Davy Process Technology Limited

Eastman Chemical Company

Basf Aktiengesellschaft

Davy Mckee (london) Limited

Kvaerner Process Technology, Ltd.

Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies Limited

Davy Process Technololgy Limited

Michael A Wood

John Scarlett

Michael W Tuck

Andrew George Hiles

Paul Willett

George E Harrison

Michael William Marshall Tuck

Donald H McKinley

Robert Wild

Stephen William Colley

Simon Peter Crabtree

Derek Vincent Tyers

David John Watson

Simon Wayne Jackson

Paul Appleton

Martyn Wilmott

Melvyn Kilner

Colin Rathmell

Mohammad Sharif

Adam Armour Snaith

Christopher Richard Fawcett

Michael W M Tuck

Mohammad Shariff

Philip H Eastland

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 homogenous process for the hydrogenation of the carboxylic acids and/or derivatives thereof in the presence of a catalyst comprising ruthenium, rhodium, iron, osmium or palladium, and an organic phosphine is described in which the hydrogenation is carried out in the presence of at least about 1% by weight water. A process for regenerating a catalyst comprising ruthenium, rhodium, iron, osmium or palladium and an organic phosphine is also described in which the regeneration is carried out in the presence of hydrogen and water.

Homogeneous process for the hydrogenation of carboxylic acids and derivatives thereof

In a process for the production of fatty alcohol(s) a fatty acid or fatty acid mixture is subjected to esterification with a lower alkanol to form a stream comprising the corresponding lower alkyl ester or esters. The stream is vaporized and subjected to hydrogenation to form a stream comprising fatty alcohol(s) and an amount of unconverted lower alkyl ester(s). This stream is subjected to transesterification in a wax ester reactor in the presence of a solid transesterification catalyst. Fatty alcohol(s) and wax ester(s) are then separated by distillation to yield a fatty alcohol(s) product and a stream comprising wax ester(s). The stream of wax ester(s) is passed to a second hydrogenation zone to effect hydrogenation in the liquid phase to revert the wax ester(s) to fatty alcohol(s), which are returned to the distillation separation step.

Process for producing fatty alcohols from fatty acids

A process for activating a reduced manganese copper catalyst comprising treating the catalyst at a temperature of more than 300&#xb0; C. to about 400&#xb0; C. with hydrogen.

Process

A process for the purification of a crude liquid feed stream comprising 1,4-butanediol and a minor amount of 2-(4-hydroxybutoxy)-tetrahydrofuran and/or precursors thereof wherein the process comprises passing the crude feed in the presence of hydrogen in a reaction zone over a heterogeneous liquid tolerant copper catalyst in the liquid phase at hydrogenation conditions and recovering a purified stream of 1,4-butanediol having a lower amount of 2-(4-hydroxybutoxy)-tetrahydrofuran than the crude liquid feed stream.

Process for the purification of 1,4-butanediol

Homogenous process for the hydrogenation of carboxylic acids and derivatives thereof

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.

A homogeneous process for the hydrogenation of dicarboxylic acids and/or anhydrides in the presence of a catalyst comprising: (a) ruthenium, rhodium, iron, osmium or palladium; and (b) an organic phosphine; wherein the hydrogenation is carried out in the presence of at least about 1% by weight water and wherein the reaction is carried out at a pressure of from about 500 psig to about 2000 psig and a temperature of from about 200&#xb0; C. to about 300&#xb0; C. such that from about 1 mol to about 10 mol of hydrogen are used to strip 1 mole of product from the reactor.

Homogeneous process for the hydrogenation of dicarboxylic acids and/or anhydrides thereof

A process for the co-production of a diol product (e.g. butane-1,4-diol) and a cyclic ether (e.g. tetrahydrofuran) by hydrogenation of an aliphatic diester or lactone feedstock (e.g. dimethyl or diethyl maleate), which contains a minor amount of acidic material, such as the corresponding monoester. The process utilizes a plurality of hydrogenation zones connected in series, each containing a charge of a granular ester hydrogenation catalyst. The catalyst in the first hydrogenation zone is tolerant of a minor amount of acidic material, while the catalyst in the second hydrogenation zone provides enhanced yields of cyclic ethers compared to the catalyst of the first hydrogenation zone. The catalyst in a third hydrogenation zone exhibits low selectivity towards conversion of the diester to at least one by product (e.g. 2-4'-hydroxybutoxy-tetrahydrofuran). The feedstock is supplied to the first hydrogenation zone as a vaporous stream comprising hydrogen and there is recovered a final product stream from the third hydrogenation zone which is substantially free of the hydrogenatable material and contains the diol, cyclic ether and other by products, the selectivity to the cyclic ether being greater in the final product stream than in the first intermediate product stream.

Process for the co-production of aliphatic diols and cyclic ethers

A process is described for the continuous recovery of substantially pure pentane-1,5-diol from a crude product stream (,) containing pentane-1,5-diol and &dgr;-valerolactone. The feed stream (,) is continuously supplied to a vaporization zone (,) maintained under temperature and pressure conditions effective for the vaporization of pentane-1,5-diol and conducive to the thermal decomposition of reaction products of &dgr;-valerolactone thereby to form a vaporous stream. The resulting vaporous stream is continuously supplied to an intermediate section of a distillation zone (,). A reflux stream (,) of dimethyl glutarate is fed to an upper section of the distillation zone (,) and an overhead vapor product stream (,) comprising &dgr;-valerolactone and dimethyl glutarate is taken. Also an intermediate stream (,) comprising substantially pure pentane-1,5-diol is taken from the distillation zone (,), while from the bottom section of the distillation zone there is recovered a bottoms product (,).

Process for preparing pentane-1,5-diol

A process for the production of at least one C,compound selected from 1,4-butanediol, gamma-butyrolactone and tetrahydrofuran, in which a solution of maleic anhydride in a high boiling ester is esterified with a C,to C,alcohol to form the corresponding maleate ester which is hydrogenated to form the at least one C,compound. The specified high boiling ester has a boiling point which is about 30 degrees C. higher than that of the di-(C,-C,alkyl)maleate.

Process for preparing gamma-butyrolactone, butane-1,4-diol and tetrahydrofuran

A process is described for the production of butane-1,4-diol, &ggr;-butyrolactone and/or tetrahydrofuran. A vaporous stream containing maleic anhydride, water, and carbon oxides is contact in an absorption zone with a high boiling ester as solvent to form a solution of maleic anhydride in the high boiling ester which has a boiling point at the atmospheric pressure at least about 30&deg; C. higher than that of maleic anhydride and is selected from di-(C,to C,alkyl) esters of alkyl dicarboxylic acids containing up to 3 carbon atoms, mono- and di-(C,to C,alkyl) esters of maleic acid, fumaric acid, succinic acid, and mixtures thereof, (C,to C,alkyl) esters of naphthalene-monocarboxylic acids, tri-(C,to C,alkyl) esters of aromatic tricarboxylic acids, and di-(C,to C,alkyl) esters of isophthalic acid. The maleic anhydride in the solution is stripped with a gaseous stream containing hydrogen thereby forming a vaporous stream comprising hydrogen and maleic anhydride, which is contacted in a hydrogenation zone with a heterogeneous hydrogenation catalyst to convert maleic anhydride to at least one C,compound selected from butane-1,4-diol, &ggr;-butyrolactone and tetrahydrofuran.

Process for the preparation of butane-1,4-diol, &ggr;-butyrolactone and tetrahydrofuran

Process for the purification of butane-1,4-diol

Process for the production of 1,4-butanediol, .gamma.-butyrolactone and

Process for preparing gamma-butyrolactone, butane-1, 4-diol and

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Middlesbrough, United Kingdom

Michael A Wood