Method for producing t-butanol from isobutanol, method for producing methacrolein and methacrylic acid from isobutanol, and apparatus for producing them

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9346735-B2
Application number	US-201214356168-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2012
Priority date	Nov 7, 2011
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

A method for efficiently producing t-butanol as a raw material of a methacrylic resin from isobutanol is described, including a step (1) of dehydrating isobutanol to obtain butenes, and a step (2) of hydrating the butenes to obtain t-butanol. A method for producing methacrolein and methacrylic acid is also described, which further includes a step (3) of dehydrating and oxidizing the obtained t-butanol to obtain methacrolein and methacrylic acid. An apparatus for performing the steps (1) to (3) is also described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing methacrolein and methacrylic acid, the method comprising:
a step (1) of dehydrating isobutanol derived from biomass to obtain butenes containing more than 55 mass % of isobutylene;
a step (2) of hydrating the butenes obtained from the step (1) to obtain t-butanol; and
a step (3) of dehydrating and oxidizing the t-butanol obtained from the step (2) to obtain methacrolein and methacrylic acid.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an acid catalyst is used as a dehydration catalyst in the step (1).

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the acid catalyst includes alumina, silica alumina, solid phosphate, titania, or zirconia.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an acid catalyst is used as a hydration catalyst in the step (2).

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the acid catalyst includes an ion exchange resin or heteropolyacid.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an oxide including at least molybdenum, bismuth, and iron is used as an oxidation catalyst in the step (3).

7. An apparatus for producing methacrolein and methacrylic acid, comprising:
a device (A) for dehydrating isobutanol derived from biomass to obtain butenes containing more than 55 mass % of isobutylene;
a device (B) for hydrating the butenes obtained by the device (A), using an ion exchange resin as a hydration catalyst, to obtain t-butanol; and
a device (C) for dehydrating and oxidizing t-butanol obtained by the device (B) to obtain methacrolein and methacrylic acid.

8. A method for synthesizing methyl methacrylate, comprising:
obtaining methacrylic acid by the method according to claim 1 , and reacting the obtained methacrylic acid with methanol.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Rayon Co

Inventors

• Ooyachi Ken
• Yasukawa Toshiya
• Akihara Shuji

Classifications

• C07C51/252 Primary

  of propene, butenes, acrolein or methacrolein · CPC title

• C07C57/04

  Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid · CPC title

• B01J2219/00277

  Apparatus · CPC title

• C07C2521/04

  Alumina · CPC title

• C07C45/35

  in propene or isobutene · CPC title