CHE.03 – Linear Alkylbenzene Production

• Anna Broviak
• Gerrit Decker
• Ogechikanma Ihenacho
• Shraddha Zina

Linear alkylbenzene (LAB) is an important biodegradable cost-effective intermediate in the production of detergents and surfactants. LAB has been used for decades since its conception around the world, with steady increases in several developing countries. LAB is commonly converted to linear alkyl sulfonate (LAS), which is the world’s largest synthetic surfactant by volume. This process initially mixes fresh, C9-C14, paraffin (fractionated and treated kerosene) and hydrogen feeds to form olefin while suppressing formation of byproducts. The paraffin is dehydrogenated to olefin in the Pacol fixed catalyst reactor. Next, there are phase separations. A contact condenser condenses the saturated stream and a portion is cooled and recycled while the rest is sent to the DeFine unit. Majority of the diolefin is converted to olefin in the DeFine reactor and a stripper is used to separate the light ends. Alkylation occurs in the Detal reaction process with the UOP (a subsidiary of Honeywell) Detal catalyst, which contains zeolite and other clay additives. Furthermore, there are several separations used to provide high purity LAB including a distillation benzene column and a paraffin column. Regarding our design basis: the pilot-scale plant will be in China with a production capacity of 120,000 tons per year of LAB. Our raw materials are purchased from an offsite producer. The utilities are hot oil, high-pressure steam, cooling water, and electricity. Due to high raw material purchase costs, the annual profit margin is not significant. We predicate that scaling up the process and/or producing our feedstock onsite would increase profitability.