What is the main cause of disulfides in MTBE? How to solve it?
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In the later stages of operation of our company’s catalytic cracking unit, the sulfur content in MTBE gradually increased, reaching levels above 1500 PPm; however, the sulfur content in liquefied gas was found to be normal. To understand the reasons in detail, I have arranged for samples to be sent to Nanjing University for thorough analysis; disulfides are the main form of sulfur present. Please help analyze the situation and provide suggestions for solutions.
The problem lies in the desulfurization process used by your company. Existing desulfurization of thiols processes all convert thiols into disulfides ； Dissulfides get concentrated in alkaline solutions; although separation devices are available, the separation efficiency is not good—usually it does not exceed 50%, with the rest ending up in the liquefied gas ； Moreover, MTBE causes sulfur enrichment in liquefied gas.