Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies Limited

Robert Gallen

Michael William Marshall Tuck

Robert Wild

Roger Bence

A process for purification of a crude product stream recovered from the production of an unsaturated carboxylic acid by an aldolization reaction is disclosed. The product stream comprises the unsaturated carboxylic acid, aldehyde, saturated carboxylic acid, water, non-condensable vapours and optionally heavy by-products. The process comprises: providing the crude product stream in the vapour phase to a first separation column operated at a temperature and pressure to form an intermediate product stream comprising product unsaturated carboxylic acid, a portion of the water from the feed stream, a portion of the saturated carboxylic acid and heavy by-products where present; and passing the intermediate product stream to a second separation column operated at a temperature and pressure such that the unsaturated carboxylic acid product is separated and recovered.

Process for the purification of an unsaturated carboxylic acid

A process for purification of a crude product stream recovered from the production of acrylic acid by an aldolisation reaction is disclosed. The product stream comprises acrylic acid, formaldehyde, water, non-condensable vapours and optionally heavy by-products. The process comprises: providing the crude product stream in the vapour phase to a first separation column operated at a temperature and pressure to form an intermediate overhead stream comprising water, formaldehyde and methanol; and passing said intermediate overhead stream to a formaldehyde separation column operated at a temperature and pressure to enable a stream having a higher formaldehyde concentration than the formaldehyde concentration in the intermediate overhead stream to be formed and recovered from at or near the bottom of the formaldehyde separation column as a formaldehyde enriched stream.

Process for the separation of formaldehyde from crude acrylic acid

A process for the production of propylene glycol from a lactate ester is disclosed. The process comprises supplying a feed comprising a Calkyl lactate ester. The feed is contacted with a stream of hydrogen containing gas and subjected to hydrogenation in the vapour phase in the presence of a catalyst at a temperature of from about 130&#xb0; C. to about 185&#xb0; C., a pressure of from about 20 bar to about 60 bar, and a weight hourly space velocity greater than about 0.3 h. The catalyst is a reduced copper catalyst selected from copper alumina, optionally comprising manganese, copper chromite, copper zinc oxide and Raney copper.

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London, United Kingdom

Robert Gallen