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    Aluminum Chloride Production

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    Alex
    Aluminum chloride (AlCl3) is widely used as a catalyst in organic chemical production. It is produced commercially through the reaction of molten aluminum with chlorine gas. This produces AlCl3 vapor which is condensed and deposited in collectors. The solid AlCl3 is then crushed and sized before being packaged. Scrubbers remove unreacted chlorine and other gases from the process. Alternative production methods use aluminum oxide or scrap aluminum as starting materials. A typical plant producing 5,000 metric tons per year of AlCl3 would require a $8 million capital investment.

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    Aluminum Chloride Production

    Uploaded by

    Alex
    591 views1 page
    Aluminum chloride (AlCl3) is widely used as a catalyst in organic chemical production. It is produced commercially through the reaction of molten aluminum with chlorine gas. This produces AlCl3 vapor which is condensed and deposited in collectors. The solid AlCl3 is then crushed and sized before being packaged. Scrubbers remove unreacted chlorine and other gases from the process. Alternative production methods use aluminum oxide or scrap aluminum as starting materials. A typical plant producing 5,000 metric tons per year of AlCl3 would require a $8 million capital investment.

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    Aluminum Chloride Production

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    Aluminum chloride (AlCl3) is widely used as a catalyst in organic chemical production. It is produced commercially through the reaction of molten aluminum with chlorine gas. This produces AlCl3 vapor which is condensed and deposited in collectors. The solid AlCl3 is then crushed and sized before being packaged. Scrubbers remove unreacted chlorine and other gases from the process. Alternative production methods use aluminum oxide or scrap aluminum as starting materials. A typical plant producing 5,000 metric tons per year of AlCl3 would require a $8 million capital investment.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    591 views1 page

    Aluminum Chloride Production

    Uploaded by

    Alex
    Aluminum chloride (AlCl3) is widely used as a catalyst in organic chemical production. It is produced commercially through the reaction of molten aluminum with chlorine gas. This produces AlCl3 vapor which is condensed and deposited in collectors. The solid AlCl3 is then crushed and sized before being packaged. Scrubbers remove unreacted chlorine and other gases from the process. Alternative production methods use aluminum oxide or scrap aluminum as starting materials. A typical plant producing 5,000 metric tons per year of AlCl3 would require a $8 million capital investment.

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    Technology Profile

    Aluminum Chloride Production


    By Intratec Solutions

    luminum chloride (AlCl3) is


    among the most widely used
    Lewis acids in industry, and is
    also one of the most powerful. The compound is employed as a
    catalyst in the manufacture of a multitude of organic chemicals produced
    by several different reaction mechanisms, including isomerization, alkylation and polymerization.
    The main applications of AlCl3 are
    in the production of ethylbenzene and
    dyes. AlCl3 catalyzes the ethylation of
    benzene with ethylene to yield ethylbenzene, which, in turn, is used in the
    production of styrene. In the dyestuffs
    industry, AlCl3 is used as a catalyst in
    the production of anthraquinone and
    its derivatives, as well as in the production of pigments.

    The process
    The following paragraphs describe a
    conventional process for anhydrous
    AlCl3 production from aluminum metal and chlorine. Figure 1 presents a
    simplified flow diagram of the process.
    Reaction. The reaction takes place in
    ceramic-lined, tube-shaped reactors
    containing molten aluminum. Chlorine gas is injected below the surface
    of the molten aluminum pool, leading
    to the formation of aluminum chloride vapor in a highly exothermic and
    practically instantaneous reaction.
    The reaction occurs at 670850C.
    The temperature is maintained in this
    range by controlling the feedrates of
    chlorine and aluminum and by cooling
    the reactor walls with water.
    The AlCl3 vapor from the reactors is
    fed to air-cooled condensers, which are
    vertical cylinders with conical bottoms.

    Aluminum,
    chlorine

    Metal
    chlorination

    Chlorine, carbon
    monoxide,
    alumina

    Catalytic
    chlorination

    Chlorination

    Aluminum,
    hydrogen chloride

    n Raw material n Pathway n Main product

    FIGURE 2. Several possible production pathways exist for AlCl3

    As the AlCl3 vapor comes into contact


    with the condenser walls, it loses its
    heat of sublimation, and is deposited
    on the walls. The deposited solid AlCl3
    is withdrawn from the condenser walls
    at regular intervals, and subsequently
    conveyed to holding silos.
    Crushing and sizing. AlCl3 crystals
    from the holding silos are crushed and
    sized by sieving under a dry-air atmosphere. After sizing, the AlCl3 product
    is obtained.
    Scrubber. The condensing, crushing
    and sizing operations, as well as storage facilities, are designed to avoid
    the entrance of moist atmospheric air.
    To achieve this, a vent system linked
    to those pieces of equipment directs
    the offgas (containing unreacted chlorine and uncondensed gases) to a
    caustic scrubber. The scrubbed gas is
    vented to the atmosphere, while the
    scrubbers bottom stream is treated
    as wastewater.

    AlCl3 pathways

    Initially, aluminum chloride was produced on a commercial scale from


    calcined bauxite and coke. New routes
    have emerged, however, that present
    advantages over the bauxite process.
    The advantages are derived from a re-

    duced occurrence of reactor corrosion


    and from the production of a higherpurity product. Currently, the most important raw materials for AlCl3 production are either aluminum metal or pure
    aluminum oxide. Figure 2 presents different pathways for AlCl3 production.

    Economic performance
    The total capital investment estimated
    to construct a plant based on the process in Figure 1 with capacity to produce 5,000 metric ton per year of AlCl3
    in the U.S. is about $8 million (data
    from the second quarter of 2013). This
    capital investment includes fixed capital, working capital and additional capital requirements.
    This column is based on Aluminum Chloride Production Process
    Cost Analysis, a report published
    by Intratec. It can be found at: www.
    intratec.us/analysis/aluminum-chloride-production-cost.
    n
    Edited by Scott Jenkins
    Editors note: The content for this column is supplied by Intratec Solutions LLC (Houston; www.intratec.us) and edited
    by Chemical Engineering. The analyses and models presented
    are prepared on the basis of publicly available and nonconfidential information. The content represents the opinions
    of Intratec only. More information about the methodology for
    preparing analysis can be found, along with terms of use, at
    www.intratec.us/che.

    Caustic soda
    make-up

    Wastewater

    1. Reactor
    2. Condenser
    3. Holding silo
    4. Crusher
    5. Sizing equipment
    6. Caustic scrubber
    7. Cooling tower
    CW = Cooling water

    2
    3

    CW

    Bauxite, coke,
    chlorine

    Anhydrous
    aluminum chloride

    Offgas

    Aluminum
    scrap

    Chlorination

    CW

    Aluminum
    chloride

    Chlorine

    FIGURE 1. This figure shows a conventional process for the production of AlCl3 from aluminum and chlorine
    CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

    WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM

    OCTOBER 2016

    41

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