Product Overview
Liquid Tetramethylene sulfone is a highly polar, stable, and water-miscible organosulfur compound with the formula C₄H₈O₂S. This colorless, high-boiling liquid is recognized as a premier industrial solvent due to its exceptional selectivity and stability. Primarily valued in gas treatment processes, liquid sulfolane functions as a key physical solvent for the selective removal of acidic gases and aromatic hydrocarbons. Its unique combination of properties, including high thermal stability, low vapor pressure, and selective solvation power, makes liquid sulfolane a critical component in the purification of natural gas, refinery streams, and in specialized chemical syntheses.
Basic Information
| CAS No. | 126-33-0 |
| UN No. | Not specifically regulated for transport in pure form under common classifications. Often shipped as an environmentally hazardous substance (UN3082) if applicable. |
| Molecular Formula | C₄H₈O₂S |
| Hazard Classification | Generally considered to have low acute toxicity but may be subject to specific ecological and health regulations. |
Key Attributes & Parameters
| Purity | Industrial grade typically >99.0%, with low water and organic acid content for process applications. |
| Physical State | Colorless to pale yellow, hygroscopic liquid. |
| Boiling Point | 285 °C (545 °F) |
| Melting Point | 27.4 °C (81.3 °F) - solidifies just above room temperature; often used as a molten liquid or in aqueous solutions. |
| Flash Point | 165 °C (329 °F) (closed cup) - high, indicating low flammability hazard. |
| Key Properties | High dielectric constant, excellent thermal and chemical stability, high selectivity for aromatics and sour gases over paraffins. |
Features & Advantages
Superior Selective Solvent
Liquid sulfolane exhibits high solubility for aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, xylene) and acid gases (H₂S, CO₂), while having low affinity for paraffinic and naphthenic compounds, enabling highly selective extraction.
Exceptional Thermal & Chemical Stability
It is stable up to approximately 220°C in non-oxidizing environments and resistant to degradation by acid gases, allowing for long service life in continuous processes with minimal solvent loss and degradation.
Low Volatility & High Boiling Point
Its low vapor pressure minimizes solvent losses to the vapor phase, and its high boiling point facilitates easy separation from lower-boiling extracted components via simple distillation.
Versatile & Tunable Solvent
Often used in aqueous solutions or blended with amines (e.g., in Sulfinol® process), its properties can be optimized for specific separation tasks.
Functional Characteristics
In process applications, liquid sulfolane functions as a physical absorption solvent. In gas sweetening (e.g., the Sulfinol process), it physically absorbs H₂S and CO₂, while an added amine provides chemical reaction capacity. In liquid-liquid extraction, such as in the Sulfolane process for BTX (benzene, toluene, xylene) recovery, it selectively dissolves aromatic compounds from hydrocarbon reformate streams based on polarity differences. The rich solvent is then easily regenerated by heating (stripping) to release the absorbed components, allowing the lean sulfolane to be recycled. Its hygroscopic nature requires systems to be kept dry to maintain optimal performance.
Primary Application Fields
Natural Gas & Refinery Gas Treating
A key component in the Sulfinol® and other hybrid solvents for the selective removal of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) from natural gas, syngas, and refinery off-gases.
Aromatics Extraction
The solvent of choice in the UOP Sulfolane process for extracting high-purity benzene, toluene, and xylenes (BTX) from catalytic reformate or pyrolysis gasoline streams.
Specialty Chemical Synthesis
Used as a high-boiling, polar aprotic solvent in reactions requiring high temperatures, such as polymerizations, alkylations, and as a reaction medium for pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals.
Other Applications
Plasticizer, solvent for electronic chemicals, and in the synthesis of engineering plastics.
Customer Collaboration Case
A large natural gas processor in Southeast Asia was facing increasing levels of CO₂ and H₂S in their feed gas, which exceeded the capacity and efficiency of their conventional amine-based treating unit. They needed a solution that could handle high acid gas partial pressures, reduce energy consumption for solvent regeneration, and minimize solvent degradation. We partnered with them to retrofit their plant with a Sulfinol-D process unit, for which we became the dedicated supplier of high-quality liquid sulfolane. Our technical team assisted in designing the solvent blend and optimizing operating parameters. Liquid Tetramethylene sulfone solvent demonstrated superior co-absorption of CO₂ and H₂S, leading to a 30% reduction in solvent circulation rate compared to the previous system. Its thermal stability resulted in significantly lower solvent degradation and makeup requirements. The customer achieved stringent pipeline specifications for treated gas, reduced their energy consumption for regeneration by approximately 20%, and extended solvent life, showcasing the operational and economic advantages of a liquid sulfolane-based treating solution for challenging gas streams.
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