Process for preparing ethylene and other olefins from aqueous solutions of the corresponding alcohols

US9714200B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. · DE

Inventors

• Gerd Unkelbach · Starnberg, DE
• Rainer Schweppe · Karlsruhe, DE
• Thomas Hirth · Bogen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 24, 2013
• Grant date: Jul 25, 2017
• Expiry date: Jul 11, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P20/54
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for the continuous production of one or more olefins from an aqueous solution of corresponding alcohol(s) including: Providing a solid-free aqueous solution of the alcohol(s); putting the solution through a reactor, which is filled with a fixed-bed catalyst such that the solution comes into contact with the catalyst when flowing through the reactor at a temperature of at least 300° C. and a pressure of at least 220 bar in such a temperature/pressure combination that the alcohol(s) are reacted under supercritical conditions; and transferring a resulting two-stage mixture to a separator, in which the mixture is separated in a raw olefin gas phase and an aqueous liquid phase; wherein the catalyst is selected from among metal oxides having the properties of a Bronstedt acid, insoluble metallic or semi-metallic phosphates as well as porous materials selected from among pumice and carbon, the surface area of which is coated with inorganic acid groups.