摘要 |
A process produces acetic acid by continuously carrying out a reaction of methanol with carbon monoxide in the presence of a Group VIII metal catalyst, an iodide salt, methyl iodide, and water in a reactor, continuously withdrawing a reaction mixture from the reactor, introducing the reaction mixture into an evaporation process at a pressure lower than that in the reaction to separate the reaction mixture into low-boiling components and high-boiling components containing the Group VIII metal and the iodide salt, and recycling the separated high-boiling components containing the Group VIII metal and the iodide salt to the reactor, in which the separated high-boiling components are brought into contact with hydrogen at temperatures of 80° C. or higher for 6 seconds or longer before the high-boiling components reaching the reactor, which hydrogen is introduced in an amount of 0.1 time by mole or more that of the Group VIII metal. According to the process, industrially, acetic acid is efficiently produced with high productivity, because the activity of a catalyst in a reactor may be increased without increasing a hydrogen partial pressure in the reactor more than necessary, and a shift reaction may be suppressed to thereby reduce by-products.
|