Studies On The Ethanol To Mixed Hydrocarbons

Olefins, parafins and aromatics are very important basic feedstocks of petrochemical industry. They are traditionally produced from petroleum feedstock. With the decrease of oil resources and the rise in oil prices, it is a trend to develop non-petroleum based technologies to produce olefins, paraffins and aromatics. Ethanol to hydrocarbons (ETH) processes is the strategy choices of Chinese petrochemical industry and has great potential in development and application.Ethanol was converted to gas light hydrocarbons and liquid hydrocarbons using fixed bed reactor in a micro-reaction device with ZSM-5catalyst. Effects of reaction temperature, amount of catalyst, mass space velocity (WHSV) and reaction pressure on the yield of liquid hydrocarbons and reaction temperature on catalyst activation time were studied. The reaction products were composed of 38.4% gas hydrocarbons, 22.6% liquid hydrocarbons and 39% water with optimal WHSV=9 mL·h-1·gcat-1,10 g catalyst at 390℃ and 2.50 MPa pressure.The gas hydrocarbons were mainly ethylene and the liquid hydrocarbons were mainly composed of 31.8655% C4～7 alkanes and alkenes,58.6921% C7～10 alkylbenzenes and 9.3998% C11～14 alkylnaphthalenes. The performance of catalyst was not decrease in the 8 h continuous reaction. Result shown that the temperature and the WHSV were the main effect factors on the yield of liquid hydrocarbons.Under the optimized conditions, the process of ethanol to mixed hydrocarbons was simulated with ASPEN PLUS software at the 1000kg/hr feed of the ethanol.