Process for producing taurine
There is disclosed a process for producing taurine by subjecting an ammonia solution ammonium isethionate in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst and hydrogen to an ammonolysis reaction to form ammonium taurinate. Taurine is obtained by decomposing ammonium taurinate to taurine and ammonia and recovered by solid-liquid separation.
1. A process for producing taurine from ammonium isethionate, comprising:
(a) preparing an ammonia solution comprising ammonium isethionate and at least one hydrogenation catalyst;
(b) subjecting the ammonia solution to an ammonolysis reaction in the presence of hydrogen or at least one hydrogen donor to yield a solution comprising ammonium taurinate;
(c) removing ammonia and decomposing the ammonium taurinate to taurine by heating to obtain a crystalline suspension of taurine; and
(d) separating the taurine by means of a solid-liquid separation to obtain a mother liquor.
2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the mother liquor after the separation of the taurine is mixed the ammonia solution prepared in step (a).
3. The process according to claim 1 , the hydrogenation catalyst is selected from the group of catalysts based on nickel, cobalt, copper, platinum, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, rhenium, and a mixture of at least two thereof.
4. The process according to claim 1 , the hydrogenation catalyst is selected from Raney nickel, Raney copper, Pd/C, or Ru/C.
5. The process according to claim 1 , the hydrogen donor is selected from formic acid or a secondary alcohol.