Process for the production of glycolic acid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10087131-B2
Application number	US-201615564566-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2016
Priority date	Apr 8, 2015
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A process for the production of glycolic acid or derivatives thereof from formaldehyde comprising reacting formaldehyde with carbon monoxide and water in the presence of a silica catalyst, wherein from about 200 to about 5000 ppm of an alkyl silyl sulfonic acid is supplied to the reaction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for the production of glycolic acid or derivatives thereof from formaldehyde comprising reacting formaldehyde with carbon monoxide and water in the presence of a silica catalyst, wherein from about 200 to about 5000 ppm of an alkyl silyl sulfonic acid is supplied to the reaction.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the silica is porous.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the silica has a surface area of from about 250 to about 500 m2 and a pore volume of from about 0.2 to 1 cc/g.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the silica is functionalised.

5. The process according to claim 4 , wherein the functionalization is the presence of acid groups tethered to the silica support.

6. The process according to claim 5 , wherein the acid groups are alkyl sulfonic acid groups.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the alkyl silyl sulfonic acid is trihydroxysilylalkyl sulfonic acid, such as trihydroxysilylpropyl sulfonic acid, or trihydroxysilylethyl sulfonic acid.

8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the alkyl silyl sulfonic acid is supplied in a recycle product stream.

9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the alkyl silyl sulfonic acid is added in an amount of from about 300 ppm to about 500 ppm.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the water is present in an amount from the stoichiometric requirement to a molar ratio of about 4:1 water:formaldehyde.

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the reaction is carried out in the presence of a solvent.

12. The process according to claim 11 , wherein the solvent is water, a carboxylic acid, or a sulphone.

13. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the process is carried out at a temperature of from about 50° C. to about 400° C.

14. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the process is carried out at a pressure of from about 1 to about 1000 bara.

15. The process according to claim 12 , wherein the carboxylic acid is propionic acid and the sulphone is 2,3,4,5-tetrahydrothiophene-1, 1-dioxide.

16. The process according to claim 13 where the process is carried out at a temperature of from about 100° C. to about 250° C.

17. The process according to claim 14 where the process is carried out at a pressure of from about 10 to about 200 bara.

Assignees

• Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies Ltd

Inventors

• Jackson Simon Wayne
• Snaith Adam Armour
• Tuck Michael William Marshall
• Watson David John

Classifications

• C07C51/12 Primary

  on an oxygen-containing group in organic compounds, e.g. alcohols · CPC title

• B01J31/0274

  containing silicon (ligands in coordination complexes B01J31/1608) · CPC title

• C07C51/47

  by solid-liquid treatment; by chemisorption · CPC title

• B01J21/08

  Silica · CPC title

• C07C51/10

  by reaction with carbon monoxide · CPC title