Hydroformylation process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9382180-B2
Application number	US-201314648468-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2013
Priority date	Dec 6, 2012
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

A hydroformylation process that tolerates a high level of methanol in the feed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydroformylation process comprising:
(a) contacting in a reaction zone reactants comprising an olefin, hydrogen and CO in the presence of a metal hydrolyzable phosphorous ligand complex catalyst and, optionally, free hydrolyzable phosphorous ligand, under reaction conditions sufficient to produce an aldehyde product in a reaction fluid, with the proviso that at least one of the reactants comprises methanol and that the total amount of methanol in the reactants, prior to entering the reaction zone, is from 200 ppm to 10 percent of the total weight of methanol and the reactants,
(b) removing at least a portion of the reaction fluid from the reaction zone to a separation zone, and separating the reaction fluid in the separation zone to produce a hydroformylation reaction product stream and a catalyst recycle stream,
(c) treating at least a portion of said catalyst recycle stream with an aqueous buffer solution under conditions sufficient to neutralize and remove at least some amount of one or more phosphorus acidic compounds from said product stream.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the amount of methanol is at least 400 ppm.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the amount of methanol is at least 1,000 ppm.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the amount of methanol is at least 10,000 ppm.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the ligand comprises at least one of a bisphosphite, a diorganophosphite or a triorganophosphite.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the metal is rhodium.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the pH of the buffer solution is from 6 to 9.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the ligand is a bisphosphite.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein the ligand is a diorganophosphite.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein the ligand is a triorganophosphite.

11. The process of claim 1 wherein the aqueous buffer is a phosphate salt.

12. The process of claim 1 wherein the aqueous buffer is a carboxylate salt.

Assignees

• Dow Technology Investments Llc

Inventors

• Miller Glenn A
• Eisenschmid Thomas C
• Watson Rick B
• Brammer Michael A
• Becker Michael C

Classifications

• B01J2531/822

  Rhodium · CPC title

• C07C45/50 Primary

  by oxo-reactions · CPC title

• B01J31/185

  Phosphites ((RO)3P) , their isomeric phosphonates (R(RO)2P=O) and RO-substitution derivatives thereof · CPC title

• Y02P20/582

  Recycling of unreacted starting or intermediate materials · CPC title

• B01J2231/321

  Hydroformylation, metalformylation, carbonylation or hydroaminomethylation · CPC title