ABSTRACT
Vinegar, a dilute solution of acetic acid made by the fermentation of ethyl alcohol, has been known since earliest times and some is produced by this route for human consumption. Small quantities of acetic acid are recovered from pyroligneous acid liquor, obtained by the destructive distillation of hardwood. The modern acetic acid industry began with the commercial availability of acetylene which was converted to acetaldehyde and then oxidized to acetic acid. Of the major processes used worldwide, at least 47% of acetic acid is produced by the carbonylation of methyl alcohol, 7% from acetaldehyde, and the remainder from naphtha or n-butane. Acetaldehyde solution is fed into a reactor where oxygen or air is bubbled through the liquid containing 0.1% to 0.5% manganese acetate which catalyzes the reaction and minimizes the risk of explosion from the intermediate peracetic acid which is formed.
