Systems and methods for separation and purification of products

• US 10,287,223 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2017
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Calera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Calera Corporation
• Inventors: Weiss, Michael Joseph, Gilliam, Ryan J, Self, Kyle, Mariansky, Gal, Leclerc, Margarete K, Shipchandler, Riyaz Mohammed, Nagar, Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Ciel P
• Application Number:
  US15/793,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20180044267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 17/02 to unsaturated hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 19/01 containing chlorine
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 19/045 Dichloroethanes
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 1/00 Electrolytic production of inorganic compounds or non-metals
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 1/26 Chlorine; Compounds thereof by simultaneous production of alkali metal hydroxides and chlorine, oxyacids or salts of chlorine C25B1/34
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 1/46 in diaphragm cells
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 3/23 Oxidation halogenation C25B3/27
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 9/19 with diaphragms

Abstract

There are provided methods and systems for an electrochemical cell including an anode and a cathode where the anode is contacted with a metal ion that converts the metal ion from a lower oxidation state to a higher oxidation state. The metal ion in the higher oxidation state is reacted with an unsaturated hydrocarbon and/or a saturated hydrocarbon to form products. Separation and/or purification of the products as well as of the metal ions in the lower oxidation state and the higher oxidation state, is provided herein.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

contacting an anode with an anode electrolyte wherein the anode electrolyte comprises CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water;

oxidizing CuCl to CuCl₂ at the anode;

reacting ethylene with the anode electrolyte comprising CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water to form one or more organic compounds comprising ethylene dichloride (EDC) and chloroethanol (CE) and reducing CuCl₂ to CuCl;

exiting first vapor stream comprising EDC and a first liquid stream comprising EDC, CE, CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water; and

separating and purifying the one or more organic compounds comprising ethylene dichloride (EDC) and chloroethanol (CE) from an aqueous medium comprising CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water wherein the separating and purify comprises

vapor-liquid separation process that separates the exiting first liquid stream into a second vapor stream comprising EDC and CE and a second liquid stream comprising EDC, CE, CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water;

compression-cooling process that condenses the exiting first vapor stream comprising EDC to a third liquid stream;

a liquid-liquid separation process that separates the second liquid stream exiting the vapor-liquid separation process and the third liquid stream exiting the compression-cooling process into a fourth liquid stream comprising EDC and CE and a fifth liquid stream comprising CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water, and

a scrubbing process that reacts an alkali with the second liquid stream exiting the vapor-liquid separation process and/or the fifth liquid stream exiting the liquid-liquid separation process,

to separate the one or more organic compounds comprising EDC and CE and the aqueous medium comprising CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water, wherein the aqueous medium obtained after the separation and purification comprises less than about 1% or no organic compound.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the separating and purifying further comprises reaction separation process, purification subprocess, adsorption, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the reaction separation comprises reactive distillation, reactive extraction, or combination thereof;

the liquid-liquid separation process comprises decantation, extraction, or combination thereof;

the vapor-liquid separation process comprises flash distillation, distillation, or combination thereof and/or the purification subprocess process comprises decantation, adsorption, distillation, or combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid-liquid separation process comprises decanting the second liquid stream from the vapor-liquid separation process and/or the third liquid stream from the compression-cooling process and optionally extracting the second or the third liquid stream using an extractant;

and the vapor-liquid separation process comprises separating volatile components as the second vapor stream from the second liquid stream by flash, distillation, or combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the alkali is NaOH.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising feeding liquid stream from the scrubber process to a byproduct removal column and removing heavier impurities.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising feeding liquid stream from the byproduct removal column to a fractionating column.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising a purification subprocess following the scrubbing process and/or following the liquid-liquid separation process to remove water content from liquid stream exiting the scrubbing process and/or the fourth or the fifth liquid stream exiting the liquid-liquid separation process.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the purification subprocess comprises decantation, adsorption, distillation, or combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising producing the EDC with more than about 90% yield and/or more than about 90% purity.