Production of vinyl chloride comprises direct chlorination of ethylene and pyrolysis with catalytic oxidation of hydrogen chloride and recycle to the direct chlorination zone

摘要

A process for the production of vinyl chloride comprises direct chlorination of ethylene to yield 1,2-dichloroethane, pyrolysis of the 1,2-dichloroethane to yield 1,2-dichloroethane, vinyl chloride and hydrogen chloride (HCl), recovery of vinyl chloride and HCl from the product stream, catalytic oxidation of HCl and recovery of chlorine with recycle to the direct chlorination zone A process for the production of vinyl chloride comprises: (a) introduction of ethylene and chlorine into a direct chlorination zone and direct chlorination to yield a product stream comprising 1,2-dichloroethane and optionally byproducts; (b) introduction of the 1,2-dichloroethane-containing product gas stream, optionally following separation of the byproducts, to a pyrolysis zone to yield a product stream comprising 1,2-dichloroethane, vinyl chloride and HCl; (c) recovery of vinyl chloride and HCl from the product stream; (d) introduction of HCl and oxygen to an oxidation zone with catalytic oxidation of HCl to yield a product gas stream comprising chlorine, HCl, oxygen and water and; (e) recovery of chlorine from the product gas stream and recycle to the direct chlorination zone. An Independent claim is also included for a process for the production of 1,2-dichloroethane by preparation of an HCl gas-containing stream followed by steps (d), (e) and direct chlorination of ethylene to 1,2-dichloroethane and optionally byproducts.