Process Design for production of 1,3-Butadiene and Methyl Ethyl Ketone from Dehydration of 2,3-Butanediol

Abstract

Abstract In this research, we have suggested the novel process design to produce 1,3-BD(1,3-Butadiene) and MEK(Methyl ethyl ketone) in commercial scale. Compared to the traditional process of 1,3-BD and MEK production which is based on the petroleum resources, the proposed process utilize the 2,3-BDO(2,3-Butanediol) which comes from fermentation of biomass and industrial waste as a starting material, thus reduces environmental pollution. Through this process, the recovery rates of 1,3-BD and MEK are 94% and 98%, respectively. The process is mainly composed of a catalytic dehydration reactor, BD purification unit, MEK purification unit with ADC (Azeotropic Distillation Column). Most of parts in this process are well-commercialized with the exception of the ADC in the MEK purification unit which uses cyclohexane as an entrainer. It was validated with the comparison of the simulated date and the operating result of the pilot plant. The result of the experiment represents that approximately MEK 85%, 2-Methylpropanal (2-MPA) 16%, and a trace of water were effectively separated to the bottom stream in the ADC. It is good correspondence with the simulated data with an error range of only ± 2 %.