Process for a continuous reaction with feedstocks derived from Bio-Renewable resources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11608450-B2
Application number	US-202016945844-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2020
Priority date	Aug 1, 2019
Publication date	Mar 21, 2023
Grant date	Mar 21, 2023

Abstract

A process for a continuous condensation reaction with feedstocks derived from bio-renewable resources, e.g., pine chemical derived feedstock, is disclosed. The process employs at least a multi-stage mixing reactor, selected from any of a multi-stage continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), a multi-stage horizontal continuous stirred tank reactor (HCSTR), or a continuous oscillating baffle reactor (COBR). The multi-stage mixing reactors are provided with a plurality of baffles for creating a mixing in a number of stages or cells created by the baffles, allowing the condensation reaction to proceed at a production rate at least twice that of a batch process with reactors of equivalent volume. The feedstocks derived from bio-renewable resources is selected from gum rosin, wood rosin, tall oil rosin and mixtures thereof; and polymeric fatty acids derived from bio-renewable resources such as tall oil.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for a continuous reaction with at least a feedstock derived from bio-renewable resources, which comprises:
providing a first feedstock derived from bio-renewable resources selected from one or more compounds of the formula R1—COOH, wherein R1 is
(i) a linear or a branched hydrocarbon chain having at least 4 carbon atoms and one or more C═C groups; or
(ii) one or more fused-ring C20 compounds having one or more carboxylic acid groups and one or more C═C groups;

providing a second feedstock comprising at least one of a polyhydric alcohol, an alkylene diamine, and an alkylene polyamine;
mixing the first feedstock and the second feedstock in a mixing tank;
reacting the mixture at a temperature ranging from about 180° to about 300° C. in a reactor system comprising at least a continuous reactor for the reaction to proceed generating a multi-phase fluid;
wherein the continuous reactor is provided with:
at least an inlet port for the feedstock in one end of the reactor, an outlet port at an opposite end of the inlet port for withdrawal of liquid products, and at least a vapor outlet on top of the reactor for removal of gaseous products,
a plurality of baffles positioned along a length of the reactor, for creating a plurality of reaction stages within the reactor;
an agitator having a plurality of impeller stages distributed around a shaft, for providing mixing action, or a pump selected from any of diaphragm pumps, injector pumps, bellow pumps, or piston pumps for moving the multi-phase fluid alternately forward and reverse through the baffles providing oscillating pulsing action;

wherein during the continuous reaction process, as the multi-phase fluid travels from the inlet port to the outlet port by oscillating pulsing action of the pump or mixing action of the agitator, mixing is created within the plurality of reaction stages for a final reaction conversion of at least 80%.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the reactor is provided with an agitator having a plurality of impeller stages distributed around a shaft for creating independent mixing zones in the reaction stages created by the baffles within the reactor.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the reactor is provided with a pump selected from any of diaphragm pumps, injector pumps, bellow pumps, or piston pumps, for moving the multi-phase fluid alternately forward and reverse through the baffles providing oscillating pulsing action, creating independent mixing zones in the reaction stages created by the baffles within the reactor.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein the reactor is provided with a diaphragm pump for generating oscillating actions in the multi-phase fluid.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the reactor is a vertical agitation reactor having a vertical length and an agitator,
wherein the agitator is a uniaxial agitator having a plurality of stages of impeller blades axially distributed along a central shaft,
wherein the baffles are horizontal baffles positioned along the vertical length of the reactor for separating the plurality of impeller stages into multiple continuous stirred reaction zones.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the reactor is a horizontal continuous stirred tank reactor having a horizontal length and a cross sectional area and an agitator,
wherein the agitator is a uniaxial agitator having a plurality of stages of impeller blades axially distributed around a central shaft across the horizontal length;
wherein the baffles are cascading vertical partial baffles positioned along the horizontal length, with each baffle having a height covering at least one half of the cross sectional area, and wherein the cascading baffles have decreasing heights from the inlet port to the outlet port.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the reactor is an oscillating baffle reactor having a horizontal length, a cross sectional area, and at least a diaphragm pump, superimposing alternately forward and reverse flow resulting in oscillating action of the multi-phase fluid;
wherein the baffles are annular constriction baffles positioned along the horizontal length of the reactor, with each baffle having at least a center orifice for the multi-phase fluid to flow through, creating eddies in the reaction stages with the oscillating action of the multi-phase fluid;
wherein the reactor is provided with a plurality of exit ports in between the baffles for removal of gaseous products.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the continuous reaction is for making rosin esters, and wherein:
the first feedstock is a rosin acid,
the second feedstock is a polyhydric alcohol.

9. The process of claim 8 , wherein the second feedstock is selected from pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, tripentaerythritol, trimethylolethane and trimethylolpropane, glycerol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, and mixtures thereof.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the continuous reaction is for making a polyamide, and wherein:
the first feedstock is a tall oil fatty acid or a polyacid;
the second feedstock is any of an alkylene diamine and an alkylene polyamine.

11. The process of claim 10 , wherein:
the second feedstock is selected from ethylene diamine, diethylene triamine, hexamethylene diamine, piperazine, 1,3-propane diamine, polyetheramine and mixtures thereof.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein
the first feedstock comprises a rosin acid and a dienophile selected from maleic anhydride, fumaric acid, itaconic acid, acrylic acid, formaldehyde, and mixtures thereof.

13. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first feedstock comprises a functionalized resin acid.

14. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first feedstock comprises a rosin acid and a dienophile selected from maleic anhydride, fumaric acid, itaconic acid, acrylic acid, formaldehyde, and mixtures thereof.

15. The process of claim 1 , wherein the second feedstock comprises a polyfunctional alcohol and components such as polymer-based material.

16. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first feedstock derived from bio-renewable resources comprises one or more compounds having formula R1-COOH where R1 is a linear or a branched hydrocarbon chain having at least 4 carbon atoms and one or more C═C groups.

17. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first feedstock derived from bio-renewable resources comprises one or more compounds having formula R1-COOH, where R1 is one or more fused-ring C20 compounds having one or more carboxylic acid groups and one or more C═C groups.

18. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first feedstock derived from bio-renewable resources is selected from gum rosin, wood rosin, tall oil rosin and mixtures thereof.

19. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first feedstock derived from bio-renewable resources is selected from polymeric fatty acids.

20. The process of claim 1 , wherein the reactor system comprising at least two continuous reactors in series or in parallel, a first continuous reactor and a second continuous reactor, wherein a portion of the mixture of the first feedstock and the second feedstock or at least a portion of the liquid products is provided as feedstocks to the second continuous reactor.

Assignees

• Kraton Polymers Llc
• Kraton Corp

Inventors

• Alfonso Nicolas
• Irvine Carl
• Miller H Jerrold
• Sullivan David H

Classifications

• C08G63/48

  by unsaturated higher fatty oils or their acids; by resin acids · CPC title

• B01J19/006

  Baffles · CPC title

• B01J19/0053 Primary

  Details of the reactor · CPC title

• C08G69/28

  Preparatory processes · CPC title

• B01J2219/18

  Details relating to the spatial orientation of the reactor · CPC title