Method of converting ethylene to polyacrylic acid (PAA) and superabsorbent polymer (SAP) within an integrated system
Disclosed are systems and methods for the production of polyacrylic acid and superabsorbent polymers from ethylene oxidation to form ethylene oxide. Reacting the ethylene oxide with carbon monoxide to form to beta propiolactone (BPL) or polypropiolactone (PPL), or a combination thereof. An outlet configured to provide a carbonylation stream comprising the BPL or PPL, or a combination thereof and using one or more reactors to convert BPL to acrylic acid or to convert at least some of the BPL to PPL, and then to convert PPL to acrylic acid. An outlet configured to provide a PPL stream to a second reactor tm to convert at least some of the PPL to AA or a third reactor to convert at least some of the PPL to AA. The outlet configured to provide an AA stream to a fourth reactor to convert the AA to polyacrylic acid.
1. A method comprising:
providing an ethylene stream comprising ethylene to an oxidative reactor of an integrated system;
converting at least a portion of the ethylene in the ethylene stream to ethylene oxide (EO) to produce an EO stream comprising the EO;
contacting the EO stream and a carbon monoxide (CO) stream with a carbonylation catalyst;
converting at least a portion of the EO in the EO stream to beta propiolactone (BPL) or polypropiolactone (PPL), or a combination thereof to produce a carbonylation stream comprising the BPL, or a carbonylation stream comprising the PPL, or a combination thereof;
(i) converting at least a portion of the BPL in the carbonylation stream to acrylic acid (AA) to produce an AA stream comprising the AA; or
(ii) converting at least a portion of the BPL in the carbonylation stream to PPL to produce a PPL stream comprising the PPL, and converting at least a portion of the PPL to AA to produce an AA stream comprising the AA; or
(iii) converting at least a portion of the PPL in the carbonylation stream to AA to produce an AA stream comprising the AA; or
any combinations of (i)-(iii);
converting at least a portion of the AA of the AA streams of (i)-(iii) to a polyacrylic acid (PAA), or a salt thereof to produce a PAA stream comprising the PAA, or a salt thereof;
directly converting at least a portion of the PAA, or a salt thereof, of the PAA stream to a superabsorbent polymer (SAP); and
wherein the integrated system is a single system that is confined to a single geographic location and comprises an abutting series of reactors or system components.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the AA has less than 5% by weight of an aldehyde impurity or a compound that derives from the oxidation of propylene.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the PAA, or a salt thereof, has less than 5% by weight of an aldehyde impurity or a compound that derives from the oxidation of propylene.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the SAP has less than 1000 parts per million residual monoethylenically unsaturated monomer.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the AA is converted to PAA, or a salt thereof, less than one week after the ethylene is converted to EO.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a controller independently modulates production of the BPL.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the AA stream has:
(i) less than 5% by weight of an aldehyde impurity,
(ii) less than 5% by weight of a compound that derives from the oxidation of propylene,
(iii) less than 5% by weight of furfural,
(iv) less than 5% by weight of acetic acid,
(v) less than 5% by weight of stabilizers,
(vi) less than 5% by weight of radical polymerization inhibitors,
(vii) less than 5% by weight of anti-foam agents, or any combination of (i)-(vi).
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbonylation catalyst comprises a porphyrin ligand or a salen ligand.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbonylation catalyst comprises a metal carbonyl.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of producing the AA stream is performed in a first AA reactor and a second AA reactor that are separate reactors.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the AA stream from the first AA reactor and the AA stream from the second AA reactor are combined at a PAA reactor.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting the BPL with a zeolite to produce AA.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the AA stream has:
(i) less than 1000 parts per million residual monoethylenically unsaturated monomer,
(ii) less than 10,000 ppm of an aldehyde impurity,
(iii) less than 10,000 ppm of a compound that derives from the oxidation of propylene,
(iv) less than 10,000 ppm of furfural,
(v) less than 10,000 ppm of acetic acid,
(vi) less than 10,000 ppm of stabilizers,
(vii) less than 10,000 ppm of radical polymerization inhibitors,
(viii) less than 10,000 ppm of anti-foam agents, or any combination of (i)-(vii).
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the AA stream has:
(i) less than 1000 parts per million residual monoethylenically unsaturated monomer,
(ii) less than 10,000 ppm of an aldehyde impurity,
(iii) less than 10,000 ppm of a compound that derives from the oxidation of propylene,
(iv) less than 10,000 ppm of furfural,
(v) less than 10,000 ppm of acetic acid,
(vi) less than 10,000 ppm of stabilizers,
(vii) less than 10,000 ppm of radical polymerization inhibitors, and
(viii) less than 10,000 ppm of anti-foam agents.