Basf Aktiengesellschaft

Basf Se Corporation

Michael Steiniger

Steffen Maas

Stefan Rittinger

Rolf Pinkos

Stephan Schlitter

Tilman Sirch

Rudolf Erich Lorenz

Gerd Schaefer

Heinz Hannebaum

Gunther Windecker

Thomas Danner

Todd C Spengeman

Dany Vanden Hautte

Gerd Kaibel

Eckhard Stroefer

Leopold Hupfer

Gerhard Olbert

Alexander Weck

Hartwig Voss

Dieter Degner

Michael Koch

Thorsten Johann

Jens Weiguny

Maria Guixa Guardia

Markus Roesch

Kai Stehmeier

Jeffrey T Andress

Thilo Buntrock

Maria Guixa

Timan Sirch

Thierry Lurquin

Hans-Jürgen Bassler

Heinz Hannebau

Gerd Schäfer

Apparatus for preparing maleic anhydride by heterogeneously catalyzed gas-phase oxidation of a stream containing hydrocarbons having at least 4 carbon atoms per molecule, which includes a reactor with reaction tubes into which a solid-state catalyst over which the exothermic reaction of the stream with an oxygen-comprising gas stream takes place is introduced and one or more pumps and heat exchangers located outside the reactor and through which a heat transfer medium formed by a salt melt flows through the intermediate space in the reactor between the reaction tubes and takes up the heat of reaction, with the temperature of the melt being in the range from 350 to 480&#xb0; C. The reaction tubes are made of a heat-resistant alloy steel which includes at least 0.5% by weight of chromium or at least 0.25% by weight of molybdenum or both.

Shell-and-tube reactor for preparing maleic anhydride

A process is provided for recovering components from a low boiler mixture which is obtained in the distillation of hydrogenation effluents from the preparation of polymethylols, by multistage distillation of the low boiler mixture having a tertiary amine, water, methanol, a polymethylol, a methylolalkanal, an alcohol and an alkanal with a methylene group in the alpha position to the carbonyl group. A first distillation stage involves separating the low boiler mixture into a higher-boiling, predominantly water-rich fraction and into a lower-boiling aqueous organic fraction having the tertiary amine. A second distillation stage involves separating the aqueous organic fraction from the first distillation stage into a predominantly amine-containing fraction and a further amine-depleted fraction. The tertiary amine is trimethylamine or triethylamine and the bottom temperature in the second distillation stage is at least 110&#xb0; C.

Process for preparing polymethylols

The present invention relates to a process for distilling an aqueous polymethylol mixture which comprises a polymethylol of the formula (I)(HOCH)&#x2014;C&#x2014;R&#x2003;&#x2003;(I)in which each R is independently a further methylol group or an alkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms or an aryl or aralkyl group having 6 to 22 carbon atoms, a tertiary amine, water and the adduct of tertiary amine and formic acid (amine formate), which comprises performing the distillation in a distillation column which is connected at the bottom to an evaporator, the bottom temperature being above the evaporation temperature of the monoester of formic acid and polymethylol (polymethylol formate) which forms during distillation. The present invention further relates to a composition comprising polymethylol and 1 to 10 000 ppm by weight of polymethylol formate, and to the use thereof.

Method for preparing polymethylols

The present invention relates to a process for preparing neopentyl glycol (NPG) by continuously hydrogenating hydroxypivalaldehyde (HPA) with hydrogen, in the liquid phase, in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, in a hydrogenation reactor (), by combining an HPA-comprising stream () with an NPG-comprising stream () to give a hydrogenation feed () and introducing the hydrogenation feed () into the hydrogenation reactor () and additionally supplying at least one pH regulator () selected from the group consisting of tertiary amine, an inorganic base, an inorganic acid and an organic acid to the HPA-comprising stream () or the NPG-comprising stream () or the hydrogenation feed (), in order to establish a pH of 7.0 to 9.0 at the outlet of the hydrogenation reactor, wherein the weight ratio of HPA to NPG in the hydrogenation feed () is in the range from 1:100 to 50:100 and the proportion of HPA and NPG in the hydrogenation feed () is at least 50% by weight, based on the hydrogenation feed, and, in the case that the pH regulator () is supplied to the HPA-comprising stream (), the HPA-comprising stream () comprises less than 50% by weight of HPA or the residence time between the supply of the pH regulator () and the combining of the NPG-comprising stream () with the HPA-comprising stream () is less than 5 minutes or the temperature of the HPA-comprising stream () is less than 75&#xb0; C.

Process for preparing neopentyl glycol

The present invention relates to a process for purifying crude polymethylol which comprises polymethylol of the formula (I)(HOCH)&#x2014;C&#x2014;R&#x2003;&#x2003;(I)in which each R is independently a further methylol group or an alkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms or an aryl or aralkyl group having 6 to 22 carbon atoms, and also hydroxy acid of the formula (IV) in which each R is independently as defined above, which comprises performing the purification in a distillation column, the bottom of the distillation column being connected to an evaporator with a short residence time. The present invention further relates to a composition comprising polymethylol and 1 to 10 000 ppm by weight of an ester of polymethylol and of a hydroxy acid and to the use thereof.

Method for purifying crude polymethylols

What is described is a process for obtaining maleic anhydride by distillation from a solution of maleic anhydride in a high-boiling absorbent which has been obtained by gas phase oxidation of a hydrocarbon and at least partial absorption of the oxidation products into the absorbent, by The maleic anhydride obtained as a side draw has a low content of acrylic acid and acetic acid.

Process for obtaining maleic anhydride by distillation

The preparation of hydroxypivalaldehyde is effected by aldolizing isobutyraldehyde with formaldehyde and subsequently working up the resulting reaction effluent by distillation, wherein the reaction effluent is fed to a distillation column which is operated at a top pressure in the range from 0.5 to 1.5 bar and in which a two-stage condensation is provided in the top region, in which the vapors are first conducted into a partial condenser operated at a temperature in the range from 50 to 80&#xb0; C., whose condensate is recycled at least partly into the distillation column, and in which the vapors uncondensed in the partial condenser are fed to a downstream condenser operated at a temperature in the range from &#x2212;40 to +30&#xb0; C., whose condensate is at least partly discharged.

Method for producing hydroxypivalaldehyde and neopentyl glycol

The present invention relates to a process for purifying 1,4-butynediol, which comprises compressing 1,4-butynediol to from 50 to 1500 bar, depressurizing it, waiting for phase separation to occur after depressurization and separating off the bottom phase, and a process for the hydrogenation of 1,4-butynediol to 1,4-butenediol and 1,4-butanediol using the purified 1,4-butynediol.

Method for the separation of polymeric by-products from 1,4-butynediol

The present invention provides a process for distillatively purifying tetrahydrofuran in the presence of a polar solvent.

Method for the distillative processing of tetrahydrofuran

The present invention relates to processes for making 1,4-butanediol, 1,4-butenediol, or a mixture thereof by processing 1,4-butynediol in a dynamic mixing apparatus in an inert gas atmosphere at from 25 to 150&#xb0; C. at a shear rate in the radial gap between rotor and stator of the mixing apparatus of more than 100 000 sec; phase separating the processed 1,4-butynediol at a temperature of from 25 to 150&#xb0; C.; removing a bottom phase to obtain purified 1,4-butynediol; and reacting the purified 1,4-butynediol with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst.

The present invention relates to a process for purifying 1,4-butynediol, which comprises processing 1,4-butynediol in a dynamic mixing apparatus in an inert gas atmosphere at from 25 to 150&#xb0; C. at a shear rate in the radial gap between rotor and stator of the mixing apparatus of more than 100 000 sec, awaiting phase separation at temperatures of from 25 to 150&#xb0; C. and separating off the bottom phase, and a process for the hydrogenation of 1,4-butynediol to 1,4-butenediol and 1,4-butanediol using the purified 1,4-butynediol.

The invention relates to a process for preparing polymethylol compounds of the formula (I) where the radicals R are each, independently of one another, a further methylol group or an alkyl group having from 1 to 22 carbon atoms or an aryl or aralkyl group having from 6 to 22 carbon atoms, by condensation of aldehydes having from 2 to 24 carbon atoms with formaldehyde in an aldol reaction using tertiary amines as catalyst to form alkanals of the formula (II) where the radicals R each independently have one of the abovementioned meanings, and subsequent hydrogenation of the latter. The particular inventive feature of this process is that the aldol reaction is carried out using an aqueous formaldehyde solution having a formic acid content of &#x3c;150 ppm and preferably &#x3c;100 ppm. In this way of carrying out the process, the formation of by-products can advantageously be prevented in a targeted manner and the yield of the desired polymethylol compound can thereby be increased.

Process for preparing polyalcohols from formaldehyde having a low formic acid content

Process for the catalytic hydrogenation of methylolalkanals of the general formula where Rand Rare each, independently of one another, a further methylol group or an alkyl group having from 1 to 22 carbon atoms or an aryl or aralkyl group having from 6 to 33 carbon atoms, in the liquid phase by means of hydrogen over a hydrogenation catalyst, wherein hydrogen is used in a molar ratio to methylolalkanal of greater than 1.

Hydrogenation of methylolalkanals

Aqueous glyoxal solutions which contain organic acids are purified by means of a membrane cell comprising two or more compartments by passing the glyoxal solution through at least one of the cell compartments separated from the neighboring compartment(s) by anion exchange membranes and by passing the aqueous solution of a base through at least one of the neighboring compartments.

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Neustadt, Germany

Michael Steiniger