benzyl alcohol production, UPR, ecoinvent 3.6, Allocation, cut-off
Reference product: benzyl alcohol [kg]
Location: RoW - Rest-of-World
This dataset represents the production of 1 kg of benzyl alcohol via the hydrolysis of benzyl chloride. Benzyl alcohol is a colorless liquid with a faint aromatic odor and a mildly irritating effect on the mucous membranes. By virtue of its good solvent properties, benzyl alcohol is an important solvent for surface-coating materials and resins. It dissolves cellulose esters and ethers, alkyd resins, acrylic resins, and fats; it is also used as an ingredient in the inks for ball-point pens. It is added in small amounts to surface-coating materials to improve their flow and gloss. In the textile industry, it is used as an auxiliary in the dyeing of wool, polyamides, and polyesters. Because it has only a relatively faint odor, it is used as a solvent and diluting agent in the manufacture of perfumes and flavors. In color photography it is increasingly important as a development accelerator. In pharmacy it is used as a local anesthetic and, because of its microbicidal effect, as an ingredient of ointments and other preparations. Benzyl alcohol is a starting material for the preparation of numerous benzyl esters that are used as
odorants, flavors, stabilizers for volatile perfumes, and plasticizers. Benzyl alcohol is also used in the extractive distillation of m- and p-xylenes and m- and p-cresols.
Two production processes are of substantial industrial importance for benzyl alcohol: the hydrolysis of benzyl chloride and the hydrogenation of benzaldehyde. In this dataset, the production of benzyl alcohol by means of the hydrolysis of benzyl chloride is considered. The data are taken from a database which reports data from several US production plants for the years 1998 to 2004 (Overcash 1998-2004) and are representative for US production. The infrastructure is included with a default value.
References:
Sutter, J. (2007) Life Cycle Inventories of Petrochemical Solvents. ecoinvent report No. 22. Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories, Dübendorf, 2007.
Overcash, M., Chemical life cycle database, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7905. 1998 - 2004.
[This dataset has been generated using the system model "Allocation, cut-off by classification". A system model describes how activity datasets are linked to form product systems. The allocation cut-off system model subdivides multi-product activities by allocation, based on a physical properties, economic, mass or other properties. By-products of waste treatment processes are cut-off, as are all by-products classified as recyclable. Markets in this model include all activities in proportion to their current production volume.
Version 3 of the ecoinvent database offers three system models to choose from. For more information, please visit: https://www.ecoinvent.org/database/system-models-in-ecoinvent-3/system-…)]
Benzyl alcohol can be produced in many ways. At present there are only two processes of substantial industrial importance: the hydrolysis of benzyl chloride and the hydrogenation of benzaldehyde. Other processes, like the oxidation of toluene, the hydrogenation of benzoic acid esters, the electrochemical reduction of benzoic acid, the hydrolysis of benzylsulfonic acid, and the decarboxylation of benzyl formate, have no importance in the industrial production of benzyl alcohol. The hydrolysis of benzyl chloride is a reversible reaction which leads to the almost quantitative formation of benzyl alcohol only in the presence of alkaline saponifying agents that combine with the hydrogen chloride as it is formed. It is therefore carried out by heating benzyl chloride with stoichiometric excesses of aqueous solutions of oxides, hydroxides, or carbonates of the alkali or alkaline earth metals.
To 610 parts of boiling 10 % soda solution 126.5 parts of benzyl chloride is added with stirring. The reaction mixture is refluxed and stirred until carbon dioxide no longer escapes; this takes an average of five to six hours. An alkali-resistant steel reactor with brick walls is used. The stirrer and heating coil are made of an alloy with a high nickel content. After the reaction mixture has cooled, the upper layer, consisting of crude benzyl alcohol, is removed. The sodium chloride solution below still contains some soda. Dissolved benzyl alcohol can be obtained from it by adding salt or by extracting with benzene or toluene. The crude benzyl alcohol is carefully fractionated at a reduced pressure in an efficient column. The yield is 85 parts of benzyl alcohol and 10 parts of dibenzyl ether.
Reference:
Brühne, F., Wright: Benzyl alcohol. In: Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Seventh Edition, 2004 Electronic Release (ed. Fiedler E., Grossmann G., Kersebohm D., Weiss G. and Witte C.). 7 th Electronic Release Edition. Wiley InterScience, New York, Online-Version under: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/ueic/articles/
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