Process for the hydrodechlorination of a liquid feed comprising dichloroacetic acid

Abstract

The process of the present invention pertains to a process wherein a liquid feed comprising monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, and optionally acetic acid and/or trichloroacetic acid is subjected to a catalytic hydrodechlorination step by contacting it with a source of hydrogen in the presence of a solid heterogeneous hydrogenation catalyst situated in a fixed catalyst bed, wherein the liquid feed is fed to the top of avertical tubular reactor at a superficial mass velocity of between and 10 kg/s per square meter of the horizontal cross-section of the vertical tubular reactor and a rate of between 250 and 3,000 kg/hr per m of said catalyst bed, wherein the source of hydrogen is fed to the top or bottom of the vertical tubular reactor at a rate of between 0.025 to 0.25 Nm/s per square meter of the horizontal cross-section of the vertical tubular reactor, so as to obtain an average axial pressure gradient of at least 2 kPa per meter of said catalyst bed, and wherein the temperature in the top of the vertical tubular reactor is between 100 and 200° C., and wherein the pressure in the top of the vertical tubular reactor is between 0.2 and 1.0 MPa.