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Production of Styrene
Production of Styrene
Styrene is one of the essential reactant that we require for the creation of products we use
day to day. The reason why styrene is so widely used is because it is strong, durable; and can
be used in many things such as foam, cases, appliances, containers and carpets. In 2011, the
demand for styrene was
26,111,000 metric tons[1]
and since this compound is
so versatile the demand for
it will only continue to rise
as the population rises as
well. Styrene began its large
scale production in 1930s
because of new chemical
Figure 1: Styrene Demand 2011 discoveries allowing it to
become readily available.
Today there is no chemical alternative that can compete effective crosslinking and that is
also cheap as well as styrene does. But styrene is a dangerous chemical; it is highly
flammable and it can readily link itself to other styrene molecules when exposed to light and
heat[5]. Polystyrene however, has a major impact to global warming. Because polystyrene
takes 500 years to decompose and is resistant to photolysis meaning it is very difficult to
discard. Burning polystyrene will release Carbon Monoxide and Styrene Monomers into the
environment which is dangerous to our health[2]. Exposure to styrene includes aspiration
into the lung which can cause chemical pneumonitis which can be fatal, it is irritating to skin
and eyes and dangerous to the central nervous system therefore the best solution to control
exposure is incorporate safety practice in the workforce. Styrene is a dangerous molecule
but there are two feasible ways to produce styrene. One of them is responsible for 90% of
today’s styrene production and that is dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene in the presence of
a catalyst. The other process involves the oxidation of ethylbenzene to its peroxide that is
reacted with propylene to produce methylphenyl carbinol which is then dehydrated to form
styrene. But there is also a new process that has emerged such as Toluene Alkynation with
Methanol to from Styrene, because this process has eliminated the ethylbenzene
dehydrogenation unit operating cost would be reduced.
Alternative Process
Dehydrogenation of Ethylbenzene
The side reaction which involves toluene is determined by the temperature of the reactor
that is currently operating. If there is toluene in the reaction, this can be separated by a
distillation column whilst leaving the ethylbenzene and styrene to be recycled and mixed
with fresh ethylbenzene before the reactor.
one circular flow path that entered and Figure 3: Axial Reactor Figure 4: Radial Reactor
then exited the vessel. This circular
design required a low inlet volume to obtain an appropriate distribution of the feed through
to the catalyst bed compared to an axial flow reactor. These radial reactors also had the
advantages to provide a low pressure drop since its path through the catalyst bed is shorter
than an axial reactor. Because the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene is an energy
demanding process, many technologies have aimed to decrease this high energy
consumption.[7]
Most styrene plants that involve the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to form styrene are
either based on the Lummus Crest/UOP technology or the Fina/Badger process technology
that have adiabatic reactors[6]. Although these processes are very alike there are some key
differences within these
processes such as the
temperature, the reaction
pressure and the amount of
unit operations required to
obtain styrene. However
Lummus Crest undergoes a
Zeolite-base liquid phase
dehydrogenation of
ethylbenzene whilst the
Fina/Badger undergoes a
Figure 5: Fina/Badger Dehydrogenation
vapour-phase
dehydrogenation of
ethylbenzene . Both processes have super-heated steam around 750oC-850oC that is fed
[9]
into the first reactor to prepare the system for a forward reaction. The steam and
ethylbenzene mixture has a ratio of 1.8[8] and is fed into the first reactor at 610oC-650oC
which differs depending on the quality of the catalyst. The reaction mixture cools during
conversion and the then leaves the first reactor at 560oC-570oC. The conversion of
ethylbenzene is about 35%. The process is
repeated into a second reactor which
ethylbenzene is then evaporated by
numerous heat exhangers and mixed with
dilution steam to prevent coke formation
to maximise the conversion to 65%-70%.[6]
[5] http://scorecard.goodguide.com/chemical-profiles/html/styrene.html
[7] Wünsch, J.R, 2000. Rapra Review Reports. Expert Overviews covering the Science and Technology
of Rubber and Plastics, [Online]. 1, 10. Available at:
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=9Oal8DG_7GAC&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=differences+Lumm
us+and+Badger+process&source=bl&ots=8kMO0PWwlo&sig=sLgTp_7kEQknj3H1IgNFNttTcGU&hl=e
n&sa=X&ei=LGGkUfnmN4WRigfw7oGQCA&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=differences%20Lum
mus%20and%20Badger%20process&f=false [Accessed 08 May 2013].
[9] Ozokwelu, D.O, 2006. Chemical Bandwidth Study. Exergy Analysis: A Powerful Tool for Identifying
Process Inefficiencies in the
U.S. Chemical Industry, [Online]. 1, 9. Available at:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/resources/chemicals/pdfs/chemical_bandwidth_repo
rt.pdf [Accessed 05 May 2013].
[12] James, D.H, 2005. Styrene. Polystyrene and Styrene Copolymers is a separate keyword, [Online].
1, 5. Available at: http://dc253.4shared.com/doc/mYRx3yEh/preview.html [Accessed 24 May 2013].