Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management &

Engineering (MPSTME)

Material Science Project

Title: Manufacturing of Acetic Acid

Name: RITIK JAIN

Program: MBA TECH (CHEMICAL)
Roll No:L004
1.1. Introduction:
Acetic acid is an important ingredient in the chemical industry, which has about 9 million tons
land requirements per year. The main uses of this chemical are the manufacture of various
acetate esters, fungi, organic compounds, organic solvents and pharmaceutical formulas,
cellulose acetate essential for film and plastic materials, perfumes and synthetic fibers.

Acetic acid (CH3COOH), is a corrosive organic acid having a

Sharp odor,
Burning taste, and
Pernicious blistering properties.

It is found in seawater, oil production, rainforest, and trace concentrations of many plants and
animal drinks. It is at the center of all natural energy pathways. Fruit and vegetable
fermentation juices produce 2 - 12% acetic acid solutions, commonly called vinegar (qv). Any
sugar that contains sugar or the juice can be altered by bacterial or fungal processes to reduce
acetic acid.

A market study on glacial acetic acid discloses a large gap between its demand and supply. The
production of acetic acid is sound globally but recent data shows a decreasing producing
capacity of Asia worldwide. Most of Acetic acid produced in Asia is consumed internally and the
excess is being imported due to its cheapness in the process involved.

SOURCE: https://mcgroup.co.uk/researches/acetic-acid
USES:
Acetic acid is a chemical reagent for the production of chemical compounds. The largest single
use of acetic acid is in the production of vinyl acetate monomer, closely followed by acetic
anhydride and ester production. The volume of acetic acid used in vinegar is comparatively
small.[8][30]

Vinyl acetate monomer

The primary use of acetic acid is the production of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM). In 2008, this
application was estimated to consume a third of the world's production of acetic acid.[8] The
reaction consists of ethylene and acetic acid with oxygen over a palladium catalyst, conducted
in the gas phase.
2 H3C−COOH + 2 C2H4 + O2 → 2 H3C−CO−O−CH=CH2 + 2 H2O
Vinyl acetate can be polymerised to polyvinyl acetate or other polymers, which are components
in paints and adhesives.

Ester production
The major esters of acetic acid are commonly used as solvents for inks, paints and coatings.
The esters include ethyl acetate, n-butyl acetate, isobutyl acetate, and propyl acetate. They are
typically produced by catalyzed reaction from acetic acid and the corresponding alcohol:
H3C−COOH + HO−R → H3C−CO−O−R + H2O, (R = a general alkyl group)
Most acetate esters, however, are produced from acetaldehyde using the Tishchenko reaction.
In addition, ether acetates are used as solvents for nitrocellulose, acrylic
lacquers, varnish removers, and wood stains. First, glycol monoethers are produced
from ethylene oxide or propylene oxide with alcohol, which are then esterified with acetic acid.

Acetic anhydride
The product of the condensation of two molecules of acetic acid is acetic anhydride. The
worldwide production of acetic anhydride is a major application, and uses approximately 25% to
30% of the global production of acetic acid. The main process involves dehydration of acetic
acid to give ketene at 700–750 °C. Ketene is thereafter reacted with acetic acid to obtain the
anhydride:[47]
CH3CO2H → CH2=C=O + H2O
CH3CO2H + CH2=C=O → (CH3CO)2O
Acetic anhydride is an acetylation agent. As such, its major application is for cellulose acetate, a
synthetic textile also used for photographic film. Acetic anhydride is also a reagent for the
production of heroin and other compounds.

Use as solvent
Glacial acetic acid is an excellent polar protic solvent, as noted above. It is frequently used as a
solvent for recrystallization to purify organic compounds. Acetic acid is used as a solvent in the
production of terephthalic acid (TPA), the raw material for polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In
2006, about 20% of acetic acid was used for TPA production.
ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES FOR MANUFACTURING

There are mainly three processes that produce acetic acid. They are

 Methanol Carbonylation
 Acetaldehyde Oxidation
 Hydrocarbon oxidation process

While in the Indian scenario acetaldehyde oxidation process takes the majority of acetic acid
production. Alcohol is used to obtain Acetaldehyde (Alcohol is obtained by the fermentation and
distillation of Molasses).

Methanol carbonylation process

Carbonylation process is a most employed commercial route for synthesis of acetic acid, also
known as Monsanto process. Methanol and carbon monoxide are reacted in liquid phase in the
presence of rhodium (Rh)-based catalyst at 150–200°C temperature and 30–50 bar pressure to
produce acetic acid with 95% selectivity and 5% side products such as formic acid and
formaldehyde. Hydrogen iodide is used as an alkali promoter in this process. The reaction
proceeds in liquid phase with methyl acetate as solvent using homogeneous catalyst.
Controlled amount of water is required for the reaction, which is generated in situ by reaction
of methanol with hydrogen iodide. The rate of reaction in the Monsanto process depends on
the concentration of water. CO2, H2 and methanol are obtained as by-products in the reaction.
The generated methanol in the reaction is recycled. The process has evolved with time and
different strategies have been adopted to separate pure acetic acid from a mixture of water
and by-products. This process was modified by BP chemicals replacing rhodium-based catalyst
with iridium (Ir) catalyst known as Cavita process. The choice of Ir as a coordination metal is
relatively more economic process than rhodium. The use of an iridium catalyst improves the
overall rate of reaction.
Acetaldehyde oxidation process
Acetaldehyde oxidation was the predominant process followed by acetic acid synthesis,
in which acetaldehyde was first synthesized with ethylene oxidation using palladium and
copper chloride and then recombined to form acetic acid. The same process is reported
using cobalt and chromium-based catalyst at 55 bar pressure and 150 ° C temperature.
The one-step process of converting ethylene into acetic acid is also performed using
lead and lead-platinum based catalyst at higher pressures compared to the low-yield
acetaldehyde oxidation process.

Hydrocarbon oxidation process

Hydrocarbons found in petroleum fuels such as butane and naphtha are used to
produce acetic acid using cobalt acetate and chromium acetate catalyst. The reaction is
obtained at relatively high temperatures (150-230 ° C) and pressure (bar 50-60). This
process involves petroleum feedstock, which contains a mixture of hydrocarbon, which
leads to the formation of other products such as acetone, formic acid, propionic acid
and acetic acid. Therefore, this process fails to provide pure acetic acid. This process is
best suited for producing a fatty acid mixture.
REFERENCES:

1. Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering by McCabe, Smith and Harriott.

2. CEH Marketing Research Report’ ACETIC ACID’ by Kevin Wheeler.

3. Research report ‘Production Pathways of Acetic Acid and Its Versatile Applications in the Food
Industry’ by Gunjan Deshmukh and Haresh Manyar

4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0920586100002637

5. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Prem-

6. wikipedia