000 tons in Shandong. You are welcome to visit for inspections. songligang@gmail.com, 15940841668
Our process for producing ethylbenzene uses 200,000 tons of ethanol; it is currently operating at full capacity with stable performance
This post was last edited by Wangyangzhizhou on 2010-1-1 21:35. Since most ethanol is produced through the fermentation of food crops**, using ethanol as a substitute for ethylene should be beneficial； For our country, especially under the current price system, it is impossible to be profitable in producing ethylene or ethylbenzene via the ethanol method.
Shandong Yuhuang seems to produce ethylbenzene from ethanol.
The essence is the same; it’s just that the two-step process is combined into one step: ethanol is dehydrated to produce ethylene, which then undergoes a alkylation reaction with benzene to form ethylbenzene. The processing fee will be lower, but the cost of raw materials will not decrease at all.
Friends from the Shanghai Petrochemical Research Institute said that the catalysts used in the ethanol-to-ethylbenzene production facilities in Shandong have poor performance, resulting in poor economic returns. It has been decided recently to replace the catalyst, and in the long term, there are plans to switch to the ethylene method.