Butanediol (BDO)

TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BUTANEDIOL (BDO)

1,4 Butanediol (BDO) is a low viscosity glycol used as intermediate for the synthesis of other chemicals and polymers.
Thanks to the high reactivity of the two bi-functional OH groups, Butanediol is used in a wide variety of applications, including: Tetrahydrofuran (THF) and Gamma-Butyrolactone (GBL) co-production in integrated plants, Polyurethanes, Elastic Fibres, Thermoplastic Elastomers, Spandex, Polybutylene-Terephthalate (PBT), Homopolymers and Copolymers Plastics and others.

CONSER technology is based on the esterification of Maleic Anhydride with methanol, followed by hydrogenation of the resulting ester, and the consequent co-production of BDO, Tetrahydrofuran (THF) and Gamma-Butyrolactone (GBL). The process allows very high flexibility in the final products distribution, with the highest purity standards, and it can be well integrated with the upstream Maleic Anhydride technology.

CONSER is able to provide the technical design also for emerging Butanediol biological route from bio-based Succinic Acid (BIO-BDO). For additional information on the latter, see ‘Bio-Butanediol (BIO-BDO)’ page. 

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