Integrated Co-Production of Dicarboxylic Acids

Abstract

The invention provides improved energy content in and shaft power recovery from off-gas from xylene oxidation reactions while at the same time minimizing wastewater treatment cost. More shaft power is produced using off-gas than is required to drive the main air compressor, even with preferred, relatively low oxidation temperatures. Simultaneously, an amount of wastewater greater than byproduct water from oxidation of xylene is kept in vapor form and treated along with off-gas pollutants in a self-sustaining (self-fueling) gas-phase thermal oxidative destruction unit. Optionally, off-gas is combined from multiple xylene oxidation reactors, comprising primary and/or secondary oxidation reactors and forming TPA and/or IPA. Optionally, air compressor condensate and caustic scrubber blowdown are used in a TPA process or as utility water, effectively eliminating normal flow of liquid wastewater effluent from a TPA plant. Optionally, PET off-gas containing the water of PET formation is treated in a shared thermal oxidative destruction unit, effectively eliminating normal flow of liquid wastewater effluent from a combined pX-to-TPA-to-PET plant.

1 . An integrated process for simultaneously producing at least two different dicarboxylic acids, said process comprising:
 (a) oxidizing a first aromatic compound in a first oxidation reactor to thereby produce a first dicarboxylic acid product and a first vapor;   (b) oxidizing a second aromatic compound in a second oxidation reactor to thereby produce a second dicarboxylic acid product and a second vapor, wherein the production rate of said first dicarboxylic acid product from said first oxidation reactor is at least 5 times greater than the production rate of said second dicarboxylic acid from said second oxidation reactor; and   (c) introducing at least a portion of said first vapor and at least a portion of said second vapor into a common solvent recovery system.   
   
   
       2 . The process according to  claim 1  wherein said first aromatic acid is terephthalic acid. 
   
   
       3 . The process according to  claim 1  wherein said second aromatic acid is isophthalic acid. 
   
   
       4 . The process according to  claim 1  wherein the production rate of said first dicarboxylic acid product from said first oxidation reactor is at least 10 times the production rate of said second dicarboxylic acid from said second oxidation reactor. 
   
   
       5 . The process according to  claim 1  wherein said solvent recovery system produces an off-gas stream and a recovered solvent stream, wherein said process further comprises passing at least a portion of said off-gas stream through a turboexpander. 
   
   
       6 . The process according to  claim 5  further comprising directly or indirectly recycling a first portion of said recovered solvent stream back to first oxidation reactor and a second portion of said recovered solvent stream back to said second oxidation reactor. 
   
   
       7 . The process according to  claim 6  further comprising compressing air in a common air compressor to thereby provide compressed air, further comprising feeding a first portion of said compressed air to said first oxidation reactor, further comprising feeding a second portion of said compressed air to said second oxidation reactor. 
   
   
       8 . The process according to  claim 1  wherein said process is carried out in a TPA/IPA production facility, wherein during steady state operation of said TPA/IPA production facility liquid wastewater exits said TPA/IPA facility to a liquid waste water treatment facility at a rate of less than about 400 gram of liquid wastewater effluent per kilogram of solid TPA product formed. 
   
   
       9 . The process according to  claim 1  wherein said process is carried out in a TPA/IPA production facility, wherein during steady state operation of said TPA/IPA production facility liquid wastewater exits said TPA/IPA facility to a liquid waste water treatment facility at a rate of less than about 200 gram of liquid wastewater effluent per kilogram of solid TPA product formed. 
   
   
       10 . The process according to  claim 1  wherein said process is carried out in a TPA/IPA production facility, wherein during steady state operation of said TPA/IPA production facility liquid wastewater exits said TPA/IPA facility to a liquid waste water treatment facility at a rate of less than about 300 gram of liquid wastewater effluent per kilogram of solid TPA product formed. 
   
   
       11 . The process according to  claim 1  further comprising subjecting at least a portion of said first aromatic acid to purification by further oxidation in a digestion reactor, further comprising routing a digester off-gas from said digestion reactor to said solvent recovery system. 
   
   
       12 . The process according to  claim 1  wherein said oxidizing of step (a) is carried out at a pressure of at least 2 bara. 
   
   
       13 . The process according to  claim 1  wherein said oxidizing of step (a) is carried out at a temperature of at least 120° C. and less than 200° C. 
   
   
       14 . A process for making polyethylene terephthalate (PET), said process comprising:
 (a) feeding terephthalic acid (TPA) and crude isophthalic acid (IPA) to a PET production facility;   (b) esterifying said TPA and said crude IPA in said PET production facility to thereby produce an esterification product; and   (c) polycondensing at least a portion of said esterification product in said PET production facility to thereby produce PET.   
   
   
       15 . The process according to  claim 14  wherein crude IPA has a 3-CBA content of at least 1,000 ppmw. 
   
   
       16 . The process according to  claim 15  wherein the total amount of water exiting said TPA production facility and PET production facility to the ambient external environment as a vapor is at least 0.3 kilograms per kilogram of aromatic compound fed to said oxidizer in said TPA production. 
   
   
       17 . A process for making a polyester, said process comprising
 (a) making terephthlic acid (TPA) in a TPA production facility;   (b) making isophthalic acid (IPA) in an IPA production facility, where said TPA and IPA production facilities are process integrated; and   (c) making said polyester from at least a portion of said TPA and IPA in a polyester production facility, wherein said TPA, IPA, and polyester production facilities are located within 10 miles of one another.   
   
   
       18 . The process according to  claim 15  wherein crude IPA has a 3-CBA content of at least 1,000 ppmw. 
   
   
       19 . The process according to  claim 18  wherein the total amount of water exiting said TPA production facility and PET production facility to the ambient external environment as a vapor is at least 0.3 kilograms per kilogram of aromatic compound fed to said oxidizer in said TPA production.