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THF Technology
Tetrahydrofuran (THF) is a key intermediate, predominantly feeding PTMEG but also the solvents and pharmaceutical markets. KTS licenses both single-stream and twin-stream designs covering a wide range of outputs.
Benefits
Robust and efficient process from low-cost acetylene.
Low capital cost due to highly active catalyst.
Low-cost catalyst.
High-purity process.
Low OPEX.
Over 40 years of operating experience and technology improvement.
How It Works
The chemistry of converting BDO to THF is an acid-catalyzed ring closure of BDO to produce THF and by-product water.
In the past, the KTS technology for the production of THF utilized Sulfuric Acid as the acid catalyst. We have developed and are commercializing a new process that utilizes a strong acid resin as the catalyst which eliminates the need for high-alloy reactors and exchanges, generates less waste, and has a smaller environmental footprint. While high-purity BDO is one requirement for producing high-quality THF for use in the PTMEG market, another requirement is extremely low levels of color forming unsaturates. The KTS process incorporates a hydrogenation step into the refining process to ensure these color-forming impurities are converted and/or removed from the product.
Offerings
KTS’ base technology offering includes a Process and Basic Design Package (PBDP), technical services to support detailed design, procurement, commissioning and start-up, training and on-going post-acceptance technical services. In addition, we can leverage the capabilities across Koch Engineered Solutions to customize our offer and include equipment supply, project management service and other project execution options to meet our license needs.
