Business Divisions

Nitration

NORAM is a leading supplier of nitration technology worldwide. Building on our early successes in developing new technologies for the production of Mononitrobenzene (MNB), our Nitration Division has commercialised a range of technologies in related applications.

Drawing on our specialized tools and skills, we have also assisted clients in improving the operation of downstream facilities in the polyurethanes production train. In addition, we have applied our nitration experience to help clients resolve diverse process issues at both benzene nitration and toluene nitration facilities.

Our Processes

Mononitrobenzene (MNB)

MNB is a feedstock that, via intermediates aniline and MDI, ultimately becomes polyurethane. NORAM’s adiabatic aromatic nitration technology has been implemented for customers all over the world including the world’s largest MNB plant.  NORAM has a broad range of experience in meeting our clients’ local requirements. We continue to innovate and provide solutions for new challenges, which has resulted in a comprehensive suite of patents.

Nitric Acid Concentration (NAC)

Our proprietary Nitric Acid Concentration process is characterized by its energy economy, minimal losses of nitric acid and sulfuric acid, and with the integration of our NO_x Recovery technology, almost 100% yield of nitric acid. Pre-heating of weak nitric acid feed reduces the consumption of medium to high pressure steam, and shifts heat exchanger surface area from tantalum to less expensive materials like zirconium and various stainless steel alloys specifically developed for nitric acid service. NORAM’s extensive knowledge of glass-lined piping systems ensures a safe and robust piping design with minimal maintenance costs. For specialized applications where organics-laden nitric acid streams are recycled to the NAC, NORAM draws on its extensive nitration experience to ensure safe designs in which organic compounds are unable to accumulate and form unstable mixtures.

Sulfuric Acid Re-Concentration (SARC)

Sulfuric Acid Re-Concentration process capabilities include the design and supply of custom units for chlorine drying, minerals processing and hydrocarbon processing. The worldwide evaporative capacity of our SARC units exceeds 500 tonnes per hour.

NO_x Recovery

NO_x Recovery is an integral part of NORAM’s nitration vent management philosophy, and can also be easily incorporated into existing facilities that are undergoing retrofits. By avoiding the use of absorption enhancers like caustic soda, and instead relying on water alone as a feedstock, the technology drastically reduces chemical consumption costs. Furthermore, as NO_x is captured as nitric acid that can be recycled to nitration, the generation of sodium nitrate/nitrite effluents requiring further treatment is eliminated. Capture as nitric acid reduces the nitration plant’s net usage of nitric acid. Payback on nitric acid savings tends to be less than three years.

Washing and Purification of Nitrated Aromatics

More than half of the world’s MNB supply employs NORAM’s technology for Washing and Purification of Nitrated Aromatics. This uses a combination of acid washers, alkaline washers, stripping columns, and distillation columns, depending on the product specifications.

Specialty Aromatic Nitration

We offer a broad knowledge and experience of Specialty Aromatic Nitration processes, such as those used in the agricultural, plastics and dyestuff industries. NORAM has the capability to help with development of such processes from bench to pilot scale, supported by a complete range of laboratory services. These facilities include a fully equipped Electrophilic Reactor (ER) pilot plant for testing purposes, applicable particularly to liquid/liquid heterogeneous systems. The ER facility is aligned to a sulfuric acid concentration system so that a closed loop system can be operated.

Hydrothermal Processing

To deal with nitrophenol effluents produced as a byproduct in the nitrobenzene process, we offer a proven hydrothermal process which produces an effluent that can be treated in a conventional biological treatment plant.

R&D

An active Nitration R&D Programme helps us maintain our market leadership. Concepts are continuously tested in NORAM’s pilot facilities and, in conjunction with our clients, in commercial-scale plants.

Our Projects

Huntsman Polyurethanes (Wilton, UK) operates NORAM’s first green-field MNB plant. During 20 years of operation, it has been systematically updated and debottlenecked and continues an enviable reputation as a safe, efficient and reliable production facility.

The 240,000 MTPY Wanhua Polyurethanes MNB plant (Ningbo, China) marks NORAM’s first implementation of its newly patented MNB product purification technology which, along with other key process improvements, has the ability to significantly reduce effluent treatment costs at certain sites.

Tianji Chemicals (Lucheng, China) operates two MNB plants on site, both equipped with our patented technology for MNB reaction and purification, and incorporating the first implementation in China of specialised effluent pre-treatment technology.

The NORAM Sulfuric Acid Re-Concentration (SARC) technology has been commercialised for a diverse range of process applications, particularly in the petrochemical and minerals processing sectors

A strong competence has been developed around-high performance corrosion-resistant materials of construction. Tantalum and glass-lined steel are employed for our reactor vessels and acid handling systems