Terephthalic Acid Production from p-Xylene - Cost Analysis - TPA E12A

Book excerpt: This report presents a cost analysis of Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) production from p-xylene. The process examined is a conventional catalytic oxidation process. In this process, p-xylene is oxidized to Terephthalic Acid. The Terephthalic Acid from reaction passes through separation and drying steps and Crude Terephthalic Acid (CTA) is obtained as an intermediate. Subsequently, the CTA is subjected to purification via hydrogenation and PTA is separated as the final product. This report examines one-time costs associated with the construction of a United States-based plant and the continuing costs associated with the daily operation of such a plant. More specifically, it discusses: * Capital Investment, broken down by: - Total fixed capital required, divided in production unit (ISBL); infrastructure (OSBL) and contingency - Alternative perspective on the total fixed capital, divided in direct costs, indirect costs and contingency - Working capital and costs incurred during industrial plant commissioning and start-up * Production cost, broken down by: - Manufacturing variable costs (raw materials, utilities) - Manufacturing fixed costs (maintenance costs, operating charges, plant overhead, local taxes and insurance) - Depreciation and corporate overhead costs * Raw materials consumption, products generation and labor requirements * Process block flow diagram and description of industrial site installations (production unit and infrastructure) This report was developed based essentially on the following reference(s): (1) "Terephthalic Acid, Dimethyl Terephthalate, and Isophthalic Acid", Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 7th edition; (2) EP Patent 0824653, issued to DuPont in 2000 Keywords: Para-xylene, Paraxylene, TPA, CTA, Hydrogenation, Amoco, Catalytic Oxidation, Acetic Acid, BP, X Technology, PET, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Bromine