Processes for producing diaminobutane (DAB), succinic dinitrile (SDN) and succinamide (DAM)

1. A process for making nitrogen containing compounds, comprising:

(a) providing a clarified DAS-containing fermentation broth;

(b) distilling the broth to form an overhead that comprises water and ammonia, and a liquid bottoms that comprises MAS, at least some DAS, and at least about 20 wt % water;

(c) cooling and/or evaporating the bottoms, and optionally adding an antisolvent to the bottoms, to attain a temperature and composition sufficient to cause the bottoms to separate into a DAS-containing liquid portion and a MAS-containing solid portion that is substantially free of DAS;

(d) separating at least part of the solid portion from the liquid portion;

(e) (1) contacting the solid portion with hydrogen and optionally an ammonia source in the presence of at least one hydrogenation catalyst to produce DAB; or

(2) dehydrating at least a part of the solid portion to produce SDN; or

(3) dehydrating at least a part of the solid portion to produce DAM; and

(f) recovering the DAB, SDN or DAM.

2. A process for making nitrogen containing compounds, comprising:

(a) providing a clarified DAS-containing fermentation broth;

(b) distilling the broth to form a first overhead that includes water and ammonia, and a first liquid bottoms that includes MAS, at least some DAS, and at least about 20 wt % water;

(c) cooling and/or evaporating the bottoms, and optionally adding an antisolvent to the bottoms, to attain a temperature and composition sufficient to cause the bottoms to separate into a DAS-containing liquid portion and a MAS-containing solid portion that is substantially free of DAS;

(d) separating the solid portion from the liquid portion;

(e) recovering the solid portion;

(f) dissolving the solid portion in water to produce an aqueous MAS solution;

(g) distilling the aqueous MAS solution at a temperature and pressure sufficient to form a second overhead that includes water and ammonia, and a second bottoms that includes a major portion of SA, a minor portion of MAS, and water;

(h) cooling and/or evaporating the second bottoms to cause the second bottoms to separate into a second liquid portion in contact with a second solid portion that preferably consists essentially of SA and is substantially free of MAS;

(i) separating at least part of the second solid portion from the second liquid portion;

(j) (1) contacting the second solid portion with hydrogen and an ammonia source in the presence of at least one hydrogenation catalyst to produce DAB; or

(2) dehydrating at least a part of the second solid portion to produce SDN; or

(3) dehydrating at least a part of the second solid portion to produce DAM; and

(k) recovering the DAB, SDN or DAM.

3. A process for making nitrogen containing compounds, comprising:

(a) providing a clarified MAS-containing fermentation broth;

(b) optionally, adding MAS, DAS, SA, NH 3 , and/or NH 4 + to the broth to preferably maintain the pH of the broth below 6;

(c) distilling the broth to form an overhead that includes water and optionally ammonia, and a liquid bottoms that includes MAS, at least some DAS, and at least about 20 wt % water;

(d) cooling and/or evaporating the bottoms, and optionally adding an antisolvent to the bottoms, to attain a temperature and composition sufficient to cause the bottoms to separate into a DAS-containing liquid portion and a MAS-containing solid portion that is substantially free of DAS;

(e) separating at least part of the solid portion from the liquid portion;

(f) (1) contacting the solid portion with hydrogen and optionally an ammonia source in the presence of at least one hydrogenation catalyst to produce DAB; or

(2) dehydrating at least a part of the second solid portion to produce SDN; or

(3) dehydrating at least a part of the second solid portion to produce DAM; and

(g) recovering the DAB, SDN or DAM.

4. A process for making nitrogen containing compounds, comprising:

(a) providing a clarified MAS-containing fermentation broth;

(b) optionally, adding MAS, DAS, SA, NH 3 , and/or NH 4 + to the broth to preferably maintain the pH of the broth below 6;

(c) distilling the broth to form an overhead that includes water and optionally ammonia, and a liquid bottoms that includes MAS, at least some DAS, and at least about 20 wt % water;

(d) cooling and/or evaporating the bottoms, and optionally adding an antisolvent to the bottoms, to attain a temperature and composition sufficient to cause the bottoms to separate into a DAS-containing liquid portion and a MAS-containing solid portion that is substantially free of DAS;

(e) separating the solid portion from the liquid portion; and

(f) recovering the solid portion;

(g) dissolving the solid portion in water to produce an aqueous MAS solution;

(h) distilling the aqueous MAS solution at a temperature and pressure sufficient to form a second overhead that includes water and ammonia, and a second bottoms that includes a major portion of SA, a minor portion of MAS, and water;

(i) cooling and/or evaporating the second bottoms to cause the second bottoms to separate into a second liquid portion in contact with a second solid portion that preferably consists essentially of SA and is substantially free of MAS;

(j) separating at least part of the second solid portion from the second liquid portion;

(k) (1) contacting the solid portion with hydrogen and an ammonia source in the presence of at least one hydrogenation catalyst to produce DAB; or

(2) dehydrating at least a part of the solid portion to produce SDN; or

(3) dehydrating at least a part of the solid portion to produce DAM; and

(l) recovering the DAB, SDN or DAM.

5. The processes of claim 1 , further comprising polymerizing the DAB with a dicarboxylic acid or ester to form a polyamide.

6. The processes of claim 1 , further comprising contacting the SDN with hydrogen and ammonia in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to produce DAB.

7. The process of claim 6 , further comprising polymerizing the DAB with a dicarboxylic acid or ester to form a polyamide.

8. The processes of claim 1 , further comprising contacting the SDN with hydrogen and ammonia in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to produce a composition comprising SAN.

9. The process of claim 8 , further comprising polymerizing the SAN to form a polyamide.

10. The process of claim 8 , further comprising contacting the SAN with hydrogen and ammonia in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to produce DAB.

11. The process of claim 10 , further comprising polymerizing the DAB with a dicarboxylic acid or ester to form a polyamide.

12. The processes of claim 1 , further comprising dehydrating the DAM to produce SDN.

13. The process of claim 12 , further comprising contacting the SDN with hydrogen and ammonia in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to produce DAB.

14. The process of claim 13 , further comprising polymerizing the DAB with a dicarboxylic acid or ester to form a polyamide.

15. The process of claim 12 , further comprising contacting the SDN with hydrogen and ammonia in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to produce a composition comprising SAN.

16. The process of claim 15 , further comprising polymerizing the SAN to form a polyamide.

17. The process of claim 15 , further comprising contacting the SAN with hydrogen and ammonia in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to produce DAB.

18. The process of claim 17 , further comprising polymerizing the DAB with a dicarboxylic acid or ester to form a polyamide.

19. The processes of claim 1 , wherein the distillations are carried out in the presence of an ammonia separating solvent which is at least one selected from the group consisting of diglyme, triglyme, tetraglyme, sulfoxides, amides, sulfones, polyethyleneglycol (PEG), butoxytriglycol, N-methylpyrolidone (NMP), ethers, and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) or in the presence of a water azeotroping solvent which is at least one selected from the group consisting of toluene, xylene, methylcyclohexane, methyl isobutyl ketone, hexane, cyclohexane and heptane.