| Summary: | In the ethylene glycol generation unit of petrochemical plants, first a reaction of ethylene oxide takes place which is then followed by other side reactions. These reactions include water absorption with ethylene oxide, which leads to the generation of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Over the lifetime of the alpha-alumina-based silver catalyst there is an increase in side reactions, increasing the amount of the formaldehyde and acetaldehyde generated by the ethylene oxide reactor which leads to reduced MEG product purity. Given the need of a petrochemical complex to further strip the aldehyde (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) to increase the quality of the MEG and increase the lifetime of the alpha-alumina-based silver catalyst, resin beds are designed and their surface absorption capacity is investigated to optimize aldehyde (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) removal in the recirculating water flow of the ethylene oxide unit. Experiments show that the ion exchange system based on strong anionic resin pre-treated with a sodium bisulfite solution can reduce the aldehyde level from about 300ppm to less than 5ppm. After the resin is saturated with aldehyde, the resin can be recycled using the sodium bisulfite solution which is a cheap chemical substance.
|
|---|
