STRATEGIC BUSINESS UNITS of NYLON 6 and NYLON 66 (December 2001)
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Abstract Process Economics Program Report 240 STRATEGIC BUSINESS UNITS OF NYLON 6 AND NYLON 66 (December 2001) This report presents economics for ten cases of strategic business units (SBUs), five each for the production of nylon 6 and nylon 66 resins. The SBU is an integrated operation, which combines the production of nylon resin with the production of precursor(s). The determination of the configuration of each SBU is based on the information of worldwide production capacities for nylon resins and their precursors. The latter include caprolactam (CAPM) for nylon 6, and adipic acid (ADA) and hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) for nylon 66. This report presents economics of five processes for the production of CAPM, three processes for the production of ADA and two processes for the production of HMDA along with those of processes producing nylon 6 chips and nylon 66 resins. They are • Hydroxylamine phosphate (HPO) process, which uses phosphoric acid as hydroxylamine carrier, produces CAPM from phenol. • Hydroxylamine phosphate (HPO) process, which uses phosphoric acid as hydroxylamine carrier, produces CAPM from cyclohexane. • Nitric oxide (NOx) reduction process, which uses hydroxylammonium-ammonium sulfate as hydroxylamine carrier, produces CAPM from cyclohexane. • CAPM from butadiene via methyl 6-aminocaproate by carboalkoxylation, hydroformylation and reductive ammoniation followed by cyclization with no ammonium sulfate by-product • CAPM from butadiene via 6-aminocapronitrile by hydrocyanation and partial hydrogenation followed by cyclization; the process produces HMDA as a co-product and no ammonium sulfate by-product. • ADA from cyclohexane by oxidation process • ADA from butadiene by carboalkoxylation process • ADA from benzene by partial hydrogenation process • HMDA from butadiene by hydrocyanation process • HMDA from butadiene via 6-aminocapronitrile by hydrocyanation and partial hydrogenation followed by cyclization; the process produces CAPM as co-product and no ammonium sulfate by-product. This report also presents economics comparison among the SBUs. PEP’00 YRC R eport No. 240 S TR ATE G IC B US INE S S UNITS OF NYL ON 6 AND NYL ON 66 by YU-R E N C HIN December 2001 A private report by the P R OC E S S E C ONOMIC S P R OG R AM S R I Menlo P ark, C alifornia 94025 Subsidiary of SRI International SRIC agrees to assign professionally qualified personnel to the preparation of the Process Economics Program’s reports and will perform the work in conformance with generally accepted professional standards. No other warranties expressed or implied are made. Because the reports are of an advisory nature, neither SRIC nor its employees will assume any liability for the special or consequential damages arising from the Client’s use of the results contained in the reports. The Client agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold SRIC, its officers, and employees harmless from any liability to any third party resulting directly or indirectly from the Client’s use of the reports or other deliverables produced by SRIC pursuant to this agreement For detailed marketing data and information, the reader is referred to one of the SRI Consulting programs specializing in marketing research. THE CHEMICAL ECONOMICS HANDBOOK Program covers most major chemicals and chemical products produced in the United States and the WORLD PETROCHEMICALS PROGRAM covers major hydrocarbons and their derivatives on a worldwide basis. In addition the SRIC DIRECTORY OF CHEMICAL PRODUCERS services provide detailed lists of chemical producers by company, product, and plant for the United States, Western Europe, Canada, and East Asia, South America and Mexico. CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1-1 2 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................. 2-1 TECHNICAL ASPECTS ............................................................................................. 2-1 Nylon 6 and Its Precursor........................................................................................... 2-1 Nylon 66 and Its Precursors ....................................................................................... 2-2 Strategic Business Units for Nylon Resins................................................................. 2-2 COMPARISON OF ECONOMICS.............................................................................. 2-3 Economics for CAPM Production ............................................................................... 2-3 Economics for ADA Production .................................................................................. 2-4 Economics for HMDA Production............................................................................... 2-4 Economics for Nylon Resin Production...................................................................... 2-4 Economics for Nylon Resin SBUs .............................................................................. 2-10 3 INDUSTRY STATUS.................................................................................................. 3-1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 3-1 CONSUMPTION......................................................................................................... 3-1 PRODUCTION CAPACITY ........................................................................................ 3-1 Producers of Nylon 6 Precursor ................................................................................. 3-1 Producers of Nylon 66 Precursor ............................................................................... 3-8 Producers of Nylon 6 and Nylon 66 Fibers ................................................................ 3-8 4 REVIEW OF TECHNOLOGY FOR NYLONS AND THEIR PRECURSOR ............... 4-1 REVIEW OF TECHNOLOGY FOR NYLON 6 AND ITS PRECURSOR .................... 4-1 Technology for Caprolactam ...................................................................................... 4-1 Preparation of Cyclohexanone ............................................................................. 4-3 Preparation of Cyclohexanone Oxime.................................................................. 4-3 Beckmann Rearrangement of Cyclohexanone Oxime......................................... 4-4 Caprolactam from Butadiene................................................................................ 4-5 iii CONTENTS (Continued) CAPM Precursors from Butadiene ....................................................................... 4-5 Partial Hydrogenation of Adiponitrile.................................................................... 4-5 Cyclization of 6AMCN........................................................................................... 4-6 CAPM Precursors from Butadiene by Hydrocarboxylation .................................. 4-6 Cyclization of 6AMCA, 6ACAM, and M6AMC ...................................................... 4-7 Purification of Caprolactam .................................................................................. 4-8 Technology for Nylon 6............................................................................................... 4-9 Hydrolytic Polymerization ..................................................................................... 4-9 Anionic Polymerization ......................................................................................... 4-10 REVIEW OF TECHNOLOGY FOR NYLON 66 AND ITS PRECURSORS................ 4-12 Technology for Adipic Acid......................................................................................... 4-12 Adipic acid from benzene ..................................................................................... 4-12 Adipic acid from butadiene ................................................................................... 4-12 Adipic acid from cyclohexane............................................................................... 4-15 Purification of Adipic acid ..................................................................................... 4-16 Treatment of Nitrogen oxides ............................................................................... 4-16 Technology for Hexamethylenediamine..................................................................... 4-17 Hydrocyanation of Butadiene ............................................................................... 4-17 Hydrocyanation of Pentenenitrile ......................................................................... 4-17 Hydrogenation of Adiponitrile ............................................................................... 4-18 Technology for Nylon 66....................................................................................... 4-19 Technology for Reclaim of Nylon Wastes .................................................................. 4-20 5 ECONOMICS FOR CAPROLACTAM AND NYLON 6.............................................. 5-1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 5-1 AVAILABLE COMMERCIAL CAPM PROCESSES.................................................... 5-1 CAPM FROM PHENOL BY HPO PROCESS ............................................................ 5-1 Process Description.................................................................................................... 5-1 Economics .................................................................................................................