Production of Toluene and TNT from Natural Oil by Extraction

Abstract

DURING the World War the problem of isolating toluene from natural crude oil was of outstanding importance. At that time the Austrian authorities had at their disposal oil from Galicia which gave about 4.5 per cent of gasoline with boiling points between 85° and 125° C. This special middle fraction contained roughly, 6 per cent of toluene. Crude oil from Rumania contained higher amounts of aromatics; for instance, the material from Arbanesti 30 to 35 per cent. In order t o extract the aromatics from such oils, the Edeleanu process using liquid sulfur dioxide below —10° C. was employed. Aromatic hydrocarbons, other unsaturated hydrocarbons (which are not found in larger amounts in natural oils but in cracked products), small quantities of naphthenes, and saturated aliphatics are dissolved in this liquid sulfur dioxide. Most of the saturated aliphatics and hydroaromatics do not react with this extracting agent whose effect is based on partial valences. In an ...