A Synergistic Approach to the Development of Improves and Alternative Methods for the Synthesis and Processing of Sulfolanes

这项研究的目的是制定解决工业过程中环境废物问题的一般战略，包括过程设计和优化、催化和替代化学的应用、减少有毒化学品的使用、回收和回收以从源头消除废物。绩效指标计划应用工艺设计技术、对工艺化学的更好理解以及新开发的合成和催化化学，以提高生产环丁砜工艺的能效和成本效益(作为实例工艺)，同时最大限度地减少废物。预期的好处包括：(1)开发可用于解决与其他工业过程相关的环境和能源问题的替代工艺、化学和方法，以及(2)开发在工艺设计和优化中考虑环境成本的模型，并使化学家了解在设计化学反应时需要考虑能源效率、副产品生产和废物产生和处理。环丁磺酸是一种无色、水溶性、无毒、可生物降解和高极性的化合物，其市场价值来自于其特殊的热稳定性、化学惰性和溶剂特性。每年消耗1800万至2000万磅的环丁硫烷用于各种应用，包括提取芳香烃、木材脱木素、从天然气蒸气中去除酸性化合物，以及用于聚合和纤维纺丝、电镀槽和电池的溶液。在接下来的几年里，法规的变化和“改善环境”工业流程的运动可能会使环丁砜的市场增加50%或更多。目前，1，3-丁二烯与二氧化硫反应生成3-环丁硫烯，再经催化加氢生成环丁硫烷。这些反应在两个间歇搅拌釜式反应器中串联进行。通过让水或蒸汽通过每个反应堆周围的加热套来保持反应温度。合成的第一步需要过量的二氧化硫，并受到聚砜产生的副反应的困扰，这些副反应限制了工艺产率，毒化了加氢催化剂，并带来了废物处理问题。通过抽真空或净化反应器和产生SOx副产品的氧化反应来去除多余的二氧化硫会造成排放问题。环丁砜合成和加工的改进和替代方法的开发可以消除或最大限度地减少这些环境问题，提高能源效率，降低产品成本。国内两家环丁硫醚生产商之一的菲利普斯石油公司将积极参与这一研究项目。

The purpose of this research is to develop a general strategy for attacking environmental waste problems in industrial processes, that include process design and optimization, application of catalytic and alternative chemistry, reduction in the use of toxic chemicals, recycling, and recovery to eliminate waste at its source. The PIs plan to apply process design techniques, an improved understanding of process chemistry, and newly developed synthetic and catalytic chemistries to improve the energy efficiency and cost effectiveness of the process to produce sulfolane (as an example process), while minimizing waste. The anticipated benefits include: (1) the development of alternative processes, chemistries, and approaches that could be used to attack environmental and energy problems associated with other industrial processes, and (2) the development of models for considering environmental costs in process design and optimization and exposing chemists to the need to consider energy efficiency, by-product production, and waste generation and disposal in the design of chemical reactions. Sulfolane a colorless, water soluble, non-toxic, bio- degradable, and highly polar compound, derives its market value from its exceptional thermal stability, chemical inertness, and solvent properties. Eighteen to twenty million pounds of sulfolane are consumed annually in a variety of applications including extraction of aromatic hydrocarbons, delignification of wood, removal of acidic compounds from natural gas streams, and solutions for polymerization and fibre spinning, electroplating baths, and batteries. In the next several years, regulatory changes and the movement to "environmentally improve" industrial processes could possibly increase the market for sulfolanes by 50% or more. Currently, sulfolane is produced via the reaction of 1,3-butadiene with sulfur dioxide to produce 3-sulfolene, which then undergoes catalytic hydrogenation to yield sulfolane. These reactions are carried out in series in two batch stirred tank reactors. Reaction temperatures are maintained by passing water or steam through heating jackets around each reactor. The first step in the synthesis requires excess sulfur dioxide and is plagued by polysulfone-producing side reactions that limit process yield, poison the hydrogenation catalyst, and present waste disposal problems. Removal of the excess sulfur dioxide by evacuating or purging the reactor and oxidation reactions which produce SOx by-products creates emission problems. The development of improved and alternative methods for the synthesis and processing of sulfolane could eliminate or minimize these environmental concerns, improve energy efficiency, and reduce product cost. Phillips Petroleum, one of the two domestic producers of sulfolane, will be actively involved in this research project.