ABSTRACT
Baoshu Chen, Jason Carson, Jaime Gibson, Roman Renneke, and Thomas Tacke Degussa Corporation, CalvertCity, Kentucky, U.S.A.
Martin Reisinger, Ralf Hausmann, Andreas Geisselmann, Guido Stochniol, and Peter Panster Degussa AG, Hanau, Germany
ABSTRACT
The emission streams from purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plants commonly contain carbon monoxide, methyl bromide, and various volatile organic compounds (VOC's). Before the vent gas (offgas) is exhausted to the atmosphere, these contaminants (often regulated) must be destroyed, normally by the catalytic oxidation process. Currently, most commercially available catalysts are used at an inlet temperature higher than 350°C. The improvement of the catalyst activity is desired to increase the catalyst life-time and to reduce the operational cost. Additionally, the catalyst selectivity needs to be improved to minimize or eliminate the formation of polybromobenzenes (PBB's) which can cause plugging or blockage in process lines.
