Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies Limited

Davy Process Technology Limited

David John Watson

Michael William Marshall Tuck

John Swinney

Simon Wayne Jackson

Adam Armour Snaith

Michael A Wood

Dena Roberts

Stephen William Colley

Mohammad Sharif

Simon Nicholas Tilley

Christopher Richard Fawcett

Michael Anthony Wood

The present invention is directed to a process for the purification of ethylene glycol from a crude stream thereof. The process comprises passing the stream of crude ethylene glycol to a first distillation column in which light compounds within the crude stream are separated overhead and a lights-removed crude ethylene glycol stream is removed from at or near the bottom of the first distillation column; passing the lights-removed crude ethylene glycol stream removed from at or near the bottom of the first distillation column to a second distillation column in which purified ethylene glycol is separated and recovered from heavy components present in the lights-removed crude ethylene glycol stream; removing a stream from at or near the bottom of the second distillation column which comprises residual ethylene glycol together with diethylene glycol and heavy compounds and passing said stream to a third distillation column in which the heavy compounds are separated from the stream comprising ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol; and removing the stream comprising ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol from the third distillation column and passing said stream to a fourth distillation column in which the ethylene glycol is separated from the diethylene glycol.

Process for the purification of ethylene glycol

A process for the production of glycolic acid or a derivative thereof comprises: reacting formaldehyde with carbon monoxide and water in a carbonylation reactor in the presence of a sulfur catalyst, said reactor operating under suitable conditions, such that glycolic acid is formed; recovering a first product stream comprising glycolic acid, impurities and a sulfur species in the carbonylation reactor; passing the first product stream to an esterification reactor where it is subjected to esterification to form an alkylglycolate and wherein the esterification is catalysed by the sulfur species recovered in the first product stream; recovering a second product stream comprising the alkylglycolate, sulfur species and impurities from the esterification reactor; separating the sulfur species from the second product stream and recycling it to the carbonylation reactor in step (a) to form a sulphur depleted second product stream; separating the alkylglycolate from the sulphur depleted second product stream in a distillation zone; and recovering the alkylglycolate and converting the alkylglycolate to glycolic acid.

Process for the production of glycolic acid

In a method for removing methane from feed gas having a methane concentration of 2 mole % or less, the feed gas is optionally mixed with make-up methane or air and passed through a heat exchanger to heat the gas to an oxidation reactor inlet temperature T. The heated stream is passed to the reactor where the methane is oxidised. A gas stream including the products of the oxidation reaction are removed with the gas stream being at a reactor outlet temperature Thigher than the inlet temperature T. The gas stream is then passed through the heat exchanger against the reactor stream to recover heat from the gas stream removed in the reactor and to heat the reactor stream. The outlet temperature Tis measured and the inlet temperature Tis controlled by adjusting the relative amount of make-up methane and/or air added to the feed gas.

Process for removing methane from a gas

A process for the production of glycolic acid or a derivative thereof comprises: reacting formaldehyde with carbon monoxide and water in a carbonylation reactor in the presence of a sulfurcatalyst, said reactor operating under suitable conditions, such that glycolic acid is formed; recovering a first product stream comprising glycolic acid, impurities and a sulfur species in the carbonylation reactor; passing the first product stream to an esterification reactor where it is subjected to esterification to form an alkylglycolate and wherein the esterification is catalysed by the sulfur species recovered in the first product stream; recovering a second product stream comprising the alkylglycolate, sulfur species and impurities from the esterification reactor; separating the sulfur species from the second product stream and recycling it to the carbonylation reactor in step (a) to form a sulphur depleted second product stream; separating the alkylglycolate from the sulphur depleted second product stream in a distillation zone; and recovering the alkylglycolate and converting the alkylglycolate to glycolic acid.

A method for treating a crude natural gas feed stream comprising methane and having a first carbon dioxide concentration, said method comprising the steps of: subjecting the crude natural gas feed stream to a separation process to provide: a purified natural gas stream having a second carbon dioxide content which is lower than the first carbon dioxide concentration in said crude natural gas stream; and, a carbon dioxide stream comprising carbon dioxide as the major component and methane; recovering the purified natural gas steam; optionally mixing the carbon dioxide stream with make-up methane and/or make-up air; passing the carbon dioxide stream and optional make-up methane or air through a heat exchanger to raise the temperature of the stream to the desired inlet temperature Tof an oxidation reactor; optionally mixing the carbon dioxide stream with make-up methane and/or make-up air; passing the heated stream from step (d) and any optional make-up methane and/or air to the oxidation reactor containing an oxidation catalyst, where the methane is oxidised; removing a gas stream including the products of the oxidation reaction from the reactor, said gas stream being at an outlet temperature Twhich is higher than the inlet temperature T; passing the gas stream removed in step (g) through the heat exchanger against the carbon dioxide stream from step (a) to allow the heat to be recovered from the gas stream removed in step (g) and utilised to heat the carbon dioxide stream in step (d); and measuring the outlet temperature Tand controlling the inlet temperature Tby adjusting the amount of make-up methane and/or air added in step (c) and/or step (e).

Process for removing COfrom crude natural gas

A catalyst system for a liquid phase carbonylation reaction comprising a homogeneous acid catalyst component and a porous solid component, in particular for use in the formation of glycolic acid by carbonylation of formaldehyde. The homogeneous acid catalyst component is, for instance, sulphuric acid while the solid component can be unfunctionalized silica. A process for the carbonylation of an aldehyde to form a carboxylic' acid or derivative thereof is also described. The process comprises the steps of contacting the catalyst with carbon monoxide, water and the aldehyde.

Carbonylation process and catalyst system therefor

A process for the production of glycolic acid or derivatives thereof from formaldehyde comprising reacting formaldehyde with carbon monoxide and water in the presence of a silica catalyst, wherein from about 200 to about 5000 ppm of an alkyl silyl sulfonic acid is supplied to the reaction.

A process is described for the recovery of substantially pure ethyl acetate from a feedstock including ethyl acetate, ethanol and water. The process includes supplying the feedstock to a first distillation zone maintained under first distillation conditions effective for distilling from the feedstock a first distillate including ethyl acetate, ethanol, and less than about 10 mol % water. The first distillate is recovered from the first distillation zone and is supplied to a second distillation zone maintained under second distillation conditions, which include use of a higher pressure than that of the first distillation zone. The second distillation conditions are effective for distilling from the first distillate a second distillate including ethanol, water, and a minor proportion of ethyl acetate and yielding a substantially pure ethyl acetate bottom product, which is recovered. The second distillate is returned to the first distillation zone.

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London, United Kingdom

David John Watson