Stephen Harrison explores the area of industrial gases integration with petrochemicals processing and outlines the roles of oxygen and CO2 in ethylene oxide production
Ethylene oxide (EO) production is one of the best examples of deep integration between the petrochemical and industrial gases sectors. In the presence of a catalyst, oxygen reacts with ethylene to produce ethylene oxide and yields carbon dioxide (CO2) as a co-product.
CO2 capture is essential in ethylene oxide production to avoid an accumulation of CO2 in the reactor gas recycle loop. This CO2 can be liquefied and sold to commercial applications.
The oxygen for EO production can be drawn in from the air, in which case four times the volume of nitrogen is brought into the process. This nitrogen is an inert ballast gas that plays no valuable role in the chemistry. To accommodate this volume of nitrogen, the equipment and piping must be very large.
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