Conversion of by-products of alcohol production to produce isobutanol

Abstract

Intensive research is underway in all developed countries to create an economical process for the production of butanol and its derivatives from biomass, which reduces the cost of the product compared to existing processes for producing synthetic butanol based on fossil raw materials. This is primarily due to the prospects of using butanol and its derivatives as an alternative fuel. The paper proposes a technology for the production of isobutyl alcohol, which provides for the processing of by-products of alcohol production by hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde. A concentrate of ethyl alcohol head fractions (KGF) and a concentrate of ethyl alcohol head fractions (KGF) were used as objects of research. In the process of work, a technology for processing by-products of alcohol production is proposed, which includes a number of stages with the production of isobutyl alcohol as a finished product, which can be used in the production of plastics, rubber, coatings, medicine and the production of special solvents, as well as as an additive to fuel. Experimental studies were conducted to obtain isobutanol and study its physicochemical properties: color, density; mass fraction of isobutyl alcohol, mass fraction of acids in terms of acetic acid, bromine number, mass fraction of carbonyl compounds in terms of oil aldehyde, mass fraction of non-volatile residue. The technological process at the isobutanol production plant is differentiated by stages, which are carried out sequentially in separate reactors with the treatment of intermediates with catalysts. As a result of the developed technology, butyl alcohol with a mass fraction of isobutyl alcohol of at least 99.3% was obtained.