Large-scale petrochemicals are typically produced using petroleum olefins as a feedstock. The desire to move toward a sustainable and environmentally friendly chemical industry has lead to interest in the use of bio-derived feedstocks such as alcohols which are currently being produced on an increasingly large scale by fermentation or from synthesis gas. The research investigated the direct catalytic production of ethylene, acetaldehyde, ethylene dichloride (EDC), and ethylene oxide (EO) from ethanol. Two approaches were considered: a) the use of a bi-functional catalyst that combines the dehydration capability with ethylene conversion and b) the use of a double catalytic bed system where ethanol was dehydrated over the 1st bed and the product ethylene was converted over the 2nd bed to yield the desired petrochemical product. The dehydration of ethanol was carried out over several zeolites at different operating temperatures, producing mainly ethylene and diethyl ether.

Large-scale petrochemicals are typically produced using petroleum olefins as a feedstock. The desire to move toward a sustainable and environmentally friendly chemical industry has lead to interest in the use of bio-derived feedstocks such as alcohols which are currently being produced on an increas...