Abstract:
The invention relates to a process wherein a dialkyl carbonate stream containing an ether alkanol impurity is subjected to extractive distillation using an extraction solvent to obtain a top stream comprising dialkyl carbonate and a bottom stream comprising the ether alkanol impurity and the extraction solvent, wherein the extraction solvent is an organic compound containing one or more ester moieties and/or ether moieties which organic compound does not contain a hydroxyl group. Further, the invention relates to a process for making a diaryl carbonate, comprising reacting an aryl alcohol with a stream containing a dialkyl carbonate from which stream an ether alkanol impurity has been removed in accordance with the above-described process.
Abstract:
The invention provides a process for the production of a high purity first diol, selected from the group consisting of C2 to C7 diols from a product stream comprising two or more C2 to C7 diols, said process comprising the steps of: (i) subjecting the product stream to distillation in a first distillation column to provide a bottoms stream comprising high boiling by-products and a top stream comprising a mixture comprising the two or more C2 to C7 diols; (ii) providing said mixture comprising the two or more C2 to C7 diols as a feed to a second distillation column; (iii) providing a feed comprising an extractant to the second distillation column above the mixture comprising the two or more C2 to C7 diols; (iv) operating the second distillation column at a temperature in the range of from 50 to 250° C. and a pressure in the range of from 0.1 to 400 kPa; (v) removing a stream comprising the first diol and the extractant as a bottoms stream from the second distillation column; and (vi) subjecting the stream comprising the first diol and the extractant to distillation in a third distillation column to provide a top stream comprising the first diol in high purity, wherein the extractant is selected from the group of C3 to C6 sugar alcohols and mixtures thereof.
Abstract:
The invention provides a continuous process for the preparation of ethylene glycol and 1, 2-propylene glycol from starting material comprising one or more saccharides, said process being carried out in a reactor system comprising a reactor vessel equipped with an external recycle loop and said process comprising the steps of: i) providing the starting material in a solvent, via an inlet, to the external recycle loop and contacting it therein with a retro-aldol catalyst composition to provide an intermediate stream; ii) then contacting said intermediate stream with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst composition in the reactor vessel; iii) withdrawing a product stream comprising glycols from the reactor vessel; iv) providing a portion of said product stream, via an outlet, for separation and purification of the glycols contained therein; and v) recycling the remainder of said product stream via the external recycle loop.
Abstract:
The invention provides a process for the catalytic conversion of a saccharide-containing feedstock in a reactor, wherein saccharide-containing feedstock is provided to the reactor as a feed stream through a feed pipe and is contacted with a catalyst system in the reactor and wherein, as the saccharide-containing feedstock is fed through the feed pipe, a solvent stream, initially comprising essentially no saccharide, is fed along the internal walls of the feed pipe.
Abstract:
The invention provides a catalyst system comprising: a) one or more silver tungstate-containing species; and b) one or more catalytic species suitable for hydrogenation, wherein the weight ratio of said one or more silver tungstate-containing species to the one or more catalytic species suitable for hydrogenation is greater than 2.5:1, on the basis of the total weight of the catalyst system; and a process for the preparation of monoethylene glycol from starting material comprising one or more saccharides, by contacting said starting material with hydrogen in a reactor at a reactor temperature in the range of from 145 to 190 ° C. in the presence of a solvent and said catalyst system.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a process for preparing an organic carbonate, comprising contacting carbon dioxide with an alcohol in the presence of water and a catalyst in a reaction zone resulting in the production of the organic carbonate, wherein the organic carbonate is continuously removed from the reaction zone.
Abstract:
A process for the production of glycols is provided, the process comprising the steps of: (i) contacting a saccharide-containing feedstock with a catalyst system in a reactor in the presence of a reaction medium, a buffer system for controlling the pH within the reactor, and hydrogen; (ii) withdrawing a reactor product stream from the reactor; (iii) separating the reactor product stream into at least a glycol product stream and a hydrocarbon heavies stream; and (iv) recycling the hydrocarbon heavies stream at least partially back to the reactor; wherein components of the buffer system withdrawn from the reactor in the reactor product stream separate with the heavies stream and are recycled therewith.
Abstract:
The invention provides a continuous process for the preparation of ethylene glycol and 1,2-propylene glycol from starting material comprising one or more saccharides, said process comprising providing a feedstock comprising said one or more saccharides in a solvent to a reactor, said reactor having supported therein a heterogeneous hydrogenation catalytic composition and contacting the feedstock therein directly with said heterogeneous hydrogenation catalytic composition and concurrently with a retro-aldol catalyst composition in the presence of hydrogen, wherein said reactor operates in an essentially plug flow manner.
Abstract:
The invention provides a process for the production of glycols comprising the step of adding to a reactor vessel a saccharide-containing feedstock, a solvent, hydrogen, a retro-aldol catalyst composition and a catalyst precursor and maintaining the reactor vessel at a temperature and a pressure, wherein the catalyst precursor comprises one or more cations selected from groups 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the periodic table, and wherein the catalyst precursor is reduced in the presence of hydrogen in the reactor vessel into an unsupported hydrogenation catalyst.
Abstract:
The invention provides a process for the catalytic conversion of a saccharide-containing feedstock in a reactor, wherein saccharide-containing feedstock is provided to the reactor as a feed stream through a feed pipe and is contacted with a catalyst system in the reactor, wherein the saccharide-containing feedstock in the feed pipe is maintained at a temperature below the degradation temperature of the saccharide contained therein and a section of the wall of the reactor at the point where the feed pipe enters the reactor is cooled to a temperature below the temperature of the bulk of the reactor and the reactor contents.