Systems and methods for separation and purification of products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10287223-B2
Application number	US-201715793250-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2017
Priority date	Jul 31, 2013
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
contacting an anode with an anode electrolyte wherein the anode electrolyte comprises CuCl, CuCl 2 , NaCl, and water; oxidizing CuCl to CuCl 2 at the anode; reacting ethylene with the anode electrolyte comprising CuCl, CuCl 2 , NaCl, and water to form one or more organic compounds comprising ethylene dichloride (EDC) and chloroethanol (CE) and reducing CuCl 2 to CuCl; exiting first vapor stream comprising EDC and a first liquid stream comprising EDC, CE, CuCl, CuCl 2 , 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, CuCl 2 , 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, CuCl 2 , 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, CuCl 2 , 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, CuCl 2 , 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.

Assignees

• Calera Corp

Inventors

• Weiss Michael Joseph
• Gilliam Ryan J
• Self Kyle
• Mariansky Gal
• Leclerc Margarete K
• Shipchandler Riyaz Mohammed
• Nagar Jacob

Classifications

• C07C17/02 Primary

  to unsaturated hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C25B1/26

  Chlorine; Compounds thereof (by simultaneous production of alkali metal hydroxides and chlorine, oxyacids or salts of chlorine C25B1/34) · CPC title

• C07C19/045

  Dichloroethanes · CPC title

• C25B3/02

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C07C19/01

  containing chlorine · CPC title