Arco Chemical Technology, L.p.

Lyondell Chemical Technology, L.p.

Lawrence M Candela

Robert N Cochran

Xiangmin Li

Andrew P Kahn

David W Leyshon

Shaw-Chan Lin

Rajendra S Albal

Mark A Liepa

Brian A Salisbury

Yuan-Zhang Han

Lawrence J Karas

Gary A Sawyer

Walter S Dubner

Elizabeth I Ross-Medgaarden

Tim T Wong

Carl L Williams

Scott H Sandler

Mark A Leipa

Processes for producing propylene glycol monoalkyl ether are described herein and include contacting propylene oxide and an alcohol in the presence of an alkali or alkaline earth metal alkoxide catalyst to produce an alkoxylation mixture including propylene glycol monoalkyl ether; distilling the alkoxylation mixture to produce a first overhead stream including propylene oxide and the alcohol and a first bottoms stream including propylene glycol monoalkyl ether; distilling the first bottoms stream to produce a second overhead stream including purified propylene glycol monoalkyl ether and a second bottoms stream including heavier byproducts; further distilling the second bottoms stream to form a resulting bottoms stream including caustic and heavier byproducts; introducing an alkali metal borohydride into at least a portion of the resulting bottoms stream to form an alkali metal borohydride containing stream; and introducing the alkali metal borohydride containing stream into one or more distillations upstream of recovery of the second overhead stream.

Production of propylene glycol monoalkyl ether

The invention is a process for producing a propylene glycol monoalkyl ether which comprises first reacting propylene oxide and an alcohol in the presence of an alkali or alkaline earth metal alkoxide catalyst to produce an alkoxylation mixture comprising propylene glycol monoalkyl ether; distilling the alkoxylation mixture to produce a first overhead stream comprising propylene oxide and alcohol and a first bottoms stream comprising propylene glycol monoalkyl ether; and then distilling the first bottoms stream to produce purified propylene glycol monoalkyl ether as a second overhead stream. The reaction and/or one or more of the distillation steps occur in the presence of an alkali metal borohydride. The process produces propylene glycol monoalkyl ether with low UV absorbance and reduced carbonyl impurities.

A process for producing allyl alcohol is disclosed. The process comprises reacting propylene, acetic acid, and oxygen to produce a reaction mixture. The reaction mixture is distilled to produce a vapor stream comprising propylene and a liquid stream comprising allyl acetate, acetic acid, acrolein, and allyl diacetate. The liquid stream is distilled to produce a lights stream comprising acrolein; a side draw comprising allyl acetate, acetic acid, and water; and a bottoms stream comprising acetic acid and allyl diacetate. The bottoms stream is distilled to remove a heavies stream comprising allyl diacetate. The side draw is hydrolyzed to produce allyl alcohol.

Process for producing allyl alcohol

The invention is a method of purifying propylene oxide containing 25-100 ppm aldehyde impurities. The method comprises contacting the propylene oxide in the liquid phase with an amine-functionalized ion exchange resin, and recovering a purified propylene oxide product containing 10 ppm, or less, aldehydes.

Purification of propylene oxide

The invention is a method of purifying a propylene glycol monoalkyl ether containing carbonyl impurities which comprises contacting the propylene glycol monoalkyl ether stream in the liquid phase with a carbon adsorbent, and recovering a purified propylene glycol monoalkyl ether product. The purification method improves product quality and reduces the amount of carbonyl impurities in the propylene glycol monoalkyl ether.

Purification of propylene glycol monoalkyl ether

The present invention relates to purification of an MTBE process stream by contact in the liquid phase with a large pore zeolite such as 13X or Zeolite Y.

Purification on methyl tertiary butyl ether

The invention is a method to purify tertiary butyl alcohol by contact with at least two solid adsorbents comprising aluminum oxide and a large pore zeolite such as zeolite X. The purification method successfully improves product quality and reduces the amount of impurities in the tertiary butyl alcohol.

Purification of tertiary butyl alcohol

A propylene oxide/styrene monomer aqueous purge stream is contacted with a catalyst at conditions effective to decompose peroxides contained therein, and oxygen formed by the decomposition swept from the decomposition with a nitrogen vapor stream from ethylbenzene oxidation.

Peroxide impurities removal

The present invention relates to the improved liquid phase dehydration of 1-phenyl ethanol to styrene monomer, the improvement comprising the use of a residue formation inhibiting agent during the liquid phase dehydration.

Dehydration of 1-phenyl ethanol

The present invention relates to the separation of molybdenum from epoxidation process streams by extraction with water insoluble tertiary amine.

Molybdenum catalyst separation

A process is provided whereby the hydrogen peroxide-containing oxidate from methyl benzyl alcohol oxidation is extracted with water and with ethyl benzene extractive solvent and an aqueous hydrogen peroxide phase is separated from an ethyl benzene solvent phase which also contains methyl benzyl alcohol and acetophenone, the improvement being that ethyl benzene is introduced into the extraction zone below the point of introduction of the oxidate, thus avoiding the possibility of formation of an aqueous hydrogen peroxide phase concentrated to a hazardous degree in hydrogen peroxide in the extraction zone.

Recovery of hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is produced by liquid phase molecular oxygen oxidation of methyl benzyl alcohol, the reaction being carried out such that the oxygen absorption rate is 90% or more of the maximum at the reaction conditions and the exit gas oxygen partial pressure is not greater than 3.0, the minimum necessary to establish the maximum oxygen absorption rate.

Production of hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is produced by liquid phase molecular oxygen oxidation of methyl benzyl alcohol. Inhibiting impurities are removed prior to oxidation.

The oxidation of ethylbenzene to products comprised of ethylbenzene hydroperoxide and acetophenone is modified in order to enhance acetophenone production by reducing the alkali content of the oxidation mixture below 0.1 ppm and by incorporation of 0.05 to 2 wt. % water in the oxidation mixture.

Ethylbenzene oxidation

Hydrogen peroxide is produced by liquid phase molecular oxygen oxidation of methyl benzyl alcohol, water concentration in the reaction mixture being maintained below 4% by weight, more preferably below 2% by weight, and most preferably below 1% by weight.

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Havertown, PA, United States of America

Lawrence M Candela