Lyondell Chemical Technology, L.p.

Arco Chemical Technology, L.p.

Equistar Chemicals, LP

Xiangmin Li

David W Leyshon

Lawrence M Candela

Te Chang

Walter S Dubner

Elizabeth I Ross-Medgaarden

Mark A Liepa

Andrew P Kahn

Brian A Salisbury

Yuan-Zhang Han

Mark A Leipa

A propylene oxide separation system that comprises a distillation column, a decanter, and water wash system. The distillation column is configured to receive a crude propylene oxide stream, discharge an impurity stream that comprises methanol and water, and discharge a bottoms stream that comprises a majority of the propylene oxide entering in the crude propylene oxide stream. The decanter is configured to receive at least a portion of the impurity stream and a hydrocarbon solvent to provide for formation in the decanter of an organic phase and an aqueous phase. The organic phase comprises propylene oxide and hydrocarbon solvent, and is sent to the distillation column. The aqueous phase comprises a majority weight percent of the methanol and the water entering in the impurity stream. The water wash system is configured to receive and purge the aqueous phase from the propylene oxide separation system.

Alkylene oxide separation systems, methods, and apparatuses

Processes for producing propylene glycol monoalkyl ether are described herein and include contacting propylene oxide and an alcohol in the presence of an alkali or alkaline earth metal alkoxide catalyst to produce an alkoxylation mixture including propylene glycol monoalkyl ether; distilling the alkoxylation mixture to produce a first overhead stream including propylene oxide and the alcohol and a first bottoms stream including propylene glycol monoalkyl ether; distilling the first bottoms stream to produce a second overhead stream including purified propylene glycol monoalkyl ether and a second bottoms stream including heavier byproducts; further distilling the second bottoms stream to form a resulting bottoms stream including caustic and heavier byproducts; introducing an alkali metal borohydride into at least a portion of the resulting bottoms stream to form an alkali metal borohydride containing stream; and introducing the alkali metal borohydride containing stream into one or more distillations upstream of recovery of the second overhead stream.

Production of propylene glycol monoalkyl ether

The invention is a process for producing a propylene glycol monoalkyl ether which comprises first reacting propylene oxide and an alcohol in the presence of an alkali or alkaline earth metal alkoxide catalyst to produce an alkoxylation mixture comprising propylene glycol monoalkyl ether; distilling the alkoxylation mixture to produce a first overhead stream comprising propylene oxide and alcohol and a first bottoms stream comprising propylene glycol monoalkyl ether; and then distilling the first bottoms stream to produce purified propylene glycol monoalkyl ether as a second overhead stream. The reaction and/or one or more of the distillation steps occur in the presence of an alkali metal borohydride. The process produces propylene glycol monoalkyl ether with low UV absorbance and reduced carbonyl impurities.

The disclosure relates to a process for separating propylene oxide for a crude propylene oxide stream, for example an intermediate stream from a PO/TBA process. The crude propylene oxide stream can be passed through an extractive distillation column. The distillation column is operated at a pressure in a range of greater than 25 up to 50 psig, and/or at a temperature in a range of from 70 to 150 degrees Celsius using C-Cparaffin as extractive solvent with an overhead distillate water wash drum. The crude propylene oxide stream include from 0.001 to 0.1 wt % methanol, based on the total composition of the crude propylene oxide stream. The systems, methods, and apparatuses can produce a propylene oxide stream having less formaldehyde and acetaldehyde than the prior art.

The invention is a method of purifying propylene oxide containing 25-100 ppm aldehyde impurities. The method comprises contacting the propylene oxide in the liquid phase with an amine-functionalized ion exchange resin, and recovering a purified propylene oxide product containing 10 ppm, or less, aldehydes.

Purification of propylene oxide

The invention is a method of purifying a propylene glycol monoalkyl ether containing carbonyl impurities which comprises contacting the propylene glycol monoalkyl ether stream in the liquid phase with a carbon adsorbent, and recovering a purified propylene glycol monoalkyl ether product. The purification method improves product quality and reduces the amount of carbonyl impurities in the propylene glycol monoalkyl ether.

Purification of propylene glycol monoalkyl ether

The invention is a method to purify tertiary butyl alcohol by contact with at least two solid adsorbents comprising aluminum oxide and a large pore zeolite such as zeolite X. The purification method successfully improves product quality and reduces the amount of impurities in the tertiary butyl alcohol.

Purification of tertiary butyl alcohol

Insoluble resinous sodium materials are separated from a hydroperoxide/olefin epoxidation feed by contact with a fine screen or a bed of coalescing solids.

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Glen Mills, PA, United States of America

Xiangmin Li