Production of isobutylene from n-butane

From a thermodynamic perspective, in the dehydroisomerization of n-butane to isobutylene, a dehydrogenation reaction occurs first, followed by an isomerization reaction. The dehydroisomerization of n-butane to isobutylene takes place under high temperature and low pressure conditions.

Currently, there should be two routes for converting n-butane to isobutylene: one involves the isomerization of n-butane into isobutane, followed by the dehydration of isobutane to produce isobutylene. One route involves the oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butane to produce n-butylene, which is then isomerized to isobutylene. Both of these routes have industrial facilities.

Please compare the advantages, disadvantages, and features of these two

Of course it’s possible. n-Butane is isomerized to isobutane, and isobutane is dehydrogenated to isobutylene.

Our plant first uses heterogeneity in the dehydrogenation process, and it has been successfully put into operation. There’s no problem; olefin isomerization also exists, but it’s not as effective as isomerodehydrogenation.

At what temperature does the isomerization of n-butane to isobutane occur approximately?

I’m quite familiar with Shanghai HeTu’s team – I know your organization well! Getting back to the topic, the yield for the conversion of n-butane is lower when light components are removed first followed by isomerization; usually, isomerization is carried out first and then light components are removed, as the yield from isomerizing isobutane before removing light components is 5-10% higher than that from n-butane ； Currently, the main fluidization and bed-based technologies for lightening both domestically and internationally include fluidized bed and fixed bed methods, as well as moving bed techniques, among others. But the mature technologies are all from abroad. The domestic technology mainly draws on Rumus’ fluidized bed and fixed-bed technologies. However, fixed-bed technology requires considerations regarding catalyst regeneration, involves large-scale reaction equipment, and needs a sophisticated set of programmed control systems. Fluidized-bed technology is similar to that used in catalytic cracking; currently, there is a relatively mature version of this technology available in China, with investment requirements that are much lower than those abroad.

It’s not from the River Map; it was made using Russian technology to a large extent. We are Shandong Haicheng Design Institute, specializing in UOP’s Oleflex-BDH dehydrogenation processes. Currently, there are still many operators driving BDH and PDH units at UOP

Can a mixture of n-butane and isobutane be used as a raw material for producing isobutylene? How much is the investment for the equipment?

Thank you very much; I hope we can communicate more