Process for manufacturing alkanesulfonic acids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022340518-A1
Application number	US-202017766035-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 22, 2020
Priority date	Oct 1, 2019
Publication date	Oct 27, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to an improved process for manufacturing of alkanesulfonic acids.

First claim

1 . A process for the production of alkane sulfonic acid comprising reacting sulfur trioxide and an alkane with a starter, selected from the group consisting of inorganic peroxoacids, salts of inorganic peroxoacids, organic peroxoacids, salts of organic peroxoacids, hydrogen peroxide, and mixtures thereof, and/or starter precursor, selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, oleum, SO3, alkanesulfonic acid, the bottom recycle stream from alkanesulfonic acid distillation, inorganic oxoacids, salts of inorganic oxoacids, hydrogen peroxide, and mixtures thereof,
wherein addition of the starter and/or starter precursor to a reactor cascade is split, wherein synthesis is realized as batch process in a reactor cascade and the starter or starter precursor is divided and added in portions to a first reactor and to further reactors of the cascade, or wherein synthesis is realized as continuous process and the starter or starter precursor is divided and added continuously to a first reactor and to further reactors of the cascade.

2 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the synthesis is realized as continuous process and the total amount of starter or starter precursor x is continuously divided over the n reactors or over n minus 1 reactors in a homogenous manner, wherein each of the n reactors is supplied with a continuous fraction of x/n mol of the starter.

3 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the synthesis is realized as continuous process and the largest amount of starter or starter precursor is fed continuously into the first reactor of the cascade while the remaining starter is divided evenly over the remaining reactors of the cascade or over the remaining reactors but the last of the cascade.

4 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the synthesis is realized as continuous process and a certain amount of starter or starter precursor is added to the first reactor while all the rest is fed into the last reactor of the cascade.

5 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the starter and/or starter precursor is provided in a solvent.

6 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the reaction mixture leaving the last reactor is purified by distillation.

7 . The process according to claim 6 , wherein a recycle stream leaving the distillation as a bottom residue is cooled prior to mixing it with the starter solution or the starter precursor solution.

8 . The process according to claim 7 , wherein the recycle stream is cooled to temperatures <25° C.

9 . The process according to claim 7 , wherein the starter solution and/or starter precursor solution is cooled while mixing it with the recycle stream.

10 . The process according to claim 7 , wherein the starter solution and/or starter precursor solution is cooled in a first step, and then it is mixed under further cooling at temperatures <50° C. with a pre-cooled recycle stream leaving the distillation as a bottom residue.

11 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the alkane is methane and the alkanesulfonic acid is methanesulfonic acid, and wherein optionally methane is supplied to each reactor.

12 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein methane pressure is adjusted reactor by reactor within a range of 10 to 200 bar.

13 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein methane is fed at the same pressure into the first reactor(s) of a cascade, whereas the last reactor is constantly operated at a higher methane pressure than the first reactor(s) of the cascade.

14 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein at least one reactor type used in the cascade is a continuously stirred tank reactor.

15 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein at least one reactor type used in the cascade is an air lift reactor, a loop reactor, a bubble column or a trickle bed reactor.

16 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein conversion of SO3 and the formation of MSA are measured with density, and/or addition of water is measured with a conductivity measurement and/or ultrasound measurements.

17 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein side products are detected by spectroscopic methods.

18 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein mass flow rate of purge stream is adjusted according to the amount of unconverted SO3 and the amount of sulfuric acid formed during the synthesis of the initiator.

19 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein feed to the distillation in has an MSA content of 50 to 99 wt.-%, and/or feed to the reaction into the first reactor has a SO3 content of 30 to 100 wt.-%.

20 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein a high conversion of SO3 to alkane sulfonic acid is achieved and the amount of waste is reduced.

21 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the addition of the overall starter amount is divided over several addition points in the system.

22 . The process according to claim 5 , wherein the solvent comprises sulfuric acid and/or alkanesulfonic acid.

23 . The process according to claim 13 , wherein the last reactor is constantly operated at a higher methane pressure by up to 20 bar than the first reactor(s) of the cascade.

24 . The process according to claim 17 , wherein side products are detected by RAMAN spectroscopy and/or NMR spectroscopy.

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Piepenbreier Frank
• Kempter Andreas
• Chan Chee Jian
• Mazarro Berdonces Rosario
• Schierle-Arndt Kerstin
• Kaibel Bjoern
• Spielmann Jan
• Borgmeier Frieder
• Zeilinger Michael
• Biertuempel Ingo
• Ott Timo

Classifications

• C07C309/04

  containing only one sulfo group · CPC title

• C07C303/06 Primary

  by reaction with sulfuric acid or sulfur trioxide · CPC title