Apparatus and method for producing cyclic carbonate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017197931-A1
Application number	US-201515314804-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 29, 2015
Priority date	May 30, 2014
Publication date	Jul 13, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an apparatus and method for continuously producing a cyclic carbonate. The apparatus includes an adiabatic reactor to be filled with a heterogeneous catalyst for reacting an epoxide with carbon dioxide, a circulation path for returning at least a portion of a fluid mixture in a liquid form flowed out through a reactor outlet into the reactor, a carbon dioxide supply means for continuously supplying carbon dioxide in a liquid form or a supercritical state into the circulation path, and an epoxide supply means for continuously supplying an epoxide in a liquid or solution form into the circulation path.

First claim

1 . An apparatus for producing a cyclic carbonate, the apparatus comprising:
an adiabatic reactor to be filled with a solid catalyst having an ionic organic compound immobilized on a support as a heterogeneous catalyst for reacting an epoxide with carbon dioxide; a circulation path for returning at least a portion of a fluid mixture in a liquid form flowed out through a reactor outlet into the reactor; a carbon dioxide supplier for continuously supplying carbon dioxide in a liquid form or a supercritical state into the circulation path; and a first epoxide supplier for continuously supplying an epoxide in a liquid or solution form into the circulation path, wherein the circulation path comprises
a circulation fluid heat exchanger for removing heat from a circulating fluid by indirect heat exchange,
a carbon dioxide mixer for mixing carbon dioxide supplied by the carbon dioxide supplier with the circulating fluid in a path,
a gas-liquid separator for conducting a gas-liquid separation treatment by reducing the pressure of a circulating fluid containing carbon dioxide obtained by the carbon dioxide mixer,
a pressurizer for pressurizing a circulating fluid after the gas-liquid separation treatment to a predetermined pressure, and
a first epoxide mixer for mixing the epoxide supplied by the first epoxide supplier with the circulating fluid in a path.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the reactor is configured as a fixed bed multi-stage reactor by two or more adiabatic reactors connected in series; and the circulation path is provided so as to return at least a portion of a fluid mixture in a liquid form flowed out through an outlet of a last stage reactor to a first stage reactor.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a second epoxide supplier for continuously supplying an epoxide in a liquid or solution form to at least one flow path among flow paths for connecting respective reactors included in the fixed bed multi-stage reactor; and a second epoxide mixer for mixing the epoxide supplied by the second epoxide supplier with a fluid mixture in a liquid form flowed into a flow path in the flow path.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein at least one flow path among flow paths for connecting respective reactors included in the fixed bed multi-stage reactor includes a fluid mixture heat exchanger for removing heat from a fluid mixture in a liquid form flowed into the flow path by indirect heat exchange.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the carbon dioxide mixer and the first epoxide mixer are in-line mixers.

6 . A method for producing a cyclic carbonate by continuously supplying a raw material fluid mixture containing an epoxide and carbon dioxide to an adiabatic reactor filled with a solid catalyst having an ionic organic compound immobilized on a support as a heterogeneous catalyst and leading at least a portion of a fluid mixture in a liquid form flowed out through a reactor outlet to a circulation path to return to the reactor, the method comprising:
removing heat from a circulating fluid by indirect heat exchange; continuously supplying carbon dioxide in a liquid form or a supercritical state into the circulation path; mixing carbon dioxide supplied in the carbon dioxide supply step with the circulating fluid in a path; reducing the pressure of a circulating fluid containing carbon dioxide obtained in the mixing step and conducting the gas-liquid separation treatment of excess carbon dioxide gasified; pressurizing a circulating fluid after gas-liquid separation to a predetermined pressure; continuously supplying an epoxide in a liquid or solution form to the circulation path; and mixing the epoxide supplied in the epoxide supply step with the circulating fluid in a path.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein:
the reactor is configured as a fixed bed multi-stage reactor by two or more adiabatic reactors connected in series; and the circulation path is to return at least a portion of a fluid mixture in a liquid form flowed out through an outlet of a last stage reactor to a first stage reactor.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
continuously supplying an epoxide in a liquid or solution form to at least one flow path among flow paths for connecting respective reactors included in the fixed bed multi-stage reactor; and mixing the epoxide supplied in the epoxide supply step with a fluid mixture in a liquid form flowed into a flow path in the flow path.

9 . The method according to claim 7 , comprising:
removing heat from a fluid mixture in a liquid form flowed into at least one flow path among flow paths for connecting respective reactors included in the fixed bed multi-stage reactor by indirect heat exchange.

10 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the mixing of the carbon dioxide and the mixing of the epoxide is conducted with in-line mixers.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein at least one flow path among flow paths for connecting the respective reactors included in the fixed bed multi-stage reactor includes a fluid mixture heat exchanger for removing heat from a fluid mixture in a liquid form flowed into the flow path by indirect heat exchange.

12 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the carbon dioxide mixer and the first epoxide mixer are in-line mixers.

13 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the carbon dioxide mixer, the first epoxide mixer, and the second epoxide mixer are in-line mixers.

14 . The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the carbon dioxide mixer and the first epoxide mixer are in-line mixers.

15 . The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the carbon dioxide mixer and the first epoxide mixer are in-line mixers.

16 . The method according to claim 8 , comprising:
removing heat from a fluid mixture in a liquid form flowed into at least one flow path among flow paths for connecting the respective reactors included in the fixed bed multi-stage reactor by indirect heat exchange.

17 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the mixing of the carbon dioxide and the mixing of the epoxide is conducted with in-line mixers.

18 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the mixing of the carbon dioxide and the mixing of the epoxides is conducted with in-line mixers.

19 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the mixing of the carbon dioxide and the mixing of the epoxide is conducted with in-line mixers.

20 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the mixing of the carbon dioxide and the mixing of the epoxide is conducted with in-line mixers.

Assignees

• Maruzen Petrochem Co Ltd

Inventors

• Osaki Kouzo
• Naniki Takashi
• Hayashi Yasunori
• Haruna Takeshi

Classifications

• C07B61/00

  Other general methods · CPC title

• C07D317/38 Primary

  Ethylene carbonate · CPC title

• B01J8/0457

  the beds being placed in separate reactors · CPC title

• B01J2208/027

  Beds · CPC title

• Y02P20/54

  using solvents, e.g. supercritical solvents or ionic liquids · CPC title