Economic Interrelationships of Certain Unit Processes

Abstract

THIS paper deviates from most of the past papers presented before the Unit Process Symposium in discussing the economic aspects of unit processes rather than the purely technical aspects. Relatively few chemicals are made commercially few only one process; most chemicals arcinadeby two, three, four, or even more competing processes. Very few chemicals have such unique properties that they have noncompetitive markets; most chemicals have one or more competitive chemicals which can replace them as supplies and prices change. This paper docs not attempt to cover the economic interrelationships of the whole field of unit processes, but restricts itself to a few unit processes producing a group of related aliphatic organic chemicals. The-unit processes utilized are fermentatioa, oxidation, hydration, dehydration, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and aldol condensation, with esterification brought in as an accessory process. Other important unit processes which are not covered include nitration, sulfonation, hal...