Process of refining C

1. A process of refining a crude C 6 -C 16 aliphatic diol comprising distilling one or more times a crude C 6 -C 16 aliphatic diol that comprises a monocyclic aliphatic diol represented by the following formula:

wherein each R 1 is independently selected from hydrogen, hydroxy, and C 1 -C 6 monovalent hydrocarbyl radicals; each R 2 is independently selected from hydrogen, hydroxy, and C 1 -C 6 hydrocarbyl radicals; n is an integer from 0 to 6; k is an integer from 0 to 6; n+k is greater than 2; and each m is independently an integer from 0 to 3, and further comprising, in addition to the diol, one or more impurities selected from phenols and aliphatic mono-ols, esters, carboxylic acids, and hemiacetals, and mixtures thereof, in the presence of an alkali metal compound and/or an alkaline earth metal compound under distillation conditions sufficient to obtain a purified C 6 -C 16 aliphatic diol.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the crude C 6 -C 16 aliphatic diol comprises from about 60 to about 80 weight percent C 6 -C 16 aliphatic diol and one or more of the following impurities in the following percentages by weight:

Mono-ols

0.5 to 10

percent

Esters

1 to 5

percent

Carboxylic acids

0.5 to 10

percent

Hemiacetals/Lactones

1 to 5

percent

Phenols

less than 1

percent

Lights

15 to 25

percent

Intermediates*

0.1 to 5

percent

(*other than mono-ols, hemiacetals and lactones)

Heavies

0.1 to 5

percent.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the crude C 6 -C 16 aliphatic diol comprises cis/trans-(1,3)(1,4)-cyclohexanedimethanol.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the alkali metal compound comprises an alkali metal hydroxide and wherein the alkaline earth metal compound comprises an alkaline earth metal hydroxide.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the alkali metal compound is selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, cesium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, cesium carbonate, lithium carbonate, sodium acetate, potassium acetate, cesium acetate, lithium acetate, sodium stearate, potassium stearate, cesium stearate, lithium stearate, sodium borohydride, sodium phenylborate, sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, cesium benzoate, lithium benzoate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, dilithium hydrogen phosphate, disodium phenylphosphate, disodium salt of bisphenol A, dipotassium salt of bisphenol A, dicesium salt of bisphenol A, dilithium salt of bisphenol A, sodium phenolate, potassium phenolate, cesium phenolate, lithium phenolate, and mixtures thereof.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the alkaline earth metal compound is selected from the group consisting of magnesium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, strontium hydroxide, barium hydroxide, magnesium hydrogen carbonate, calcium hydrogen carbonate, strontium hydrogen carbonate, barium hydrogen carbonate, magnesium acetate, calcium acetate, strontium acetate, barium'acetate, magnesium stearate, calcium stearate, calcium benzoate, and magnesium phenylphosphate, and mixtures thereof.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the quantity of alkali metal compound and/or alkaline earth metal compound is greater than 1.0 equivalent and less than 2.5 equivalents per equivalent of acid in the diol.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the quantity of alkali metal compound and/or alkaline earth metal compound is greater than 100 parts per million (ppm) and less than 5,000 ppm, based on the weight of the diol.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein a first distillation is conducted in a distillation column to remove lights at a temperature from 80° C. to 210° C. at the bottom of the column and from 20° C. to 120° C. at the top of the column, and about 1 atmosphere (101 kPa) pressure.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein after removal of lights a second distillation is conducted in a distillation column at a bottom temperature ranging from 165° C. to 250° C., and a head temperature ranging from 160° C. to 180° C. at a sub-atmospheric pressure ranging from 15 torr (2.0 kPa) to 50 torr (6.7 kPa).

11. The process of claim 10 wherein the second distillation is conducted in a distillation column comprising from 30 to 100 theoretical trays.

12. The process of claim 10 wherein the second distillation is conducted at a reflux ratio ranging from 1:10 to 10:1.

13. The process of claim 1 wherein the one or more distillations are conducted in a continuous mode of operation.

14. The process of claim 1 wherein the purified diol is recovered at each distillation stage in a yield of greater than 90 percent, based on the weight of the diol fed to the distillation.

15. The process of claim 1 wherein the purified diol exhibits a total acidity of less than 500 parts per million (ppm) (less than 0.05 weight percent), calculated as acetic acid, based on the weight of the diol.

16. The process of claim 1 wherein the purified diol has a color rated less than 10 per test method ASTM D 1209-00.

17. The process of claim 1 wherein the C 6 -C 16 aliphatic diol comprises cis/trans-(1,3)(1,4)-cyclohexanedimethanol, and wherein the alkali metal compound comprises potassium hydroxide.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein the alkali metal compound is employed in an amount ranging from greater than 1.25 to less than 2.50 equivalents per equivalent of acid in the diol.

19. The process of claim 17 wherein the process is conducted in a continuous mode of operation.