PHOSGENE‐FREE ROUTE TO TOLUENE DIISOCYANATE

A Gulf Coast production plant was designed for a phosgene-free route manufacture of 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (TDI) from toluene diamine (TDA). The process was designed to generate 300 million pounds of TDI per year within the required process specifications. Two reactors were to be installed in order to improve the overall yield of TDI, followed by a series of three distillation columns to ensure highly pure market competitive product. Safety concerns, the start-up process, and other potential considerations are also included. The results of economic analysis for the base case of the project returned a Net Present Value (NPV) of $20,653,700 with an initial rate of return (IRR) of 18.05% and a return on investment (ROI) of 12.03%. Further analysis on the assumptions made in these calculations may be required before final project approval is granted.