IP Library Granted Patent US 7,348,455
Granted Patent B2
US 7,348,455 · App. 10/859,221 · Granted Mar 25, 2008

Process for producing (meth)acrylic acids

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,348,455
App. No.
10/859,221
Granted
Mar 25, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

A process for producing (meth)acrylic acid or (meth)acrylic acid esters, which comprises a reaction step comprising vapor phase catalytic oxidation of propylene, propane or isobutylene and, if necessary, a reaction step comprising an esterification step, characterized in that at the time when a high boiling mixture (hereinafter referred to as a high boiling material) containing a Michael addition product, is decomposed in a decomposition reactor to recover (meth)acrylic acids, while forcibly imparting a liquid flow in the circumferential direction to a liquid reaction residue in the decomposition reactor, the liquid reaction residue is discharged. In a process for recovering a valuable substance by thermally decomposing the high boiling material containing the Michael addition product of (meth)acrylic acids, it is possible to transfer the decomposition residue from the decomposition reactor to the storage tank without clogging, whereby a long-term continuous operation is possible.

Claims (62)

1. A process for producing (meth)acrylic acids, comprising:

decomposing in a decomposition reactor a high boiling mixture formed as a byproduct during the production of (meth)acrylic acids,

forcibly imparting a liquid flow in the circumferential direction to a liquid reaction residue in the decomposition reactor;

recovering (meth)acrylic acid or a (meth)acrylic acid ester; and

discharging the liquid reaction residue; wherein

the high boiling mixture contains a Michael addition product having water, an alcohol or (meth)acrylic acid added to a (meth)acryloyl group, and

the decomposition reactor comprises a liquid level meter wherein a high pressure side detection line of the liquid level meter is connected to a liquid discharge line of the decomposition reactor.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the discharging the liquid reaction residue is intermittent.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein a discharge stop time is from 5 seconds to 5 minutes and a discharge time is from 2 seconds to 5 minutes.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the high boiling mixture formed as a byproduct during the production of (meth)acrylic acids is continuously supplied to the decomposition reactor.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the recovering (meth)acrylic acid or a (meth)acrylic acid ester comprises carrying out distillation as well as thermal decomposition of the high boiling mixture in a distillation column which is internally provided with disk-and-doughnut type trays.

6. A process for producing (meth)acrylic acids, comprising:

decomposing in a decomposition reactor a high boiling mixture formed as a byproduct during the production of (meth)acrylic acids,

forcibly imparting a liquid flow in the circumferential direction to a liquid reaction residue in the decomposition reactor;

recovering (meth)acrylic acid or a (meth)acrylic acid ester; and

discharging the liquid reaction residue; wherein

the high boiling mixture contains a Michael addition product having water, an alcohol or (meth)acrylic acid added to a (meth)acryloyl group, and

the liquid flow in the circumferential direction is imparted by a liquid supplied from the exterior of the decomposition reactor.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein the liquid supplied from the exterior of the decomposition reactor is the high boiling material supplied as raw material, or a return liquid of the liquid reaction residue discharged from the decomposition reactor.

8. The process of claim 6 wherein the recovering (meth)acrylic acid or a (meth)acrylic acid ester comprises carrying out distillation as well as thermal decomposition of the high boiling mixture in a distillation column which is internally provided with disk-and-doughnut type trays.

9. The process of claim 6 wherein a gas comprising oxygen is added to a distillate from the decomposition reactor.

10. The process of claim 6 wherein the decomposition reactor comprises a liquid level meter wherein a high pressure side detection line of the liquid level meter is connected to a liquid discharge line of the decomposition reactor.

11. The process of claim 6 wherein the discharging the liquid reaction residue is intermittent.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein a discharge stop time is from 5 seconds to 5 minutes and a discharge time is from 2 seconds to 5 minutes.

13. A process for producing acrylic acid, comprising:

contacting with a solvent an acrylic acid-containing gas obtained by catalytic oxidation of propane or propylene,

collecting acrylic acid in the form of an acrylic acid-containing solution, and

purifying acrylic acid by distillation of the obtained acrylic acid-containing solution,

recovering acrylic acid,

wherein the recovering acrylic acid comprises:

precipitating and separating maleic acid from a bottom of a fractionating column for acrylic acid, or a liquid obtained by heating and concentrating such bottoms;

supplying the bottom of a fractionating column for acrylic acid, or a liquid obtained by heating and concentrating such bottoms, from which the maleic is precipitated and separated, to a thermal decomposition reactor;

decomposing an oligomer of acrylic acid in the liquid; and

recovering the obtained acrylic acid in a purification step.

14. The process of claim 13 , further comprising:

precipitating maleic acid at from 20 to 700° C. within a range of from 0.5 to 5 hours;

filtering and separating the maleic acid; and

adjusting a composition of the liquid to be supplied to the thermal decomposition reactor or the liquid recovered from the thermal decomposition reactor, to at least 70 wt % of acrylic acid, from 1.6 to 28 wt % of maleic acid and/or maleic anhydride and water having a molar ratio of:

Water

Maleic

acid

+

Maleic

anhydride

×

2

(

molar

ratio

)

1.0

.

15. The process of claim 14 , wherein an aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon is added in a volume ratio of from ½ to 4 times during the filtering and separating the maleic acid.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein the aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon is a solvent to be used for collecting the acrylic acid-containing gas, or an azeotropic agent to for dehydration distillation and purification of acrylic acid.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 5, 2017
From: MITSUBISHI RAYON CO., LTD.
To: MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 043750/0834 →
MERGER Recorded Sep 4, 2017
From: MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION
To: MITSUBISHI RAYON CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 043750/0207 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 3, 2004
From: YADA, SHUHEI; OGAWA, YASUSHI; SUZUKI, YOSHIRO; TAKAHASHI, KIYOSHI; TAKASAKI, KENJI
To: MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 015434/0326 →