Acetylene-based technology was used first in the commercial production of VAM with the gas phase process preferred to the liquid phase reaction. Ethylene has now become the preferred feedstock with the gas phase route used due problems of corrosion and byproduct formation when using the liquid phase process.
VAM is usually produced by the catalysed, vapour phase reaction of acetic acid with ethylene and oxygen in a fixed bed tubular reactor using a supported noble metal catalyst. The reaction is carried out at 175-200oC and 5-9 bar pressure. The VAM is recovered by condensation and scrubbing and purified by distillation.
BP Chemicals has developed a fluidised bed technology, called Leap, which is claimed to cut investment costs by 30%. The chemistry is essentially the same as existing technology but the catalyst is continuously removed and replenished giving the process much longer run times than the fixed bed route.
Celanese has also developed a new process, called VAntage, that increases production efficiency and lowers operating costs. The technology is claimed to add production capacity equivalent to a world-scale plant at 10-15% of the cost of building a grassroots unit. Celanese is implementing this technology at its seven VAM facilities.
Praxair has received a patent for the use of 99.95% oxygen to lower the amount of inerts in the reactor. This technique is claimed to reduce catalyst losses and undesirable reaction byproducts and boost VAM yields by up to 5%.
Eastman Chemical has disclosed a technique in which acetic acid is the sole feedstock. In a three-step liquid phase process, acetic acid is cracked to ketene followed by hydrogenation to acetaldehyde which is then reacted with additional ketene to make VAM in yields as high as 95%.
Vinyl acetate
Price Reports
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Vinyl acetate
Uses and Outlook
Most end-use markets for vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) are mature and the growth in the largest applications - adhesives, paints, paper coatings and textiles - expected only to track GDP or slightly below. However, there are strong growth areas for VAM such as ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) barrier resins, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) polymers and polyvinyl butyral (PVB).
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