Process for the manufacture of carboxylic anhydride

1. A process for manufacturing a composition comprising carboxylic acid anhydride by reaction of a composition comprising carboxylic acid with a ketene, wherein at least one of the following conditions is met:

I. at least part of the composition comprising carboxylic acid is a composition comprising carboxylic acid and terpene and/or terpenoids; and/or

II. at least part of the ketene is manufactured from a composition comprising carboxylic acid, wherein the composition comprising carboxylic acid further comprises terpene and/or terpenoids,

wherein the carboxylic acid in II is selected from carboxylic acids of the formula R 3 COOH, wherein R 3 is selected from the group consisting of straight or branched C1 to C6 alkyl groups which can be optionally substituted by at least one halogen wherein the composition comprising carboxylic acid in condition I comprises from 5 to 3000 ppm by weight of terpene and/or terpenoids, and/or wherein the composition comprising carboxylic acid in condition II comprises equal to or less than 3000 ppm by weight of terpene and/or terpenoids.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the carboxylic acid anhydride is acetic anhydride.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the composition comprising carboxylic acid and terpene and/or terpenoids originates from a wood treatment process.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the carboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, propionic acid, n-butyric acid, iso-butyric acid, and acrylic acid.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the carboxylic acid is acetic acid.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein condition II is met, and wherein the ketene is manufactured by a thermal treatment process.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the ketene is manufactured in a first reaction zone, and the reaction of ketene with the fraction comprising carboxylic acid is performed in a second reaction zone.

8. The process according to claim 7 , wherein the first reaction zone has a temperature of from 500° C. to 800° C., and wherein the second reaction zone has a temperature of from 10° C. to 100° C.

9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the composition comprising carboxylic acid and terpene and/or terpenoids is without intermediate treatment between a process in which the composition comprising the carboxylic acid is generated and the reaction with the ketene or the manufacture of the at least part of the ketene.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the composition comprising carboxylic acid and terpene and terpenoids is treated in an intermediate treatment step between a process in which the composition comprising the carboxylic acid is generated and the reaction with the ketene or the manufacture of the at least part of the ketene.

11. The process according to claim 10 , wherein the intermediate treatment of the composition comprising carboxylic acid and terpene and terpenoids is a purification which comprises:

a) treating the composition comprising carboxylic acid and terpene and terpenoids with a metal salt in the presence of water,

b) treating at least part of the composition obtained from step a) to remove metal salt, and optionally,

c) treating at least part of the composition obtained from step b) by at least one operation selected from the group of operations consisting of distillation, stripping, or membrane separation to recover a purified carboxylic acid composition.

12. A process for the manufacture of treated wood comprising the process for the manufacture of a composition comprising carboxylic acid anhydride according to claim 1 .

13. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the carboxylic acid anhydride is acetic anhydride.

14. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the process comprises acylation of polysaccharides in a wood acetylation process.

15. The process according to claim 9 , wherein the composition comprising carboxylic acid and terpene and/or terpenoids is unpurified.

16. The process according to claim 10 , wherein the intermediate treatment is selected from the group consisting of evaporation, stripping, filtration, steam treatment, addition of additives, and condensation.

17. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the carboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, propionic acid, n-butyric acid, and iso-butyric acid.