Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Incorporated

Kuraray Co., Ltd.

Kyowa Gas Chemical Industry Company, Ltd.

Minoru Koshibe

Morimasa Kuragano

Katsuji Yoguchi

Hirozo Segawa

Yoshihiro Sezaki

Kozo Iwasaki

Takeshi Isobe

Isao Fukada

Rensuke Ikarashi

Nobutaka Ueda

Yoshio Koyama

Norio Ishikawa

A process is provided for the purification of methacrylic acid. The process can easily remove dibasic acids and aldehydes containing in trace amounts as impurities. According to the process, crude methacrylic acid obtained as an aqueous solution by vapor-phase catalytic oxidation of isobutylene, tertiary butanol, methacrolein or isobutyl aldehyde is treated with at least one compound selected from the group consisting of m-aminophenol, m-phenylenediamine, 2,4-diaminotoluene and 2,4-diamino-diphenylamine, followed by distillation, optionally, in the presence of a p-phenylene diamine.

Purification process of methacrylic acid

A purification process for methyl methacrylate (MMA) and a recovery process for methanol are disclosed. A mixture, which contains water, methanol and methyl methacrylate (MMA) as principal components along with at least one of methyl acrylate, methyl propionate and methacrylic acid, is azeotropically distilled together with hexane to obtain MMA in a form substantially free of water, methanol methyl acrylate, methyl propionate and hexane and a low boiling-point fraction. The low boiling-point fraction is cooled and separated into a water phase and an oil phase. Methanol can be recovered from the water phase by adding an alkaline substance to it and then distilling the resultant mixture. A preparation process of MMA is also disclosed. MMA can be prepared by esterifying methacrylic acid or methacrylamide with methanol and then applying the above purification process.

Purification and preparation processes for methyl methacrylate

In order to recover methacrolein and/or methacrylic acid by quenching a reaction product gas obtained by catalytic oxidation of isobutylene or the like, the reaction product gas is charged into a quench column through a double-wall pipe and is then brought into contact with a condensate as a cooling medium. Deposition of terephthalic acid and the like inside the column is prevented by controlling the temperature of a bottom in the quench column and that of an overhead gas of a quench column unit. An aromatic carboxylic acid, aromatic aldehyde, metal powder is added to an aqueous solution of methacrylic acid, which contains terephthalic acid and the like, so that the terephthalic acid and the like are caused to precipitate for their removal.

Quenching process of reaction product gas containing methacrylic acid

Disclosed herein is a process for bringing methacrylic acid, which has been obtained by the catalytic oxidation of compound having 4 carbon atoms, into contact with a basic anion-exchange resin so as to remove byproduced dibasic acids and the like from the methacrylic acid and to purify the same.

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Sakai, Japan

Minoru Koshibe