Process for producing an organic compound

• US 8,420,871 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Solvay SA (Solvac SA)
• Original Assignee: Solvay SA (Solvac SA)
• Inventors: Gilbeau, Patrick, De Andolenko, Ivan, Krafft, Philippe, Gielen, Freddy
• Primary Examiner(s): OH, TAYLOR V
• Application Number:
  US13/238,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20120010420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 568/841, 568/844, 525/328.8, 525/507, 549/534, 549/520
• US Class Current: 568/844
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/62 by introduction of halogen; by substitution of halogen atoms by other halogen atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/76 by physical treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/82 by azeotropic distillation
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 31/36 the halogen not being fluorine
• CPC Class Codes: C07D 301/26 Y being hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C07D 303/08 with hydrocarbon radicals, substituted by halogen atoms, nitro radicals or nitroso radicals

Abstract

Process for producing a chlorohydrin by reaction between a multihydroxylated-aliphatic hydrocarbon, an ester of a multihydroxylated-aliphatic hydrocarbon, or a mixture thereof, and a chlorinating agent, according to which the multihydroxylated-aliphatic hydrocarbon, the ester of a multihydroxylated-aliphatic hydrocarbon, or the mixture thereof used contains at least one solid or dissolved metal salt, the process comprising a separation operation to remove at least part of the metal salt.

Claims

1. A process for producing dichloropropanol, comprising reacting glycerol with a chlorinating agent, wherein the reaction is carried out in a reaction mixture comprising glycerol that has at least one solid or dissolved metal salt therein in a positive amount of up to at most 15% by weight, the process further comprising submitting at least a fraction of the reaction mixture to a treatment comprising a separation operation to remove at least part of the metal salt from said fraction.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the glycerol has at least partially been obtained from renewable raw materials.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the metal salt is selected from sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium sulfate and potassium sulfate.

4. The process according to claim 1 wherein the glycerol has from 0.5 to 15% by weight of metal salt therein.

5. The process according to claim 1 wherein the chlorinating agent is gaseous hydrogen chloride.

6. The process according to claim 1 wherein the reaction is carried out in the presence of a catalyst, wherein the catalyst is a carboxylic acid.

7. The process according to claim 6 wherein the carboxylic acid has an atmospheric boiling point of greater than or equal to 200°

C.

8. The process according to claim 1 wherein the separation operation is selected from liquid/solid, liquid/liquid, liquid/gas and solid/gas separation.

9. The process according to claim 8 wherein the separation operation is selected from liquid/solid, liquid/liquid, and liquid/gas separation, and wherein the liquid/solid separation operation is selected from decantation, centrifugation, filtration, adsorption and treatment with ion-exchanged resins, the liquid/liquid separation operation is selected from decantation and centrifugation, and the liquid/gas separation operation is selected from stripping, evaporation and distillation.

10. The process according to claim 9 wherein the separation operation is selected from liquid/solid, the liquid/solid separation operation is filtration, and the metal salt is removed as a solid.

11. The process according to claim 1 wherein the fraction of the reaction mixture is submitted to a treatment to remove at least one component other than the metal salt prior to the separation operation, and wherein the treatment is a stripping or a distillation operation.

12. The process according to claim 1, carried out continuously.

13. The process according to claim 1, further comprising manufacturing epichlorohydrin by dehydrochlorination of the dichloropropanol.

14. The process according to claim 13, further comprising manufacturing an epoxy resin by reacting the epichlorohydrin.

15. The process according to claim 1 wherein the glycerol has from 0.5 to 7.5% by weight of metal salt therein.

16. The process according to claim 1 wherein the glycerol has from 0.5 to 5% by weight of metal salt therein.

17. The process according to claim 1 wherein the glycerol has from 3 to 7.5% by weight of metal salt therein.

18. The process according to claim 1 wherein the glycerol has from 3 to 5% by weight of metal salt therein.