Patent ID: 6180821
Filing Date: 2001-01-30
Classification: C07C,Y02P

Abstract:
An integrated process for the production of acetic acid and/or vinyl acetate which comprises the steps:(a) contacting in a first reaction zone a gaseous feedstock comprising ethylene and/or ethane and optionally steam with a molecular oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a catalyst active for the oxidation of ethylene to acetic acid and/or ethane to acetic acid and ethylene to produce a first gaseous product stream comprising acetic acid, water and ethylene, either as unreacted ethylene and/or as co-produced ethylene, and optionally also ethane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and/or nitrogen;(b) contacting in a second reaction zone in the presence or absence of additional ethylene and/or acetic acids at least a portion of the first gaseous product stream comprising at least acetic acid and ethylene and optionally also one or more of water, ethane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and/or nitrogen with a molecular oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a catalyst active for the production of vinyl acetate to produce a second product stream comprising vinyl acetate, water, acetic acid and optionally ethylene, said contacting in said second reaction zone being carried out heterogeneously with the ethylene, acetic acid and molecular oxygen-containing gas being present in the gas phase;(c) separating the product stream from step (b) by distillation into an overhead azeotrope fraction comprising vinyl acetate and water and a base fraction comprising acetic acid;(d) either (i) recovering acetic acid from the base fraction separated in step (c) and optionally recycling the azeotrope fraction separated in step (c) after partial or complete separation of the water therefrom to step (c),or (ii) recovering vinyl acetate from the azeotrope fraction separated in step (c) and optionally recycling the base fraction separated in step (c) to step (b),or (iii) recovering acetic acid from the base fraction separated in step (c) and recovering vinyl acetate from the overhead azeotrope fraction recovered in step (c).