Adsorbents for the recovery of catalyst from block co-polymer process and method for regenerating of the same

1. A process for recovering the catalyst from a solution of copolymer and catalyst dissolved therein by using silica having average pore size of not less than 5 nm, pore volume of 0.75-3.3 cm 3 /g and production rate of propionaldehyde not more than 0.0035%, and regenerating the silica, which comprises the steps of:

1) contacting a solution having copolymer and catalyst dissolved therein, which was formed after copolymerization of carbon dioxide and epoxide by using a complex containing onium salt as a catalyst, with silica that is not soluble in the solution to result in isolation of the catalyst by means of adsorption of the catalyst on the surface of silica; and

2) treating the silica with catalyst adsorbed thereon with acid to desorb the catalyst from the surface of silica and to regenerate silanol group of silica.

2. The process in accordance with claim 1 , wherein contact of the solution having copolymer and catalyst dissolved therein with silica in step 1) implies that silica is added to the solution having copolymer and catalyst dissolved therein and the mixture is filtered, or that the solution is passed through a column filled with silica.

3. The process in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the acid treatment of step 2) employs a mixed solution of organic or inorganic acid and polar solvent in a volume ratio of 0.01˜10:90˜99.99.

4. The process in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the organic or inorganic acid is one or a mixture of two or more selected from a group consisting of nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, acetic acid and trifluoroacetic acid.

5. The process in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the polar solvent is one or a mixture of two or more selected from a group consisting of C1-C10 alcohols, ketones, furanes and nitriles.

6. The process in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the polar solvent is one or a mixture of two or more selected from a group consisting of methanol, ethanol, tetrahydrofuran and acetonitrile.

7. The process in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the complex containing onium salt as a catalyst for step 1) is represented by Chemical Formula (1):

wherein,

M is trivalent cobalt or trivalent chromium;

A is an oxygen or sulfur atom;

Q is a diradical linking two nitrogen atoms;

R 1 through R 10 independently represent hydrogen; halogen; (C1-C20)alkyl; (C1-C20)alkyl containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C2-C20)alkenyl; (C2-C20)alkenyl containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C1-C20)alkyl(C6-C20)aryl; (C1-C20)alkyl(C6-C20)aryl containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C6-C20)aryl(C1-C20)alkyl; (C6-C20)aryl(C1-C20)alkyl containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C1-C20)alkoxy; (C6-C30)aryloxy; formyl; (C1-C20)alkylcarbonyl; (C6-C20)arylcarbonyl; or a metalloid radical of Group 14 metal substituted with (C1-C20)alkyl or (C6-C20)aryl;

two of R 1 through R 10 may be linked to each other to form a ring;

at least one of hydrogens contained in R 1 through R 10 and Q may be substituted with a cationic group selected from a group consisting of those represented by Chemical Formula (a), (b) or (c):

X − independently represents halogen anion; HCO 3 − ; BF 4 − ; ClO 4 − ; NO 3 − ; PF 6 − ; (C6-C20)aryloxy anion; (C6-C20)aryloxy anion containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C1-C20)alkylcarboxy anion; (C1-C20)alkylcarboxy anion containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C6-C20)arylcarboxy anion; (C6-C20)arylcarboxy anion containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C1-C20)alkoxy anion; (C1-C20)alkoxy anion containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C1-C20)alkylcarbonate anion; (C1-C20)alkylcarbonate anion containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C6-C20)arylcarbonate anion; (C6-C20)arylcarbonate anion containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C1-C20)alkylsulfonate anion; (C1-C20)alkylsulfonate anion containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C1-C20)alkylamido anion; (C1-C20)alkylamido anion containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C6-C20)arylamido anion; (C6-C20)arylamido anion containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C1-C20)alkylcarbamate anion; (C1-C20)alkylcarbamate anion containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C6-C20)arylcarbamate anion; or (C6-C20)arylcarbamate anion containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom;

Z represents a nitrogen or a phosphorus atom;

R 21 , R 22 , R 23 , R 31 , R 32 , R 33 , R 34 and R 35 independently represent (C1-C20)alkyl; (C1-C20)alkyl containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C2-C20)alkenyl; (C2-C20)alkenyl containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C1-C20)alkyl(C6-C20)aryl; (C1-C20)alkyl(C6-C20)aryl containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C6-C20)aryl(C1-C20)alkyl; (C6-C20)aryl(C1-C20)alkyl containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; or a metalloid radical of Group 14 metal substituted with (C1-C20)alkyl or (C6-C20)aryl; or two of R 21 , R 22 and R 23 , or two of R 31 , R 32 , R 33 , R 34 and R 35 may be linked to each other to form a ring;

R 41 , R 42 and R 43 independently represent hydrogen; (C1-C20)alkyl; (C1-C20)alkyl containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C2-C20)alkenyl; (C2-C20)alkenyl containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C1-C20)alkyl(C6-C20)aryl; (C1-C20)alkyl(C6-C20)aryl containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; (C6-C20)aryl(C1-C20)alkyl; (C6-C20)aryl(C1-C20)alkyl containing one or more atoms selected from halogen atom, nitrogen atom, oxygen atom, silicon atom, sulfur atom and phosphorus atom; or a metalloid radical of Group 14 metal substituted with (C1-C20)alkyl or (C6-C20)aryl; or two of R 41 , R 42 and R 43 may be linked to each other to form a ring;

X′ is an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or N—R (wherein R is (C1-C20)alkyl);

n is an integer obtained by adding 1 to the total number of cationic groups contained in R 1 through R 10 and Q;

X − may be coordinated to M; and

a nitrogen atom of imine may be coordinated to or decoordinated from M.