Isopropyl alcohol is one of the earliest petrochemical products produced in the world. It is an important organic chemical raw material and an organic solvent with excellent performance and has a wide range of uses. If a project design task using isopropyl alcohol as a product is proposed, it should be a very meaningful topic for chemical engineering design students.
Introduction to Isopropyl Alcohol
Iso-Propyl Alcohol (IPA) is an organic compound, an isomer of n-propanol, also known as dimethylmethanol and 2-propanol. It is also called IPA in the industry. It is a colorless and transparent liquid with an odor similar to a mixture of ethanol and acetone. It is miscible with alcohol, ether, chloroform and water. It can dissolve various organic substances and certain inorganic substances such as alkaloids, rubber, shellac, rosin, synthetic resin, etc. It forms an azeotrope with water and is insoluble in salt solutions. It can ignite at room temperature, and its steam can easily form an explosive mixture when mixed with air.
Uses
Isopropyl alcohol is widely used as an organic solvent in the fields of inks and coatings. , also has important applications in medicine, organic chemical raw materials and electronic industry. As chemical raw materials, it can produce acetone, hydrogen peroxide, methyl isobutyl ketone, diisobutyl ketone, isopropylamine, isopropyl ether, isopropyl chloride, as well as fatty acid isopropyl ester and chlorinated fatty acid isopropyl ester. wait. In fine chemicals, it can be used to produce isopropyl nitrate, isopropyl xanthate, triisopropyl phosphite, aluminum isopropoxide, pharmaceuticals and pesticides, etc. It can also be used to produce diisopropyl ketone, isopropyl acetate and Thymol and gasoline additives.
As a solvent, it is a relatively cheap solvent in industry. It has a wide range of uses and can be freely mixed with water. It has good solubility for lipophilic substances. Stronger than ethanol, it can be used as a solvent for nitrocellulose, rubber, paint, shellac, alkaloids, etc. It can be used to produce coatings, inks, extraction agents, aerosol agents, etc. It can also be used as antifreeze, detergent, additive for blending gasoline, dispersant for pigment production, fixative for printing and dyeing industry, anti-fogging agent for glass and transparent plastic, etc. Used as a diluent for adhesives, antifreeze, dehydrating agent, etc.
In the electronics industry, it can be used as a cleaning and degreasing agent. In the oil and fat industry, cottonseed oil extractant can also be used for degreasing animal-derived tissue membranes.
Supply and demand status
my country’s isopropyl alcohol market The demand for isopropyl alcohol is steadily increasing year by year, but the supply growth of isopropyl alcohol obviously lags behind the market demand. my country is a major importer of isopropyl alcohol. It only started research on the industrialization of isopropyl alcohol in the 1960s. In 1977, PetroChina Jinzhou Petrochemical Company established an isopropyl alcohol unit with an annual output of 20,000 tons, and then the national production capacity was gradually expanded. For a long time, our country has needed to import large quantities from abroad. For a long time to come, the contradiction between supply and demand in the isopropyl alcohol market will surely become more prominent.
Company |
Capacity |
Production process |
PetroChina Jinzhou Petrochemical Company |
10 |
Acrylic hydration method |
Zhejiang Xinhua Chemical Co., Ltd. |
5 |
Acetone hydrogenation method |
Shandong Dongying Haike Chemical (Group Company) |
4.5 |
Propylene hydration method |
Shandong Zibo Bonao Chemical Co., Ltd. |
2 |
Acrylic hydration method |
Zhejiang Jiande Jianye Organic Chemical Co., Ltd. |
1 |
Acetone hydrogenation method |
Shandong Dezhou Dehua Chemical Co., Ltd. |
1 |
Acetone hydrogenation method |
Other |
1 |
Production process
You may be surprised by the initial production process of isopropyl alcohol: acetone is obtained by biological fermentation of grain, and then the isopropyl alcohol product is produced through hydrogenation reaction. This primitive craft consumed a large amount of high-quality grain and was, as expected, eliminated by the course of history.
At present, the industrial production methods of isopropyl alcohol in the world can be mainly divided into propylene indirect hydration method and propylene direct hydration method. In recent years, there has been overcapacity in the acetone raw material market, which has led to the emergence of a process for producing isopropanol through catalytic hydrogenation using acetone as raw material. In addition, there are some methods and reports on producing isopropanol through direct oxidation and other methods.
Direct hydration of propylene
Direct hydration of propylene is currently the main production method in industry. It is produced by directly hydrating high-purity propylene and water in the presence of a catalyst to produce isopropanol, and also has n-propanol as a by-product.
The direct hydration of propylene to isopropanol mainly includes three methods: gas-phase direct hydration, liquid-phase direct hydration and gas-liquid mixed-phase hydration. These three methods are also the most commonly used in the world. production method. Among them, the gas-phase direct hydration method is represented by the Viba method developed by Germany’s Viba Corporation using phosphoric acid/diatomite as a catalyst. The liquid-phase direct hydration method uses an aqueous solution of tungsten-based polyanions (such as silicotungstic acid) as a catalyst. The solution catalytic method of Sansoda Company is represented, and the gas-liquid mixed phase method is represented by the ion exchange resin method of the German branch of Texaco of the United States using tungsten oxide/silica gel as the catalyst.
(Propylene direct hydration method-Viba method process)
(Propylene direct hydration method – Tokuyama Soda method process)
(Propylene direct hydration method – Texaco method process)
Propylene indirect hydration method
The propylene indirect hydration method, also known as the propylene sulfuric acid hydration method, is to dissolve propylene in a sulfuric acid solution to produce ester The chemical reaction produces isopropyl hydrogen sulfate and diisopropyl sulfate, which are then hydrolyzed to obtain crude isopropyl alcohol, and finally refined to obtain a high-purity isopropyl alcohol product. The dilute sulfuric acid obtained by hydrolysis can be recycled after concentration and removal of solid or gel matter.
The process is complex, the selectivity is low, the hydrolysis of esters and sulfuric acid regeneration requires a large amount of steam, the equipment is seriously corroded, wastewater and exhaust gas treatment is difficult, there is certain pollution to the environment, and the raw materials The consumption and production costs are high, which limits its development. This law was gradually phased out after the 1980s.
(Propylene indirect hydration process)
Acetone hydrogenation method
As the initial intermediate for the production of isopropanol products through grain fermentation, acetone’s production capacity has gradually increased in recent years. Therefore, the technology of acetone hydrogenation to produce isopropanol has returned to the attention of industrial personnel.
Compared with the sulfuric acid indirect hydration method, the acetone hydrogenation method has a lower degree of corrosion on production equipment. The acetone hydrogenation method uses copper or zinc oxide as a carrier catalyst or a nickel-based catalyst. At 70-200°C and normal pressure, acetone is hydrogenated to generate isopropyl alcohol. This method has high selectivity, and the acetone conversion rate can reach 90%. However, acetone raw materials are expensive, production expenditure costs are high, and economic benefits are weak, making it difficult to achieve large-scale industrial expansion by the acetone hydrogenation method.
Written at the end
In addition, propane oxidation, transesterification, enzyme catalysis, ester hydrogenation and other methods for producing isopropyl alcohol have developed in recent years. Rapidly, although it is not widely used in industry, it is gradually being valued due to its economic advantages, good atom economy, simple operation, low energy consumption and other advantages. Especially on the basis of the current overcapacity of many raw materials, it is necessary to open up new production processes. Isopropyl alcohol has a bright future.
The above is the introduction to the isopropyl alcohol production process in this issue. I believe that in addition to what is mentioned in the tweet, there are still many unique technologies in the isopropyl alcohol production process that have not been industrialized on a large scale, waiting for students. Excavate.
References:
Li Yinyan. Isopropyl alcohol production technology and market outlook [J]. Fine and Specialty Chemicals, 2011, 19(12):8-11.
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Cui Xiaoming. Production technology and market analysis of isopropanol [J]. Chemical Industry, 2007, 25(012):34-42.
Liu Zhongmin, Zhu Shukui, Zhang Shigang, et al. Technology for direct hydration of propylene to produce isopropyl alcohol[J]. Fine and Specialty Chemicals, 2005, 13(15):1-4.
Xu Jiahao. Research on optimization and control of isopropyl alcohol synthesis process[J]. D]. 2018.
Zhou Qingwei. Research on the process of direct hydration of propylene to prepare isopropanol [D]. 2015.
Liu Yinchuan. The whole process of the process of hydration of propylene to prepare isopropanol Simulation[D]. Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 2011.
�Process)
Acetone Hydrogenation Method
As an intermediate for the initial production of isopropanol products through grain fermentation, acetone’s production capacity has gradually increased in recent years, so acetone The technology of producing isopropyl alcohol through hydrogenation is back on the radar of industrial personnel.
Compared with the sulfuric acid indirect hydration method, the acetone hydrogenation method has a lower degree of corrosion on production equipment. The acetone hydrogenation method uses copper or zinc oxide as a carrier catalyst or a nickel-based catalyst. At 70-200°C and normal pressure, acetone is hydrogenated to generate isopropyl alcohol. This method has high selectivity, and the acetone conversion rate can reach 90%. However, acetone raw materials are expensive, production expenditure costs are high, and economic benefits are weak, making it difficult to achieve large-scale industrial expansion by the acetone hydrogenation method.
Written at the end
In addition, propane oxidation, transesterification, enzyme catalysis, ester hydrogenation and other methods for producing isopropyl alcohol have developed in recent years. Rapidly, although it is not widely used in industry, it is gradually being valued due to its economic advantages, good atom economy, simple operation, low energy consumption and other advantages. Especially on the basis of the current overcapacity of many raw materials, it is necessary to open up new production processes. Isopropyl alcohol has a bright future.
The above is the introduction to the isopropyl alcohol production process in this issue. I believe that in addition to what is mentioned in the tweet, there are still many unique technologies in the isopropyl alcohol production process that have not been industrialized on a large scale, waiting for students. Excavate.
References:
Li Yinyan. Isopropyl alcohol production technology and market outlook [J]. Fine and Specialty Chemicals, 2011, 19(12):8-11.
p>
Cui Xiaoming. Production technology and market analysis of isopropanol [J]. Chemical Industry, 2007, 25(012):34-42.
Liu Zhongmin, Zhu Shukui, Zhang Shigang, et al. Technology for direct hydration of propylene to produce isopropyl alcohol[J]. Fine and Specialty Chemicals, 2005, 13(15):1-4.
Xu Jiahao. Research on optimization and control of isopropyl alcohol synthesis process[J]. D]. 2018.
Zhou Qingwei. Research on the process of direct hydration of propylene to prepare isopropanol [D]. 2015.
Liu Yinchuan. The whole process of the process of hydration of propylene to prepare isopropanol Simulation[D]. Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 2011.