A heptane composition obtained from a plant source is described, wherein the plant source comprises Commiphora wildii and wherein the heptane composition is obtained by a process of extraction comprising hydrodistilling or steam distilling a resin of Commiphora wildii to obtain an essential oil. A method of using the heptane composition as a solvent for extracting one or more natural products is also described.

Provided is an n-heptane production method including: a step of distilling a feed containing C6, C7, and C8+ hydrocarbon components, removing the C8+ and C6 hydrocarbon components, and separating the C7 hydrocarbon component; a step of adding the separated C7 hydrocarbon component to a hydrogenation apparatus and hydrogenating the separated C7 hydrocarbon component; a step of adding the hydrogenated C7 hydrocarbon component to a simulated moving bed (SMB) apparatus and separating the hydrogenated C7 hydrocarbon component into an extract containing n-heptane and a raffinate containing other components; and a step of distilling the extract and separating the n-heptane in an extract column, wherein a purity of the produced n-heptane is 98 wt % or higher.

Provided is an n-heptane production method including: a step of distilling a feed containing C6, C7, and C8+ hydrocarbon components, removing the C8+ and C6 hydrocarbon components, and separating the C7 hydrocarbon component; a step of adding the separated C7 hydrocarbon component to a hydrogenation apparatus and hydrogenating the separated C7 hydrocarbon component; a step of adding the hydrogenated C7 hydrocarbon component to a simulated moving bed (SMB) apparatus and separating the hydrogenated C7 hydrocarbon component into an extract containing n-heptane and a raffinate containing other components; and a step of distilling the extract and separating the n-heptane in an extract column, wherein a purity of the produced n-heptane is 98 wt % or higher.

The present invention relates to a preparation system of ethylene by ethanol dehydration and device thereof. The device includes an ethanol dehydration reaction system, a quenching compression system, an alkaline washing system, a molecular sieve drying system, an ethylene purification system and a propylene refrigeration cycle system. Part of ethylene produced by the ethylene purification system are used as circulating ethylene in the molecular sieve drying system for desorption regeneration of molecular sieve drying towers. The molecular sieve drying system includes the steps: (1) feeding crude ethylene and water from the alkaline washing system into the molecular sieve drying system, and after removing the water therefrom, feeding the obtained crude ethylene into the ethylene purification system; and (2) feeding part of the products of ethylene, as the circulating ethylene, produced by the ethylene purification system into the molecular sieve drying system.

The present invention relates to a preparation system of ethylene by ethanol dehydration and device thereof. The device includes an ethanol dehydration reaction system, a quenching compression system, an alkaline washing system, a molecular sieve drying system, an ethylene purification system and a propylene refrigeration cycle system. Part of ethylene produced by the ethylene purification system are used as circulating ethylene in the molecular sieve drying system for desorption regeneration of molecular sieve drying towers. The molecular sieve drying system includes the steps: (1) feeding crude ethylene and water from the alkaline washing system into the molecular sieve drying system, and after removing the water therefrom, feeding the obtained crude ethylene into the ethylene purification system; and (2) feeding part of the products of ethylene, as the circulating ethylene, produced by the ethylene purification system into the molecular sieve drying system.

Proposed is a process (100) for producing ethylene in which ethane in a reaction input is partly catalytically converted by oxidative dehydrogenation (1) in the presence of oxygen to obtain a gaseous first component mixture containing at least ethane, ethylene, acetic acid and water. It is provided that at least a portion of the gaseous first component mixture is subjected to a scrubbing operation with a scrubbing liquid to obtain a liquid second component mixture containing water and acetic acid, that a first proportion of the second component mixture is used for forming the scrubbing liquid, that a second proportion of the second component mixture is subjected to a solvent extraction to obtain a liquid third component mixture containing at least one organic solvent and acetic acid and that at least a portion of the liquid third component mixture is heated and subjected to a distillation to obtain a liquid containing predominantly or exclusively acetic acid. The heating of the third component mixture or the portion thereof subjected to the distillation is performed at least partly in heat exchange with the first component mixture and/or with the first and/or with the second proportion of the second component mixture. A corresponding plant likewise forms part of the subject matter of the present invention.

Proposed is a process (100) for producing ethylene in which ethane in a reaction input is partly catalytically converted by oxidative dehydrogenation (1) in the presence of oxygen to obtain a gaseous first component mixture containing at least ethane, ethylene, acetic acid and water. It is provided that at least a portion of the gaseous first component mixture is subjected to a scrubbing operation with a scrubbing liquid to obtain a liquid second component mixture containing water and acetic acid, that a first proportion of the second component mixture is used for forming the scrubbing liquid, that a second proportion of the second component mixture is subjected to a solvent extraction to obtain a liquid third component mixture containing at least one organic solvent and acetic acid and that at least a portion of the liquid third component mixture is heated and subjected to a distillation to obtain a liquid containing predominantly or exclusively acetic acid. The heating of the third component mixture or the portion thereof subjected to the distillation is performed at least partly in heat exchange with the first component mixture and/or with the first and/or with the second proportion of the second component mixture. A corresponding plant likewise forms part of the subject matter of the present invention.

A method for separating aromatic hydrocarbons by an extractive distillation, comprising introducing a hydrocarbon mixture containing aromatic hydrocarbons into the middle of an extractive distillation column (8); introducing an extraction solvent into the upper part of the extractive distillation column; after an extractive distillation, a raffinate containing benzene is discharged from the top of the column, wherein the benzene content is 3-40% by mass, and sent to the lower part of the extraction column (10); the extraction solvent is introduced to the upper part of the extraction column for a liquid-liquid extraction; a raffinate liquid free of aromatic hydrocarbons is discharged from the top of the extraction column; a rich solvent containing benzene is discharged from the bottom of the column and enters the upper-middle part of the extractive distillation column; the rich solvent obtained at the bottom of the extractive distillation column is sent to the solvent recovery column to separate the aromatic hydrocarbons and the solvent. By combining an extractive distillation with a liquid-liquid extraction ingeniously, the method can achieve the separation of aromatic hydrocarbons with a high purity and a high recovery rate, and a significant decrease of the energy consumption in the extraction and separation process.

A method for separating aromatic hydrocarbons by an extractive distillation, comprising introducing a hydrocarbon mixture containing aromatic hydrocarbons into the middle of an extractive distillation column (8); introducing an extraction solvent into the upper part of the extractive distillation column; after an extractive distillation, a raffinate containing benzene is discharged from the top of the column, wherein the benzene content is 3-40% by mass, and sent to the lower part of the extraction column (10); the extraction solvent is introduced to the upper part of the extraction column for a liquid-liquid extraction; a raffinate liquid free of aromatic hydrocarbons is discharged from the top of the extraction column; a rich solvent containing benzene is discharged from the bottom of the column and enters the upper-middle part of the extractive distillation column; the rich solvent obtained at the bottom of the extractive distillation column is sent to the solvent recovery column to separate the aromatic hydrocarbons and the solvent. By combining an extractive distillation with a liquid-liquid extraction ingeniously, the method can achieve the separation of aromatic hydrocarbons with a high purity and a high recovery rate, and a significant decrease of the energy consumption in the extraction and separation process.

Some variations provide a system for extracting a product from biomass, comprising: a process chamber having an internal volume; one or more mechanical elements configured to controllably and reversibly mechanically seal the process chamber and reduce the internal volume to mechanically compress the biomass; a fluid port in flow communication with the process chamber; and a collection sub-system in flow communication with the fluid port. Other variations provide a method of extracting a product from biomass, the method comprising: introducing biomass into a process chamber; mechanically sealing the process chamber; mechanically compressing the biomass to release a first fluid material; mechanically decompressing the biomass; introducing an extraction solvent into the process chamber; maintaining process-chamber pressure from about 1 bar to about 1000 bar, wherein the extraction solvent extracts a second fluid material; and recovering the second fluid material from the process chamber. High processing throughput is enabled with this invention.