Systems and methods for separation and purification of products

• US 9,828,313 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2014
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• 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:
  US14/446,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20150038750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 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 system, comprising:

an electrochemical system comprising an anode chamber comprising an anode in contact with an anode electrolyte comprising CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water wherein the anode is configured to oxidize the CuCl to CuCl₂;

a reactor operably connected to the anode chamber and configured to contact the anode electrolyte comprising CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water with ethylene to form one or more organic compounds comprising ethylene dichloride (EDC) and chloroethanol (CE) where CuCl₂ reduces to CuCl in an aqueous medium, wherein the reactor is configured to exit vapor stream comprising EDC and liquid stream comprising EDC, CE, CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water; and

a separator configured to separate and purify the one or more organic compounds comprising ethylene dichloride (EDC) and chloroethanol (CE) from the aqueous medium comprising CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water wherein the separator comprises

vapor-liquid separation system operably connected to the reactor and configured to separate the liquid stream exiting the reactor into a vapor stream comprising EDC and CE and a liquid stream comprising EDC, CE, CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water;

compression-cooling system operably connected to the reactor and configured to condense the vapor stream comprising EDC exiting the reactor to a liquid stream;

a liquid-liquid separation system operably connected to the vapor-liquid separation system and the compression-cooling system configured to separate the liquid stream exiting the vapor-liquid separation system and the compression-cooling system into a first liquid stream comprising EDC and CE and a second liquid stream comprising CuCl, CuCl₂, NaCl, and water, and

a scrubbing system operably connected to the vapor-liquid separation system and/or operably connected to the liquid-liquid separation system and configured to react an alkali with the liquid stream exiting the vapor-liquid separation system and/or the second liquid stream exiting the liquid-liquid separation system,

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 separator comprises less than about 1% or no organic compound.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the separator further comprises reactive separation reactor system, purification subprocess system, adsorbent, or combinations thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the vapor-liquid separation system comprises flash column, a distillation column, or combination thereof.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the liquid-liquid separation system comprises decanter, extraction unit, or combination thereof.

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

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a byproduct removal column operably connected to the scrubbing system and configured to remove heavier impurities from liquid stream from the scrubbing system.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a fractionating column operably connected to the byproduct removal column and configured to fractionate overhead product to remove lighter impurities.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising purification subprocess system operably connected to the scrubbing system and/or operably connected to the liquid-liquid separation system and configured to remove water content from a liquid stream exiting the scrubbing system and/or the first liquid stream exiting the liquid-liquid separation system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the purification subprocess system comprises decanter, sorbent, distillation column, or combinations thereof.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the reactor is a reactive separation reactor selected from the group consisting of reactive distillation reactor, reactive extraction reactor, or combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the liquid-liquid separation system comprises decanter, extraction unit, or combination thereof the vapor-liquid separation system comprises flash drum, a distillation column, or combination thereof and/or the purification subprocess system comprises decanter, sorbent, distillation column, or combinations thereof.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the separator is configured to produce the EDC with more than about 90% yield and/or more than about 90% purity.