Hitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd.

Naruyasu Okamoto

Toshiaki Matsuo

Masayuki Kamikawa

Kenichiro Oka

Takayuki Matsumoto

Takeyuki Kondo

Ryuuji Kajiya

Hiroyuki Ito

Susumu Harada

Mamoru Mizumoto

Yasunari Sase

Tsutomu Kawamura

Tomofumi Shiraishi

Masashi Tanto

Kazuo Someya

Seiji Motohiro

Satihiro Yoshimatsu

Yukika Itou

Ryuji Kaziya

Ryuji Kajiya

In order to perform organic synthesis process through action with supercritical water and acid stably while suppressing a trouble caused by a by-product, a method and an apparatus are provided, including the following steps. Water is supplied to high-pressure pumps () and () from water headers () and (), and a pressure-reducing valve () is regulated to increase the pressure to 35 MPa. Temperatures of preheaters () and () and a heater () are increased until the reaction solution is at a temperature of 400&#xb0; C. Acid (sulfuric acid) and an organic compound raw material (glycerin) are supplied from an acid header () and a raw-material header (') for action with the supercritical water to obtain a reaction solution. The obtained reaction solution is cooled to 100 to 200&#xb0; C. by first cooling () and a solid component included in the reaction solution is separated for removal from the reaction solution by a filter (), and then the reaction solution is cooled to a temperature of about 100&#xb0; C. or lower by second cooling () and pressure thereof is reduced (). Further, the reaction solution is cooled by third cooling () and then a synthesized product (acrolein) is captured.

Reaction process utilizing critical water

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for commercially manufacturing acrolein in a large flow rate by making supercritical water and an acid interact with glycerin, wherein by efficiently mixing high-concentration glycerin and supercritical water with each other, the method is made capable of making the synthesis stably proceed with a high yield while the occlusion and abrasion of the pipes and devices due to the generation of by-products are being suppressed. The method for synthesizing acrolein of the present invention is a method for synthesizing acrolein by making supercritical water and an acid interact with glycerin, the method using a reaction apparatus including: a cylindrical mixing flow path for mixing a fluid including glycerin and a fluid including supercritical water with each other; a first inlet flow path, disposed offset from the central axis of the mixing flow path, for making the fluid including glycerin flow into the mixing flow path; and a second inlet flow path, disposed offset from the central axis of the mixing flow path, for making the fluid including supercritical water flow into the mixing flow path, wherein the first inlet flow path and the second inlet flow path are each provided in a plurality of numbers in such a way that the first inlet flow paths and the second inlet flow paths are alternately arranged so as to encircle the central axis of the mixing flow path.

Method for synthesizing acrolein

The polymer degassing apparatus includes a barrel-shaped horizontal containerhaving a supply portfor supplying a reactant, a discharge portfor discharging a reactant, a stirring meansfor stirring a reactant, and a degassing means for drawing a gas via a degassing portof the horizontal container. The supply port is positioned below the molten liquid level of the reactant. A recovery containerthat is connected to the degassing port for recovering a volatile substance in the gas and a vacuum pumpare provided. The stirring means includes a plurality of stirring rodsoriented along the same direction as the axis in the horizontal container and coupling membersfor coupling the stirring rods along the same direction as the axis, provided that the coupling members are placed at a distance from the virtual rotation center of the stirring means.

Polymer producing method and apparatus and polymer degassing method and apparatus

An equipment for producing polyhydroxycarboxylic acid, includes a ring-opening polymerization apparatus, a liquid phase devolatilizing apparatus, and a drying apparatus, wherein an indirect heat exchanger is connected to a vent gas discharge path of the liquid phase devolatilizing apparatus. The indirect heat exchanger captures a dispersed in-process substance containing hydroxycarboxylic acid cyclic dimers and transfers the substance to the ring-opening polymerization apparatus; a wet condenser and a hot well are connected to a vent gas discharge path of the indirect heat exchanger and that of the drying apparatus, respectively. The wet condenser captures a dispersed in process substance containing the cyclic dimers with the use of a refrigerant containing hydroxycarboxylic acid corresponding to the cyclic dimers and transfers the substance to the hot well; the hot well causes hydrolysis of the cyclic dimers for generation of hydroxycarboxylic acid; the generated hydroxycarboxylic acid is mixed with a refrigerant and the mixture is circulated to the wet condenser; and hydroxycarboxylic acid is highly concentrated via circulation between the wet condenser and the hot well and then discharged.

Equipment and method for producing polyhydroxycarboxylic acid

In a process of manufacturing polylactide, synthesis of high-quality polymers is achieved with a sufficient degree of vacuum secured. Provided is an apparatus for manufacturing polylactide which includes the steps of preparing lactide through oligomerization of lactic acid and depolymerization of the resulting oligomers, effecting ring-opening polymerization of the lactide, and removing unreacted lactide. The apparatus comprises an exhausting gas treatment device for reducing pressure in the step of removing unreacted lactide. The exhausting gas treatment device includes boilers (-) for generating water vapor; a pressure-reducing section having stages each including an ejector (-) driven with the water vapor, a condenser (-) connected downstream of the ejector, and a hot well tank (-) connected to the condenser; and a main condenserand a main hot well tankconnected to the main condenser that are disposed on a pipe line through which a gas of the unreacted lactide is suctioned into the pressure-reducing section. The gas of the unreacted lactide is washed away in the main condenser using a liquid containing lactic acid as a main component that has been collected in the main hot well tank.

Polylactide manufacturing apparatus and method for manufacturing polylactide

A polymerization processor synthesizes a high quality polymer from a raw material in a molten state. Lactide sent from an apparatus for supplying lactideis heated and molten in an apparatus for melting lactide, and a catalyst is added to the lactide in an apparatus for supplying a catalyst. The molten lactide is supplied through an apparatus for supplying lactideto a horizontal reaction tank, and flows by a head difference with a polymerization reaction proceeding. A discharged reaction solution is supplied to the upper part of a vertical reaction tank, and flows through the vertical reaction tankby gravity with the polymerization reaction proceeding. Thereafter, the reaction solution is transported to an apparatus for removing remaining lactide, where unreacted lactide is removed, and then the reaction solution is discharged.

Polymerization processor

A polymerization method comprises, prior to polymerization of a monomer of the cyclic dimer of alpha-hydroxycarboxylic acid, a first mixture of a polymerization catalyst by bypassing a part of the monomer of the cyclic dimer is prepared. Then, the first mixture is mixed with a dominant amount of the monomer introduced into a polymerization reactor. The monomer of the cyclic dimer in the polymerization reactor is conducted in the presence of a polymerization initiator.

Polymerization method and polymerization apparatus

The object is to provide a method and apparatus for producing a polyhydroxy carboxylic acid according to which an annular dimer can be efficiently obtained in the production of polyhydroxy carboxylic acid which is small in distribution breadth of molecular weight in depolymerization and opening ring polymerization steps. There are provided a depolymerization devicewhich depolymerizes hydroxy carboxylic acid or a polycondensate thereof into an annular dimer, a upper distillation columnwhich condenses the annular dimer vaporized in the depolymerization device, and lower distillation columnwhich refluxes the annular dimer and is provided between the depolymerization deviceand the upper distillation column, said depolymerization devicehaving a polycondensate feed openingand an annular dimer discharge openingwhich are provided at a casing, a liquid film being formed inside the casingand heated by a heating part.

Method and apparatus for producing polyhydroxy carboxylic acid

The object of the present invention is to provide a polymer alloy including polylactic acid which can be used in the same manner as conventional commodity plastics even in an environment of high temperature and high humidity. According to the present invention, there is provided a polymer alloy including polylactic acid comprising (A) a polylactic acid, (B) a polyalkylacrylic ester and/or a polyvinyl ester, (C) a polyolefin and (D) a block copolymer of a polyalkylacrylic ester and polyolefin and/or a block copolymer of a polyvinyl ester and a polyolefin.

Polymer alloy including polylactic acid

An apparatus for continuous stirring comprising a horizontal elongated cylindrical vessel and two rotating blade assemblies rotatable in the direction opposite to each other provided in parallel to each other in the vessel, where a liquid feed is moved from one end to another therethrough by rotation of the two rotating blade assemblies in the direction opposite to each other, while stirring and mixing the liquid feed, the two rotating blade assemblies each comprising rotor shafts (or) supported at both ends of the rotating blade assemblies, support members () each fixed to the rotor shafts, connecting members () span between the support members () and in positions far from the substantial rotating shaft center and a plurality of plate-shaped stirring blades () arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the substantial rotating shaft center and fixed to the connecting members ().

Apparatus for continuous stirring and process for continuous polycondensation of polymer resin

A packing material capable of improving the uniformity of liquid distribution and of achieving a preferable gas-liquid contact reaction, even in the case where the specific surface area of the packing material is small, includes a plurality of projections provided on the surface of a thin plate, and a plurality of holes provided respectively between the projections. In one embodiment, the transfer extension of each projection is larger than a longitudinal extension thereof, so that descending liquid flows downward while being transversely dispersed by the projection. The holes are provided between the projections so that they do not obstruct the transfer dispersion of liquid at the projection. Moreover, the holes accelerate the transverse dispersion of liquid, or the dispersion of liquid between front and rear surfaces of the thin plate, by the surface tension of the liquid. As a result, excellent uniformity of liquid distribution can be obtained on the surface of the thin plate. An improved air separator containing the packing material incorporated into a rectifier for performing gas-liquid contact reaction is also disclosed.

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Tokyo, Japan

Naruyasu Okamoto