Abstract:
In the process of epoxidation of an olefinic compound with an organic hydroperoxide catalyzed by a liquid solution of dissolved molybdenum wherein the crude epoxidation reaction mixture is separated into product components including a product epoxide, an alcohol corresponding to the hydroperoxide reactant and a spent catalyst solution, and wherein said spent catalyst solution is treated by
a) extracting molybdenum values from the spent catalyst solution by a liquid-to-liquid extraction with an extracting medium consisting essentially of water or water and a water immiscible organic solvent, b) separating the molybdenum-rich aqueous phase, c) removing water and lower boiling organic compounds from the separated aqueous phase extract and recovering a concentrated molybdenum solution,
wherein the improvement comprises introducing the concentrated molybdenum solution of c) into a mixture of an olefin and a hydroperoxide to catalyze the epoxidation of the olefin.
Abstract:
The process of separating components of a crude reaction mixture obtained from a molybdenum-catalyzed hydroperoxide epoxidation of an olefin wherein the product epoxide and an alcohol corresponding to the hydroperoxide used are removed from the reaction mixture leaving a spent catalyst solution and subjecting the spent catalyst solution to a liquid-to-liquid solvent extraction to separate dissolved molybdenum values, is improved by solvent extracting the spent catalyst solution with an extracting medium consisting essentially of water and a water immiscible organic solvent to form a two phase system and then separating the molybdenum-rich aqueous phase extract from the organic phase extract. The molybdenum-rich aqueous phase extract may be treated to recover the molybdenum as a solid or the extract may be treated to obtain an active molybdenum catalyst suitable for reuse as a catalyst in a hydroperoxide epoxidation reaction.
Abstract:
In the process of recovering molybdenum from a spent catalyst solution which is obtained from a molybdenum catalyzed epoxidation of an olefin with an organic hydroperoxide by removing from the crude epoxidation reaction mixture product epoxide and the alcohol corresponding to the hydroperoxide, said process comprises removing and recovering dissolved molybdenum as a molybdenum containing solid by mixing the spent catalyst solution with water in an amount sufficient to produce a two phase system comprising an organic phase and an aqueous phase, heating the resulting aqueous phase which is rich in molybdenum values to precipitate a molybdenum-containing solid and separating the solid.
Abstract:
The process of regenerating soluble molybdenum catalyst for epoxidation of olefins with a hydroperoxide which comprises thermally precipitating and separating a molybdenum-containing solid obtained from a spent catalyst stream derived from a molybdenum catalyzed olefin epoxidation, and solubilizing the precipitation solid by heating with a liquid hydroxyl-containing organic compound to produce an active catalyst solution.
Abstract:
In the process of recovering molybdenum from a spent catalyst solution obtained from a crude reaction product of a molybdenum catalyzed epoxidation of an olefin with an organic hydroperoxide from which crude reaction product epoxide and an alcohol corresponding to the hydroperoxide is removed, the improvement comprises removing and recovering dissolved molybdenum as a high molybdenum content solid by subjecting the spent catalyst solution to a liquid-to-liquid extraction with an aqueous extract to form a two phase system, separating the molybdenum-rich aqueous extract and precipitating therefrom a high molybdenum content solid by heating the aqueous extract in the presence of hydrogen sulfide or a water soluble sulfide salt.