This invention relates to processes for producing acetic acid and, in particular, to improved processes for recovering permanganate reducing compounds formed during the carbonylation of methanol in the presence of a carbonylation catalyst to produce acetic acid. Alkyl halides are removed or reduced from the recovered permanganate reducing compounds.

In a first embodiment, the present invention relates to a process for producing ethanol. The process comprises the step of contacting a carbon monoxide feed and an impure methanol feed in a reactor under conditions effective to produce a crude acetic acid product. The impure methanol feed comprises more than 0.15 wt.% of impurities. The process further comprises the step of separating the crude acetic acid product to form an intermediate acetic acid product and at least one derivative stream. Th...

Described is an integrated process for producing ethanol from acetic acid in which the water from ethanol production is used to control water balance in the acetic acid production. In one embodiment, the invention comprises carbonylating methanol in a carbonylation system in the presence of a carbonylation catalyst under conditions effective to form acetic acid, hydrogenating the acetic acid in a hydrogenation system in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to form a crude ethanol product com...

In one embodiment, the invention is to a process for producing ethanol, the process comprising the steps of carbonylating methanol in a carbonylation system in the presence of a carbonylation catalyst under conditions effective to form acetic acid

This invention relates to processes for producing ethanol from at least two different streams obtained by carbonylating methanol. The process comprises the steps of reacting carbon monoxide with at least one reactant in a first reactor containing a reaction medium to produce a reaction solution comprising acetic acid, wherein the at least one reactant is selected from the group consisting of methanol, methyl acetate, methyl formate, dimethyl ether and mixtures thereof and wherein the reaction me...

An integrated process for producing ethanol, comprising the step of reacting carbon monoxide with at least one reactant in a reactor containing a reaction medium to produce a liquid reaction product comprising acetic acid. The reaction medium comprises water, acetic acid, methyl acetate, a halogen promoter, and a first catalyst. The process further comprises the steps of directly feeding the liquid reaction product from the reactor to a distillation column and withdrawing from it an overhead str...

Processes and systems for forming ethanol from methanol. The process involves carbonylating the methanol to form acetic acid and hydrogenating the acetic acid to form ethanol. In a first aspect, at least some hydrogen for the hydrogenating step is derived from a tail gas stream formed in the carbonylation step. In a second aspect, at least some carbon monoxide for the carbonylation step is derived from a vapor stream in the hydrogenation system. In a third aspect, a syngas stream is separated to...

Processes and systems for forming ethanol from methanol. The process involves carbonylating the methanol to form acetic acid and hydrogenating the acetic acid to form ethanol. In a first aspect, at least some hydrogen for the hydrogenating step is derived from a tail gas stream formed in the carbonylation step. In a second aspect, at least some carbon monoxide for the carbonylation step is derived from a vapor stream in the hydrogenation system. In a third aspect, a syngas stream is separated to...

Processes and systems for forming ethanol from methanol. The process involves carbonylating the methanol to form acetic acid and hydrogenating the acetic acid to form ethanol. In a first aspect, at least some hydrogen for the hydrogenating step is derived from a tail gas stream formed in the carbonylation step. In a second aspect, at least some carbon monoxide for the carbonylation step is derived from a vapor stream in the hydrogenation system. In a third aspect, a syngas stream is separated to...

Processes and systems for forming ethanol from methanol. The process involves carbonylating the methanol to form acetic acid and hydrogenating the acetic acid to form ethanol. In a first aspect, at least some hydrogen for the hydrogenating step is derived from a tail gas stream formed in the carbonylation step. In a second aspect, at least some carbon monoxide for the carbonylation step is derived from a vapor stream in the hydrogenation system. In a third aspect, a syngas stream is separated to...