Process for producing hydrogen peroxide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9617153-B2
Application number	US-201214350825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2012
Priority date	Oct 11, 2011
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A process for manufacturing hydrogen peroxide by an anthraquinone autoxidation process (AO-process) comprising two alternate essential steps of: (a) hydrogenation of a working solution in a hydrogenation unit in the presence of a catalyst, wherein the working solution contains at least one alkylanthraquinone dissolved in at least one organic solvent, to obtain at least one corresponding alkylanthrahydroquinone compound; and (b) oxidation of the at least one alkylanthrahydroquinone compound to obtain hydrogen peroxide in an oxidation unit; and further comprising step (c): extracting the hydrogen peroxide formed in the oxidation step in an extraction unit, wherein the hydrogenation, oxidation and extraction steps are performed in an reactor system which is designed as a compact modular system of a hydrogenation, an oxidation and an extraction unit, and wherein the reactor system is configured to operate without a reversion (regeneration) unit for continuous reversion of the working solution as a small to medium scale AO-process with a production capacity of hydrogen peroxide of up to 20 kilo tons per year, wherein the working solution and/or the catalyst are replaced and/or treated for regeneration or reactivation only intermittently or periodically, e.g., with a low frequency.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for manufacturing hydrogen peroxide, comprising:
(a) catalytically hydrogenating at least one alkylanthraquinone, present in a working solution comprising the at least one alkylanthraquinone dissolved in at least one organic solvent, to obtain at least one corresponding alkylanthrahydroquinone;
(b) oxidizing the at least one alkylanthrahydroquinone to obtain hydrogen peroxide;
(c) extracting the hydrogen peroxide formed in step (b) from the working solution and recycling the working solution from step (c) of the process to step (a) of the process;
wherein steps (a), (b), (c) are performed in a first reactor system that is located at a first site to produce from 2 to 20 kilo tons of hydrogen peroxide per year,
(d) withdrawing the working solution from the first reactor system following an interval of at least 3 months during which steps (a), (b), and (c) of the process are performed in the first reactor system without withdrawing the working solution from the first reactor system and without regenerating the working solution, and
(e) regenerating the working solution in a second reactor system that is located at a second site, wherein the second reactor system is different from the first reactor system and second site is different from the first site.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein steps (a), (b), (c) are performed in the first reactor to produce from 2 to 15 kilo tons of hydrogen peroxide per year.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein steps (a), (b), (c) are performed in the first reactor system to produce an amount of hydrogen peroxide per year selected from the group consisting of: 2 to 3 kilo tons, 3 to 5 kilo tons, 5 to 7.5 kilo tons, 7.5 to 10 kilo tons, 10 to 12.5 kilo tons, and 12.5 to 15 kilo tons.

4. The process claim 1 , wherein water is present during step (b) of the process, so that step (c) of the process is carried out at least partially simultaneously with step (b) of the process.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein a hydrogen peroxide user's hydrogen peroxide consuming application is located at the first site with the first reactor system and step (c) of the process is carried out with such an amount of water so as to result in an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution containing a predetermined concentration of hydrogen peroxide which is suitable to be directly utilized in the hydrogen peroxide consuming application.

6. The process according to claim 5 , wherein step (c) of the process is carried out with such an amount of water so as to result in an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution with concentration of hydrogen peroxide of up to 15 percent by weight.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein step (d) of the process comprises replacing or regenerating the working solution following an interval of at least 6 months, during which steps (a), (b), and (c) of the process are performed without replacing or regenerating the working solution.

8. A reactor system for manufacturing hydrogen peroxide by the anthraquinone autoxidation process of claim 1 comprising a fixed bed of hydrogenation catalyst particles wherein the reactor system has a production capacity of from 2 to 20 kilo tons of hydrogen peroxide per year.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the at least one alkylanthrahydroquinone comprises 2-amylanthraquinone, 2-secamylanthraquinone, 2-tertamylanthraquinone, or a mixture thereof.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the at least one organic solvent comprises a mixture of diisobutylcarbinol or 2-methylcyclohexyl acetate and an aromatic hydrocarbon solvent.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein step (a) of the process comprises contacting a mixture that comprises the working solution and hydrogen gas with a hydrogenation catalyst that comprises palladium and silver supported on a porous substrate.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein each iteration of withdrawing the working solution follows an interval of at least 3 months during which steps (a), (b), and (c) of the process are performed continuously without withdrawing the working solution from the first reactor system and without or regenerating the working solution.

13. The process of claim 1 , wherein a catalyst is present in step (a), the alkylanthraquinone is catalytically hydrogenated, and the process further comprises replacing or reactivating the catalyst following an interval of at least 3 months, during which steps (a), (b), and (c) of the process are performed continuously without replacing or reactivating the catalyst.

14. The process of claim 1 , wherein step (a) of the process comprises contacting a mixture that comprises the working solution and hydrogen gas with a hydrogenation catalyst and is performed with an amount of hydrogen gas selected to avoid formation of alkyl tetrahydoanthroquinones.

15. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first reactor system lacks a regeneration unit for regenerating working solution, and the second reactor system comprises a regeneration unit for regenerating working solution.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein the first reactor system has a production capacity of up to 20 kilo tons of hydrogen peroxide per year and wherein the second reactor system has a production capacity of at least 40 kilo tons of hydrogen peroxide per year.

17. The process of claim 1 , further comprising:
(f) replacing the working solution withdrawn from the first reactor system with regenerated working solution.

Assignees

• Solvay

Inventors

• Vandenbussche Alain
• Dhaese Patrick Markus
• Bloomfield Stephen
• Janssens Francine

Classifications

• C01B15/023 Primary

  by the alkyl-anthraquinone process · CPC title

• Y02P20/584

  Recycling of catalysts · CPC title