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订一项对付工业过程中的环境废物问题的一般战略，其中包括工艺设计和优化、催化化学和替代化学的应用、减少使用有毒化学品、再循环和从源头消除废物的回收。PIs计划应用工艺设计技术，提高对工艺化学的理解，以及新开发的合成和催化化学，以提高生产环己烷过程的能源效率和成本效益（作为示例过程），同时最大限度地减少浪费。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；(2)开发在工艺设计和优化中考虑环境成本的模型，并使化学家认识到需要考虑能源效率；化学反应设计中副产品的产生、废物的产生和处理。亚砜是一种无色、水溶性、无毒、可生物降解的高极性化合物，因其优异的热稳定性、化学惰性和溶剂性而具有市场价值。每年有1800万到2000万磅的亚砜被用于各种应用，包括芳香烃的提取、木材的去木素化、从天然气流中去除酸性化合物、聚合和纤维纺丝、电镀浴和电池的解决方案。在接下来的几年里，监管变化和“环境改善”工业过程的运动可能会使亚砜的市场增加50%或更多。目前，通过1,3-丁二烯与二氧化硫反应生成3-亚砜，然后催化加氢生成亚砜。这些反应在两个间歇式搅拌槽反应器中串联进行。反应温度是通过将水或蒸汽通过每个反应堆周围的加热套来维持的。合成的第一步需要过量的二氧化硫，并受到产生聚砜的副反应的困扰，这些副反应限制了工艺产量，毒害了氢化催化剂，并出现了废物处理问题。通过排出或净化反应器和产生SOx副产物的氧化反应来去除多余的二氧化硫会产生排放问题。改进和替代合成和加工亚砜的方法的发展可以消除或尽量减少这些环境问题，提高能源效率，并降低产品成本。国内两家亚砜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.