Method for the provision of carbon dioxide for the synthesis of urea

1. A process for preparing urea, comprising:

providing a gas stream comprising hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide;

removing, with a solvent, at least part of the carbon dioxide of the gas stream to form a carbon dioxide-depleted gas stream;

synthesizing ammonia from at least part of the hydrogen and at least part of the nitrogen which are present in the carbon dioxide-depleted gas stream;

desorbing the carbon dioxide from the solvent; and

synthesizing urea from at least part of the ammonia from said synthesizing step and at least part of the carbon dioxide from said desorbing step;

wherein the desorbing of the carbon dioxide in said desorbing step is carried out at a higher pressure than the synthesizing of the urea in said synthesizing step.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the solvent loaded with carbon dioxide is at least partially depressurized after said removing step and before said desorbing step in order to remove components which have been co-absorbed in said removing step from the solvent.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the desorption of the carbon dioxide in said desorbing step is carried out at a higher pressure than the synthesis of the urea in said synthesizing step and the pressure difference between the pressure at which desorption is carried out and the pressure at which urea is synthesized in said synthesizing step is sufficiently high to compensate for any pressure drops of the carbon dioxide occurring before entry into the urea synthesis.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the temperature at which said desorbing step is carried out is selected so that the carbon dioxide can desorb at the the desorbing step.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the solvent by which the carbon dioxide is separated off in said removing step comprises an ammonia/water mixture.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the desorption of the carbon dioxide in said desorbing step is carried out at a temperature in the range from about 130° C. to 270° C.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the energy required for desorption of the carbon dioxide in said desorbing step is provided by steam.

8. The process as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the steam is produced by process heat liberated in the synthesis of ammonia.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein at least part of the gas stream is provided by one or both of steam reforming and autothermal reforming.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the synthesis of the urea in said synthesizing step comprises subreactions (i) and (ii):

(i) formation of ammonium carbamate from ammonia and carbon dioxide; and

(ii) conversion of the ammonium carbamate into urea and water;

wherein energy for the subreaction (ii) is obtained at least partly from the subreaction (i).