Process for the conversion of ethylene oxide to monoethanolamine and ethylenediamine employing a zeolite

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10774034-B2
Application number	US-201816610131-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2018
Priority date	May 3, 2017
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for the conversion of ethylene oxide to 2-aminoethanol and/or ethane-1,2-diamine and/or linear polyethylenimines of the formula H 2 N—(CH 2 CH 2 NH) n —CH 2 CH 2 —NH 2 wherein n≥1 comprising (i) providing a catalyst comprising a zeolitic material comprising YO 2 and X 2 O 3 , wherein Y is a tetravalent element and X is a trivalent element; (ii) providing a gas stream comprising ethylene oxide and ammonia; (iii) contacting the catalyst provided in (i) with the gas stream provided in (ii) for converting ethylene oxide to 2-aminoethanol and/or ethane-1,2-diamine and/or linear polyethylenimines.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for the conversion of ethylene oxide to 2-aminoethanol and ethane-1,2-diamine comprising
(i) providing a catalyst comprising a zeolitic material comprising YO 2 and X 2 O 3 , wherein Y is a tetravalent element and X is a trivalent element;
(ii) providing a gas stream comprising ethylene oxide and ammonia;
(iii) contacting the catalyst provided in (i) with the gas stream provided in (ii) for converting ethylene oxide to 2-aminoethanol and ethane-1,2-diamine, wherein in (i) the zeolitic material has the MOR framework structure.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the gas stream provided in (ii) and contacted with the catalyst in (iii) contains ethylene oxide in an amount in the range of from 0.05 to 10 vol.-%.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the gas stream provided in (ii) and contacted with the catalyst in (iii) contains ammonia in an amount in the range of from 5 to 90 vol.-%.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the gas stream provided in (ii) and contacted with the catalyst in (iii) further contains hydrogen in an amount in the range of from 0.1 to 70 vol.-%.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the gas stream provided in (ii) and contacted with the catalyst in (iii) contains 1 vol.-% or less of hydrogen.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the gas stream provided in (ii) is heated to a temperature in the range of front 250 to 600° C., prior to contacting with the catalyst in (iii) at that temperature.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein Y is selected from the group consisting of Si, Sn, Ti, Zr, Ge, and mixtures of two or more thereof.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein X is selected from the group consisting of Al, B, In, Ga, and mixtures of two or more thereof.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the zeolitic material is in the H-form and contains protons as extra-framework ions, wherein 0.1 wt.-% or less of the extra-framework ions are metal cations, calculated as the element and based on 100 wt.-% of YO 2 contained in the zeolitic material.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the zeolitic material contains substantially no Na.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the average particle size of the zeolitic material having the MOR framework structure along the 002 axis of the crystallites is in the range of from 5±1 nm to 150±30 ran as determined by powder X-ray diffraction.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the zeolitic material having the MOR framework structure is prepared by a process comprising
(1) preparing a mixture comprising at least one source of YO 2 , at least one source of X 2 O 3 , and comprising one or more organotemplates as structure directing agent;
(2) crystallizing the mixture prepared in (i) for obtaining a zeolitic material having the MOR framework structure;
(3) optionally isolating the zeolitic material obtained in (2);
(4) optionally washing the zeolitic material obtained in (2) or (3);
(5) optionally drying and/or calcining the zeolitic material obtained in (2), (3), or (4);
(6) optionally subjecting the zeolitic material obtained in (2), (3), (4), or (5) to an ion-exchange procedure, wherein extra-framework ions contained in the zeolitic material are ion-exchanged against H + ;
(7) optionally subjecting the zeolitic material obtained in (2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) to an ion-exchange procedure, wherein extra-framework ions contained in the zeolitic material are ion-exchanged against one or more metal ions M selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metals and/or transition metals;
(8) optionally drying and/or calcining the zeolitic material obtained in (7).

13. The process of claim 12 , wherein in (6) the step of subjecting the zeolitic material to an ion-exchange procedure includes the steps of
(6.a) subjecting the zeolitic material obtained in (2), (3), (4), or (5) to an ion-exchange procedure, wherein extra-framework ions contained in the zeolitic material are ion-exchanged against NH 4 + ;
(6.b) calcining the ion-exchanged zeolitic material obtained in (6.a) for obtaining the H-form of the zeolitic material.

14. The process of claim 1 , wherein ethylene oxide and/or 2-aminoethanol comprised in the gas stream obtained in (iii) is separated from said gas stream and recycled to (ii).

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Gordillo Alvaro
• Parvulescu Andrei-Nicolae
• Lange De Oliveira Armin
• Kuschel Andreas
• Bechtel Juergen
• Lieberknecht Johannes
• Müller Ulrich
• Melder Johann-Peter
• Gruenanger Christian

Classifications

• C01B39/38

  Type ZSM-5 · CPC title

• B01J37/30

  Ion-exchange · CPC title

• C01B39/26

  Mordenite type {(C01B39/023, C01B39/026, C01B39/06 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B01J29/40

  of the pentasil type, e.g. types ZSM-5, ZSM-8 or ZSM-11, as exemplified by patent documents US3702886, GB1334243 and US3709979, respectively · CPC title

• C07C213/04 Primary

  by reaction of ammonia or amines with olefin oxides or halohydrins · CPC title