Análise e estudos de segurança e ambiental do processo de produção de formaldeído por oxidação de metanol em excesso de ar

Abstract

Formaldehyde is one of the most used compounds by the chemical industry since its first synthesis in the 19th century. This compound is used for the production of several basic products and is related to different economic chains in the modern society. In general, formaldehyde is one of the simplest molecules in organic chemistry, with CH2O as a formula. It is a colorless gas with a pungent odor, highly reactive, inflammable and capable of forming explosive mixtures in contact with air. In addition to this information, it is soluble in water, alcohol and other polar solvents. Commercially, formaldehyde has an added value when it is produced in aqueous solution, receiving the name of formol or formalin. Currently, the formaldehyde production chain is dominated on a global scale by China. There are several methods of producing pure formaldehyde or its aqueous solution, including those that use water or methanol as a base. One of the most used methods nowadays is that of catalytic oxidation of methanol with excess air, known as FORMOXTM. Based on all data, considerations and hypotheses related to the process, several studies could be developed in order to observe its impacts in a context of global warming, emission of greenhouse gases and increased safety standards. Therefore, the present work deals with the development of safety and environmental studies of the line of a theoretical line of production of formaldehyde by the FORMOXTM method. The safety study is based on a Preliminary Risk Analysis, on an incompatibility matrix of products and reagents and on the construction of a Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP). The environmental study, in turn, is intrinsically linked to the gaseous pollutants produced by the process as well as to the methods of treatment, quantification and dispersion of these pollutants following the current legislation.