CD-DEIB® is a separation technology which combines fractionation and hydroisomerization within one unit operation for the effective and complete separation of isobutene from 1-butenes and 2-butenes. The technology produces both an isobutylene concentrate with low n-butenes content and an n-butenes concentrate with low isobutene.
Through the continuous fractionation of the heavier 2-butenes away from the lighter 1-butene, the hydroisomerization can be taken beyond the chemical equilibrium which limits traditional fixed bed hydroisomerization systems.
This technology has been used extensively in the preparation of 2-butenes feeds to metathesis units for the production of propylene and well as for the preparation of isobutene feed to poly-isobutene units.
The CD-DEIB unit can be combined with Lummus Technology’s C4 skeletal isomerization technologies—ISOMPLUS® and CDIsom®—for the shift to yield either higher isobutene production or higher n-butenes production.