MALEIC ANHYDRIDE

Introduction

Maleic anhydride (MA) has numerous

industrial uses and is of significant
commercial interest worldwide.
Primary use - is in the manufacture
of polyester and alkyd resins. These
resins are added to fiberglass
reinforced plastics to make a strong,
lightweight, and corrosion resistant
material.

MA is also employed in the manufacture of

- lacquers, the addition of MA to drying
oils decreases the required drying time
and improves the coating quality of
lacquers
- lube-oil additives, dispersants derived
from MA prolong oil change intervals and
improve the efficiency of automotive
engines
- agricultural products, include herbicides,
pesticides, and plant growth regulators.

First synthesized in the 1830s,

manufactured commercially about
1930.
Catalytic oxidation of benzene over
vanadium oxide catalysts was integral
to the creation of a commercially
viable process for MA.
Today, nearly three billion pounds of
MA are made, using variations of this
process.

Drawbacks of Benzene

Benzene is a hazardous chemical.

Efforts to find a suitable replacement
have been pursued. Over the years, both
n-butane and butylene have been
utilized with increasingly successful
results and are gradually overtaking
benzene as the reactant of choice.

Benzene Oxidation Process

Traditional process, begins by mixing

benzene with an excess of air to give
concentrations from 1-1.4 mole %. A
low benzene concentration must be
utilized in order not to exceed the
flammability limit of the mixture. The
reaction gas mixture then passes
over the catalyst in a multitubular
fixed-bed reactor atO an optimum
pressure
of 0.15-0.25
O
+ 9/2range
O
+ 2 CO +MPa.
2

2 H2O

Butane Oxidation Process

Recent processes for the manufacture of MA.

Employ C4 hydrocarbons, such as n-butane
and n-butylene, as feedstocks.
A major advantage of C4 HC over benzene is
that no carbon is lost in the reaction to form
MA.
Theoretically achievable conversion of 100%,
the yield from butane is a third greater than
that from benzene.
The relatively low purchase price of C4 is
much more attractive than the expense of
benzene.

Other factors that favor C4s are safety,

health, and the environment.
Benzene is a known carcinogen and one of
the chemicals most stringently regulated
by the government.
The flammability limits for C4 HC are also
lower than those for benzene, which is an
additional safety advantage of the process.
For all of these reasons, the fixed-bed
process with n-butane has been the only
MA route used commercially since 1985 in
the United States.

Reaction Details

The process employs a fixed-bed which

allows a low concentration of butane
passed over the catalyst in tubular reactors
similar to the benzeneO process.
n-C4H8 + 3 O2

+ 3 H 2O

The reactor is operated at temperatures from 400-480 C,

and the pressure is held at 0.3-0.4 MPa in order to force
the exit gases downstream for scrubbing and purification.
Unlike the benzene process, only a small amount of the MA
can be condensed from the reactor effluent due to the
increased formation of water.