Abstract: When producing hydrocarbons from fatty acid esters contained in fats or fat oils, the fatty acid esters initially are split up by hydrolytic decomposition into a first stream containing crude alcohol and water and a second stream containing free fatty acids, and subsequently the free fatty acids of the second stream are hydrogenated with hydrogen to obtain saturated hydrocarbons.

Abstract: For the production of hydrocarbons, in particular C2-C4 olefins, using a combined plant with a steam cracker and at least one reactor for converting an educt mixture which includes steam and at least one oxygenate, the respective intermediate product streams of the steam cracker and of the reactor are at least partly combined. To increase the yield of valuable products, a shape-selective zeolite material is used as catalyst in the reactor for oxygenate conversion and at least a part of the product streams obtained downstream of the combined plant is recirculated to the steam cracker and/or the reactor.

Abstract: In an apparatus for continuously recovering sulfur from a gas stream containing 0.1 to 3.0 vol-% H2S, further gaseous sulfur compounds and sulfur, the gas stream first is passed over a reduction stage consisting of hydrogenation catalyst and then over a selective oxidation stage consisting of oxidation catalyst. To reduce the amount of apparatus involved, it is provided to arrange the reduction stage and the selective oxidation stage in a reaction tank and to leave a space for introducing a gaseous cooling medium into the gas stream between the two stages.

Abstract: In a gas scrubber, a gas stream containing at least one sublimed substance is brought in contact with a liquid or melt stream containing at least one thermally convertible substance, which has a lower temperature than the gas stream. For the intensive and intimate mixing of the gas stream with the liquid or melt stream, an orifice plate with a plurality of holes each surrounded by a retaining edge is provided in the upper part of the gas scrubber, and above the orifice plate inlets for the gas stream and the liquid or melt stream are provided.

Abstract: In a process for producing hydrocarbonaceous educts, the starting material is autothermally gasified by non-catalytic partial oxidation by adding oxygen-containing gas and hydrogen at temperatures of 1200 to 1500° C. and pressures of 15 to 100 barabs to obtain a raw gas containing H2 and CO as main components as well as the components CO2, H2O, CH4 and traces of H2S, COS, CnHm, N2 and Ar, and subsequently the CO contained in the raw gas is converted to CO2 and further H2 by adding steam. An improvement of the process consists in that in a pressure-swing absorption process the converted raw synthesis gas is separated directly, i.e. without passing through a wash for removing CO2 and H2S, into high-purity H2 and into a gas mixture containing H2S, CO2, H2, CO, CH4, Ar and N2, the gas mixture is supplied to the tail gas wash of a Claus process, the H2S separated is introduced into the feed gas of the Claus process, and the waste gas of the tail gas wash, mixed with the tail gas of the Claus process, is burnt.

Abstract: In a process for producing fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) from fats or oils by transesterification with methanol in the presence of an alkaline catalyst in at least two reaction stages traversed in succession, each consisting of a stirred-tank reactor and a downstream separator, a phase containing FAME and a phase containing glycerol are generated, which are separated in the separator, wherein the phase containing FAME is recirculated into the stirred-tank reactor of the next succeeding reaction stage and the phase containing glycerol is recirculated into the stirred-tank reactor of the first reaction stage, and the crude FAME withdrawn from the separator of the last reaction stage is transferred into a separator and the FAME withdrawn is dried.

Abstract: In a process for obtaining CO2, desulfurized natural gas or gas which accompanies mineral oil is reformed autothermally with addition of oxygenous gas at a temperature of from 900 to 1200° C. and a pressure of from 40 to 100 bar (a) by partial catalytic oxidation to give a crude synthesis gas, and then converted catalytically to H2 and CO2 at a temperature of from 75 to 110 DEG C. and a pressure of from 50 to 75 bar (a) of CO, CO2 is scrubbed out of the synthesis gas obtained with methanol at a pressure of from 15 to 100 bar (a) and a temperature of from +10 to ?80° C., and the absorbed CO2 is recovered by decompression. A further possible use of the process consists in converting the recovered CO2 to the supercritical state.

Abstract: The invention relates to a reactor for the production of C2 to C8 olefins from gaseous oxygenate and H2O and one or more material flows containing C2 C4, C5, C6, C7, C8 olefin and paraffin at 400° to 470° C., wherein several reaction stages which the material flow can pass through from the top to the bottom, each consisting of a support base with a catalyst layer situated on it, are arranged in a closed, upright container.

Abstract: A novel steam reformer unit design, a novel hydrogen PSA unit design, a novel hydrogen/nitrogen enrichment unit design, and novel processing scheme application are presented. The result of these innovations results in re-allocating most of the total hydrogen plant CO2 emissions load to high pressure syngas stream exiting the water gas shift reactor while minimizing the CO2 emissions load from the reformer furnace flue gas. As compared to the conventional 60/40 split of total CO2 emissions in syngas/flue gas streams for steam reformer based conventional hydrogen plant designs, the present invention results in 85/15 or better CO2 split. This will permit about 85% or better of the total CO2 emissions load to be captured from the syngas stream, using the conventional, well proven and cost effective amine scrubbing technology. Such 85% or better CO2 capture is much greater than the 55% to 60% maximum possible using conventional steam reformer based hydrogen plant technology.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the production of monomer organic carbonates from a mixture of organic carbonates and carbamates which are obtained by reacting urea, substituted urea, a salt or ester of carbamide acid or one of the N-substituted derivatives thereof with a polyalkylene glycol, polyester-polyol or a polyether-polyol of general formula (I), wherein R represents a linear or branched alkylene group having 2-12 carbon atoms and n represents a number between 2 and 20, or with a completely or partially hydrolysed polyvinyl alcohol of general formula (II), wherein R? represents an alkyl group, an aryl group or an acyl group having 1-12 carbon atoms, p and q represent a number between 120, or with mixtures of said compounds in the presence of a catalyst facilitating the separation of ammonia and the ammonia becomes free or the amine is removed from the reaction mixture by means of a strip gas, whereby said mixture is reacted with an alcohol or a phenol whereby monomer carbonates are formed and po

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the production of monomer organic carbonates, wherein urea, substituted urea, a salt or an ester of carbamide acid or one of the N-substituted derivatives thereof is reacted in a first step in a polyalkylene glycol, a polyester-polyol or a polyether-polyol of general formula (I), wherein R represents a linear or branched alkylene group having 2-12 carbon atoms and n is a number between (2) and (20), or in a completely or partially hydrolysed polyvinyl alcohol of general formula (II) wherein R? represents an alkyl group, an aryl group or an acyl group having 1-12 carbon atoms, p and q are numbers between 1 and 20, or in mixtures of said compounds in the presence of a catalyst facilitating the separation of ammonia in order to form a mixture containing carbonates and carbamates, the ammonia becomes free or the amine is removed form the reaction mixture by means of a strip gas.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved method for the esterification of terephthalic acid with 1,4-butanediol, an improved method for the manufacture of polybutylene terephtalate as well as reactors and devices that are suited for the application in this method.

Abstract: When producing synthesis gas from a starting material containing hydrocarbons, in particular natural gas, a feed stream of the starting material is divided into a first partial stream and a second partial stream. The first partial stream is supplied to a steam reformer (4), in which together with steam it is catalytically converted to a gas stream containing carbon oxides. Then, the first partial stream is again combined with the second partial stream and the combined gas stream is supplied to an autothermal reformer (7), in which together with gas rich in oxygen it is autothermally reformed to a synthesis gas in the presence of a cracking catalyst. Processing a starting material with a high content of higher hydrocarbons is made possible in that before the steam reformer (4) and before the autothermal reformer (7) the entire starting material is supplied to a pre-reformer (2) in which the starting material largely is liberated from higher hydrocarbons.

Abstract: A method for producing ammonia from natural gas, fed to an autothermic reformer with an O2 rich gas. Crude synthesis gas is produced at temperatures of 900 to 1200° C., pressures of 40 to 100 bar and in the presence of a cracking catalyst. The crude synthesis gas is led through a catalytic conversion system to convert CO to H2, thereby obtaining a conversion synthesis gas with a H2 content of at least 55 vol.-% and a CO content of not more than 8 vol.-%. The conversion synthesis gas is subjected to a gas purification to remove CO2, CO and CH4, thereby producing an N2—H2 mixture that is subjected to a catalytic ammonia synthesis. The ammonia produced can at least be partially converted to urea by reacting it with CO2.