The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 26, 2002
Filed:
Oct. 11, 2000
Rolf Fischer, Heidelberg, DE;
Gerd Kaibel, Lampertheim, DE;
Rolf Pinkos, Bad Dürkheim, DE;
Ralf-Thomas Rahn, Mannheim, DE;
BASF Aktiengesellschaft, Ludwigshafen, DE;
Abstract
A process for preparing 1,4-butanediol and, if desired, &ggr;-butyrolactone and THF by oxidizing butane or benzene to form a product stream including maleic anhydride, absorbing maleic anhydride from the product stream with a high-boiling inert solvent in an absorption stage to give a liquid absorption product, esterifying the liquid absorption product with a C -C esterifying alcohol in an esterification stage to form an esterification product comprising the corresponding diester and high-boiling inert solvent, then hydrogenating the esterification product to give a hydrogenation product which comprises the products of value, 1,4-butanediol and, if desired, &ggr;-butyrolactone and tetrahydrofuran and the esterifying alcohol and which is separated by distillation into the products of value and the esterifying alcohol, and recycling the esterifying alcohol to the esterification zone, which comprises separating the esterification product into the diester and the inert solvent by distillation under reduced pressure prior to the hydrogenation, recycling the inert solvent to the absorption stage, and hydrogenating the diester in the liquid phase over a fixed-bed catalyst.