General Electric Company

Sabic Innovative Plastics IP B.v.

Sabic Global Technologies B.v.

Martin H Oyevaar

Hans-Peter Brack

Maarten Antoon Jan Campman

Eduard Hendricus Schlarmann

Laurus Van Der Wekke

Yohana Perez De Diego

Christianus J Maas

Rudy Francois Alain Jos Peemans

Mingjie Zhu

Claude Tinney

Anthony Warren

Bert J Held

Eric James Pressman

Sheldon J Shafer

Dennis James Patrick Maria Willemse

Hatem Abdallah Belfadhel

Ahmed Abouelfetouh Youssef

Stephan Mathijs Bouwens

Joseph Richard Wetzel

Henricus H Van Hout

Cornelis Adrianus Maria Van Gool

Hendricus Franciscus Zirkzee

Samir Anapat

Mohan Khadilkar

Dennis Willemse

Arun Vasant Manchekar

Michael Francis Malone

Michael Francis Doherty

Jos H Graff

Karithik Balakrishnan

Bill W To

Danny L McNeil

Hendricus H Van Hout

Hendricus H Maria Van Hout

Xiaolin Wu

Cornelius Adrianus Maria Van Gool

Raimund Frans Vandenbussche

Jan Cornelis Gerritsen

Nicolaas Petrus Maria Coenen

Rolf Grootveld

Various embodiments disclosed relate to methods and apparatus for synthesizing various biphenols. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a method of making a bisphenol including feeding a phenol at or proximate to the first end of a reactor column including a first end and a second end and including a solid catalyst distributed in multiple locations between the first end and the second end of the reactor column. The method includes feeding an oxomethylene compound to the reactor column at a first location that is at or proximate the first end and at one or more additional locations between the first location and the second end of the reactor column, and removing at least some water from the reactor column. The method includes removing a product composition including a diphenolmethylene product at or proximate to the second end of the reactor column.

Sythesis of bisphenols

A process for recovery of materials from a mother liquor residue comprising cracking a mother liquor residue with an aromatic sulfonic acid catalyst to form a cracked product mixture and separating phenol from the cracked product mixture wherein the mother liquor residue results from distillation of a mother liquor resulting from bisphenol A synthesis and isolation.

Recovery of materials from a mother liquor residue

A method of producing a purified ester-substituted phenol stream is provided. The method includes a first step of obtaining from a melt transesterification reaction a byproduct stream containing a residual ester-substituted diaryl carbonate, an ester-substituted phenol, a residual melt transesterification catalyst, and a catalyst degradation product. A second step includes treating the reaction byproduct stream to separate ester-substituted phenol and catalyst degradation product from residual ester-substituted diaryl carbonate and residual melt transesterification catalyst to create a light recycle stream containing ester-substituted phenol and catalyst degradation product and a heavy recycle stream containing residual ester-substituted diaryl carbonate and residual melt transesterification catalyst. A third step includes treating the light recycle stream to reduce catalyst degradation product concentration thereby producing a purified ester-substituted phenol stream.

Method of preparing a purified ester-substituted phenol stream

A non-reactive monomer mixture has a monomer component dispersed in a melted diaryl carbonate. The monomer component has one or more monomer compounds having a melting point below the melting point of the diaryl carbonate. Furthermore, the monomer component has less than 600 ppb alkali metal, an acid stabilizer, or both less than 600 ppb alkali metal and an acid stabilizer. The monomer compounds of the monomer component and the diaryl carbonate are present in a mole ratio of from 0.9 to 1.1. The monomer mixture is at a temperature between the melting temperature of the lowest melting monomer compound and the melting temperature of the diaryl carbonate.

Monomer solution for producing polycarbonate

A non-reactive monomer mixture is formed from a dihydroxy component having one or more dihydroxy compounds dissolved in a melted diaryl carbonate. The dihydroxy component has less than 600 ppb alkali metal, an acid stabilizer, or both less than 600 ppb alkali metal and an acid stabilizer. The dihydroxy compounds of the dihydroxy component and the diaryl carbonate are present in a mole ratio of from 0.9 to 1.1. The monomer mixture is at a temperature between the saturation point of the monomer mixture and the highest melting temperature of the individual dihydroxy compounds. The non-reactive monomer mixture can be stored and transported and then polymerized to form polycarbonate upon addition of a catalyst.

Disclosed herein are processes for detecting the location of an interface between phases. In one embodiment, the process comprises: introducing a reaction mixture into a vessel wherein the reaction mixture is the product of an at least two phase interfacial reaction, and a difference in densities between at least two of the phases is less than or equal to about 1 g/cc, separating the reaction mixture into the phases with an interface located therebetween, measuring electrical inductance of the reaction mixture at different latitudinal locations; and determining the location of the interface.

Process for detecting the location of a phase interface

A method for the manufacture of bisphenols comprises introducing a combined feed stream comprising a feed stream and a recycle stream into a reactor system comprising at least one reactor containing a catalytic proportion of an acid catalyst and wherein the combined feed stream comprises a carbonyl compound and a stoichiometric excess of phenol; removing from the reactor system a reactor effluent; splitting the reactor effluent into a crystallization feed stream and an effluent recycle stream; extracting from said crystallization feed stream a bisphenol adduct, remainder comprising a mother liquor stream; dehydrating said mother liquor stream and said effluent recycle stream in a dehydrator wherein excess water and carbonyl compound are removed; and recycling the dehydrated mother liquor and the dehydrated effluent recycle stream back to the combined feed stream to effect improved production of p,p-bisphenol, along with increased reactor selectivity and reduced promoter quantities.

Process for manufacture of bisphenols

This invention relates to an economical and efficient process for purifying a reaction mixture obtained in a two-phase interfacial reaction for the preparation of polycarbonate. More particularly, the method of the invention provides for separating the reaction mixture into an organic phase, which includes the desired polycarbonate and undesirable impurities, and an aqueous phase. The organic phase is further purified by using a plate decanter in combination with coalescence and centrifugation.

Process for resin phase separation by plate decantation

Brine produced in an interfacial polycarbonate plant can be treated to render it useful for recycle to the electrolytic cell, which is used in the production of chlorine. The waste brine stream is combined with ozone to produce an ozonated brine in which the amounts of organic contaminants such as phenol, bisphenol A and chloromethyltrimetlhyl ammonium chloride is reduced. The ozonated brine is then acidified to remove carbonates and produce a decarbonated brine which is then concentrated to produce a treated brine in which the concentration of NaCl is at least 10 wt % NaCl. A filtration step may be included prior to the ozonation to remove particulate impurities. When used in an interfacial polycarbonate plant in combination with chlorine, phosgene and polycarbonate producing facilities, this allows recycling of the brine waste stream and this provides an environmentally superior and highly cost effective method for the producing polycarbonate.

Method and apparatus for the production of polycarbonates with brine recycling

The disclosure is of a process for recovering valuable phenol and acetone from by-products of the condensation of phenol and a ketone from a mother liquor obtained for example upon crystallization of a 1:1 adduct of phenol and bisphenol, the mother liquor containing phenol, bisphenol, isomers, contaminant by-products of the condensation reaction of phenol with the ketone and acidic impurities. The mother liquor is distilled/evaporated leaving a tarry residue, which is the feedstock for the process of the invention. The recovery comprises catalytically cracking the feedstock with catalytic proportions of an aromatic sulfonic acid to extract the bisphenol-A values as phenol and acetone.

Phenol recovery from BPA process waste streams

Production of diaryl carbonate esters by reaction of a dialkyl carbonate and an aromatic alcohol to form a diaryl carbonate and an alkyl alcohol is accomplished by introducing three reactant streams into an extractive/reactive distillation column in the presence of a transesterification catalyst. The three reactant streams are a first reactant stream containing a dialkyl carbonate, a second reactant stream containing an aromatic alcohol, and a third reactant stream containing an entraining agent. The entraining agent is selected from among compounds that do not form azeotropes with the dialkyl carbonate or the alkyl alcohol and that boil at a higher temperature than either the dialkyl carbonate or the alkyl alcohol. The first reactant stream is introduced into the column below the second reactant stream, and the second reactant stream is introduced into the column below the third reactant stream. A product stream containing diaryl carbonate esters is recovered from the bottom of the column.

Process for continuous production of carbonate esters

A method for recovering substantially pure p,p-bisarylols from a mixture comprising the same by subjecting the mixture to vacuum distillation and melt crystallization in the absence of an adduct crystallization and the generation of a reaction recycle stream.

Process for recovering bisphenols

The invention relates to a method of preparing a compound of formula 1 ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 correspond to H, a branched or non-branched, optionally substituted alkyl group, or an optionally substituted aryl group, suitable as a chain stopper in the preparation of an aromatic polycarbonate, by reaction of a compound of formula 2 ##STR2## wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 have the meanings described hereinbefore, with phosgene, comprising the continuous supply of the compound of formula 2 and phosgene to a solution of phosgene in a solvent, the temperature being kept at a value between 0.degree. and 15.degree. C. and the pH being kept at a value between 1 and 6.

Method of preparing chloroformate compounds

The invention relates to a method for the continuous preparation of carbonate oligomers by boundary face oligomerization of aromatic dihydroxy compounds with phosgene while adding base, in which the reaction is carried out in a loop-like reactor system in the absence of chain stopper and while using less than 200 ppm of catalyst related to the organic solvent using at least one static mixer and plug folw, optionally in combination with a stirred tank reactor.

Method for the continuous preparation of carbonate oligomers with loop

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Goes, Netherlands

Martin H Oyevaar