Membrane separation system, and uses thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11401251-B2
Application number	US-202017437206-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2020
Priority date	Mar 18, 2019
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

Provided herein are membrane separation systems and methods suitable for use in separating carbonylation catalyst from a beta-lactone product stream. Such membrane separation systems utilize a cross flow separation technique and employ a sweep stream.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A carbonylation method, comprising:
combining epoxide, carbon monoxide, carbonylation catalyst and reaction solvent to produce a product stream comprising beta-lactone, residual epoxide, residual carbon monoxide, carbonylation catalyst, and the reaction solvent;
contacting the product stream with a membrane separation system, wherein the membrane separation system comprises a membrane having a permeate side and a retentate side, and wherein the product stream is contacted with the membrane separation system on the retentate side of the membrane;
contacting the membrane separation system with a sweep stream on the permeate side of the membrane, wherein the sweep stream comprises solvent saturated with one or more components of a feed stream, whereby the sweep stream minimizes flux of the one or more components across the membrane;
outputting a permeate stream on the permeate side of the membrane, wherein the permeate stream is formed when at least a portion of the feed stream crosses the membrane and joins with the sweep stream, wherein the permeate stream comprises beta-lactone; and
retaining a retentate stream on the retentate side of the membrane, wherein the retentate stream is formed from the remaining feed stream after at least a portion of the feed stream crosses the membrane, wherein the retentate stream comprises carbonylation catalyst and carbon monoxide.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sweep stream is a counter-current stream, the feed stream passes tangentially along the surface of the membrane, or both.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more components in the sweep stream is carbon monoxide, and the sweep stream minimizes flux of carbon monoxide across the membrane.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the feed stream contacts the membrane separation system at a feed stream pressure, and
wherein the sweep stream contacts the membrane separation system at a sweep stream pressure, and
wherein the sweep stream pressure is equal to or lower than the feed stream pressure.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the membrane separation system has a transmembrane pressure of between 30 bar and 40 bar, and the membrane separation system operates at a constant average temperature.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising driving flux of the beta-lactone from the feed stream to the permeate stream by introducing a concentration of beta-lactone in the feed stream that is higher than the concentration of beta-lactone in the sweep stream.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retentate stream further comprises reaction solvent, carbon monoxide, epoxide or beta-lactone, or any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the membrane separation system is a plate-and-frame membrane system, a hollow fiber membrane system, or a spiral membrane system.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more components in the sweep stream is carbon monoxide, and the sweep stream minimizes flux of carbon monoxide across the membrane.

10. The method of claim 3 , wherein the feed stream contacts the membrane separation system at a feed stream pressure, and
wherein the sweep stream contacts the membrane separation system at a sweep stream pressure, and
wherein the sweep stream pressure is equal to or lower than the feed stream pressure.

11. The method of claim 4 , wherein the membrane separation system has a transmembrane pressure of between 30 bar and 40 bar, and the membrane separation system operates at a constant average temperature.

Assignees

• Novomer Inc

Inventors

• Dackson Keith

Classifications

• B01D2311/246

  Concentration control · CPC title

• B01D61/32

  Controlling or regulating · CPC title

• B01D2311/13

  Use of sweep gas · CPC title

• B01D61/28 Primary

  Apparatus therefor · CPC title

• C07D305/12 Primary

  Beta-lactones · CPC title