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Membrane Technology dioxide plus the accompanying amounts of nitrogen are required, MTR’s novel perfluorinated, argon-
oxides (NOx). The argon purge stream clearly repre- selective glassy membranes could be used to
and Research, Inc. sents an important resource recovery and pollution achieve a shorter payback period.
1360 Willow Road, Suite 103 reduction opportunity.
Menlo Park, CA 94025-1516 Commercialization Information
SBIR Technology Solution
Telephone: 650-328-2228 The annual revenue generated (ethylene value
http://www.mtrinc.com With support from EPA’s SBIR Program, Membrane minus operating costs) by the membrane system is
Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR), developed a between $200,000 and $400,000 per year for a
Environmental Problem membrane separation system to improve process typical ethylene oxide plant. The addition of the
economics and reduce air pollution by recovering membrane system is a simple retrofit and payback
Oxygen-oxidation processes are used to produce a feedstock. Selective membranes were developed to time typically is less than 2 years. To date, the
number of important chemical intermediates by separate the hydrocarbon feedstock from the argon, development of this technology has resulted in the
selective catalytic oxidation of hydrocarbons in a so that the feedstock can be recycled to the reactor. sale of three systems worldwide to recover ethylene
reactor. Products include ethylene oxide, propylene The value of the recovered hydrocarbon is high, so from the argon purge stream in ethylene oxide and
vinyl acetate plants. The current installed ethylene
oxide, vinyl acetate, and vinyl chloride, which are a process payback time of 1-2 years is possible.
recovery capacity in these three systems is 2,100
used to make major commodity and engineering
tons/year.
polymers. All of these processes include an inert gas Ethylene-selective and argon-selective membranes
purge stream from the reactor. This purge stream is can be used to economi-
required to remove argon, which enters the reactor cally recover ethylene
as a contaminant in the oxygen feed. Because from the argon purge Light ends
Recovered
ethylene
argon does not react, the concentration in the reac- stream from oxygen-oxi- (from product
purification)
tor builds up unless it is purged. Currently, the dation reactors. Processes Existing
recovery
purge gas is flared, resulting in a loss of approxi- based on MTR’s ethylene- compressor
mately 450 million lb/year of the hydrocarbon feed- selective silicone rubber Argon purge
Recycle gas Concentrated
stocks used in these processes in the United States. membrane are superior to (unreacted feeds) argon purge
Membrane
those using argon-selec- Product
recovery unit
For example, during the production of ethylene tive membranes and can Reactor unit
oxide, about 16 lb of ethylene are lost in the argon achieve 80% ethylene Feed Product
(oxygen,
purge stream per ton of ethylene oxide produced recovery with a system ethylene,
(EO or VAM)
(about 3.5 million tons of ethylene oxide are pro- payback time of less than acetic acid) Reactor product
duced annually in the United States, representing a 1 year, provided sufficient (including unreacted feeds)