SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES FOR POLYACRYLIC ACID PRODUCTION

• US 20180057619A1
• Filed: 02/12/2016
• Published: 03/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novomer, Inc (Danimer Scientific, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Novomer, Inc (Danimer Scientific, Inc.)
• Inventors: SOOKRAJ, Sadesh H.
• Granted Patent: US 10,428,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 51/12 on an oxygen-containing group in organic compounds, e.g. alcohols
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 51/14 on a carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bond in organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 51/145 with simultaneous oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 51/377 by splitting-off hydrogen or functional groups; by hydrogenolysis of functional groups C07C51/36 - C07C51/373 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 57/04 Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 59/01 Saturated compounds having only one carboxyl group and containing hydroxy or O-metal groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2/01 characterised by special features of the polymerisation apparatus used
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2/18 Suspension polymerisation
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 20/06 Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid; Metal salts or ammonium salts thereof

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for the production of polyacrylic acid and superabsorbent polymers from ethylene oxidation to form ethylene oxide. Reacting the ethylene oxide with carbon monoxide to form to beta propiolactone (BPL) or polypropiolactone (PPL), or a combination thereof. An outlet configured to provide a carbonylation stream comprising the BPL or PPL, or a combination thereof and using one or more reactors to convert BPL to acrylic acid or to convert at least some of the BPL to PPL, and then to convert PPL to acrylic acid. An outlet configured to provide a PPL stream to a second reactor tm to convert at least some of the PPL to AA or a third reactor to convert at least some of the PPL to AA. The outlet configured to provide an AA stream to a fourth reactor to convert the AA to polyacrylic acid.

Claims

1. A system for producing polyacrylic acid (PAA) from ethylene, comprising:

an oxidative reactor, comprising;

an inlet configured to receive ethylene,

an oxidative reaction zone configured to convert at least some of the ethylene to ethylene oxide (EO), and

an outlet configured to provide an EO stream comprising the EO;

a central reactor, comprising;

an inlet configured to receive EO from the EO stream of the oxidative reactor, and carbon monoxide (CO) from a CO source,

a central reaction zone configured to convert at least some of the EO to beta propiolactone (BPL) or polypropiolactone (PPL), or a combination thereof, and

an outlet configured to provide a carbonylation stream comprising the BPL, or a carbonylation stream comprising the PPL, or a combination thereof;

one or more of (i), (ii) and (iii);

(i) a first reactor, comprising;

an inlet configured to receive BPL from the carbonylation stream of the central reactor,

a first reaction zone configured to convert at least some of the BPL to acrylic acid (AA), and

an outlet configured to provide an AA stream comprising the AA,

(ii) a second (a) reactor, comprising;

an inlet configured to receive BPL from the carbonylation stream of the central reactor,

a second (a) reaction zone configured to convert at least some of the BPL to PPL, and

an outlet configured to provide a PPL stream comprising the PPL, and

a second (b) reactor, comprising;

an inlet configured to receive the PPL stream of the second (a) reactor,

a second (b) reaction zone configured to convert at least some of the PPL to AA, and

an outlet configured to provide an AA stream comprising the AA, and

(iii) a third reactor, comprising;

an inlet configured to receive PPL from carbonylation stream of the central reactor,

a third reaction zone configured to convert at least some of the PPL to AA, and

an outlet configured to provide an AA stream comprising the AA;

a fourth reactor, comprising;

an inlet configured to receive the AA stream of one or more of the first, second (b) and third reactor,

a fourth reaction zone configured to convert at least some of the AA to polyacrylic acid (PAA), or a salt thereof, and

an outlet configured to provide a PAA stream comprising the PAA, or a salt thereof; and

a controller to independently modulate production of the EO, BPL, PPL, AA and PAA.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising two of (i), (ii) and (iii).

3. The system of claim 1, comprising (i), (ii) and (iii).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system produces AA at about 200 to about 800 kilotons per annum (kta).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the AA is glacial acrylic acid (GAA).

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the AA is substantially free of an aldehyde impurity or a compound that derives from the oxidation of propylene.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the inlet to the fourth reactor is configured to receive one or more reactant streams comprising sodium hydroxide, and the fourth reaction zone is configured to form a PAA sodium salt from the one or more reactant streams in the presence of a radical initiator.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the fourth reaction zone is configured to convert at least some of the AA to polyacrylic acid (PAA), or a salt thereof, by gel polymerization, suspension polymerization, or solution polymerization.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the PAA, or a salt thereof, is substantially free of an aldehyde impurity or a compound that derives from the oxidation of propylene.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the inlet to the fourth reactor is configured to further receive one or more reactant streams each comprising a coreactant to co-polymerize with AA, and the fourth reaction zone is configured to form one or more co-polymers of PAA selected from a polyacrylamide copolymer, ethylene maleic anhydride copolymer, cross-linked carboxymethylcellulose copolymer, polyvinyl alcohol copolymer, cross-linked polyethylene oxide copolymer, and starch grafted polyacrylonitrile copolymer of PAA.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a fifth reactor, comprising;

an inlet configured to receive PAA, or a salt thereof, from the PAA stream of the fourth reactor,

a fifth reaction zone configured to convert at least some of the PAA, or a salt thereof, to superabsorbent polymer (SAP), and

an outlet configured to provide a SAP stream comprising the SAP.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the inlet to the fifth reactor is configured to further receive one or more reactant streams each comprising a cross-linking agent.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the SAP has less than about 1000 parts per million residual monoethylenically unsaturated monomer, and is substantially free of an aldehyde impurity or a compound that derives from the oxidation of propylene.

14. A method for converting ethylene to polyacrylic acid (PAA) within an integrated system, the method comprising:

providing an ethylene stream comprising ethylene to an oxidative reactor of the integrated system;

converting at least a portion of the ethylene in the ethylene stream to ethylene oxide (EO) in the oxidative reactor to produce an EO stream comprising the EO;

providing the EO stream from the oxidative reactor, and a carbon monoxide (CO) stream comprising CO to a central reaction zone of the integrated system;

contacting the EO stream and the CO stream with a metal carbonyl in the central reaction zone;

converting at least a portion of the EO in the EO stream to beta propiolactone (BPL) or polypropiolactone (PPL), or a combination thereof, in the central reaction zone to produce a carbonylation stream comprising BPL, or a carbonylation stream comprising PPL, or a combination thereof;

(i) directing the carbonylation stream comprising BPL to an AA reactor, and converting at least some of the BPL in the carbonylation stream to AA in the AA reactor to produce an AA stream comprising the AA;

or

(ii) directing the carbonylation stream comprising BPL to a PPL reactor, converting at least some of the BPL in the carbonylation stream to PPL in the PPL reactor to produce a PPL stream comprising PPL, directing the PPL stream to an AA reactor, and converting at least some of the PPL to AA in the AA reactor to produce an AA stream;

or

(iii) directing the carbonylation stream comprising PPL to an AA reactor, and converting at least some of the PPL in the carbonylation stream to AA in the AA reactor to produce an AA stream comprising AA;

or

any combinations of (i)-(iii) above;

directing the AA streams of (i)-(iii) above to a PAA reactor; and

converting at least a portion of the AA of the AA streams of (i)-(iii) above to polyacrylic acid (PAA), or a salt thereof, in the PAA reactor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the AA is glacial acrylic acid (GAA).

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the AA is substantially free of an aldehyde impurity or a compound that derives from the oxidation of propylene.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the PAA is substantially free of an aldehyde impurity or a compound that derives from the oxidation of propylene.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing a PAA stream comprising the PAA, or a salt thereof, from the PAA reactor;

directing the PAA stream to a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) reactor; and

converting at least a portion of the PAA in the PAA stream to SAP in the SAP reactor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the SAP has less than about 1000 parts per million residual monoethylenically unsaturated monomer.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the AA is converted to PAA less than one week after the ethylene is converted to EO.