I&EC 12 |
| The Dow Chemical Company is currently the world's largest producer of epichlorohydrin, a key building block in the synthesis of liquid epoxy resins. In August 2006, Dow announced its intent to manufacture epichlorihydrin in China (100 kTpa) via a novel, acid-catalyzed hydrochlorination process using glycerin. The increasing availability of glycerin stems from the production of biodiesel. The hydrochlorination process not only utilizes a renewable feedstock, but forms the basis of an economically attractive alternative to an existing process. We will discuss the catalytic attributes and advantages of the Dow Glycerin to Epichlorohydrin process (GTE) over existing process routes. These include faster reactions, the ability to produce more concentrated dichlorohydrin streams, high regioselectivity to 1,3-dichlorohydrin, formation of low levels of chlorinated byproducts, and solventless processing. These features combine to make the process more sustainable by reducing the number of unit operations, environmental footprint and manufacturing costs. |
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Feedstocks for the Future II: Renewables for the Production of Chemicals and Materials
8:30 AM-12:00 PM, Monday, August 20, 2007 Boston Park Plaza -- Clarendon Rm, Oral
Division of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry |