Process for producing hexamethylenediamine from caprolactam
AssigneeAscend Performance Materials Operations LLC
InventorsMikhail I. Khramov, Scott G. Moffatt, C. Alex Diaz
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Abstract
A process for converting caprolactam to aminocapronitrile, the process comprising contacting a caprolactam feed with ammonia and an aluminosilicate zeolite catalyst to produce an aminocapronitrile product, wherein the catalyst comprises less than 5 wt. % of an active metal, and wherein conversion is greater than 50% and selectivity for aminocapronitrile is greater than 91%.
Claims20
A process for converting caprolactam to 6-aminocapronitrile, the process comprising:
- contacting a caprolactam feed with ammonia and an aluminosilicate zeolite catalyst to produce a 6-aminocapronitrile product,
- wherein the caprolactam feed comprises caprolactam, caprolactam dimers, and caprolactam oligomers;
- wherein the aluminosilicate zeolite catalyst contains no active metal or phosphorus;
- and
- wherein conversion is greater than 50% and selectivity for 6-aminocapronitrile is greater than 91%.
A gas-phase process for converting caprolactam to a 6-aminocapronitrile product, the process comprising:
- contacting a caprolactam feed with ammonia and an aluminosilicate zeolite catalyst to produce a 6-aminocapronitrile product, the caprolactam feed comprising less than 100 wt % caprolactam and from 100 ppm to 40 wt. % impurities comprising low boiling impurities having a boiling point less than 255° C., intermediate boiling point impurities having a boiling point ranging from 255° C. to 270° C., and high boiling point impurities having a boiling point greater than 270° C., the boiling points measured at atmospheric pressure,
- wherein the aluminosilicate zeolite catalyst contains no active metal or phosphorus, and
- wherein conversion is greater than 50% and selectivity for 6-aminocapronitrile is greater than 91%.
An integrated process for converting polyamide-6 (PA6) to hexamethylenediamine, the process comprising:
- depolymerizing a stream comprising PA6 and impurities to produce a depolymerized stream comprising caprolactam monomers, dimers, and oligomers;
- contacting the depolymerized stream with ammonia and an aluminosilicate zeolite catalyst containing no active metal or phosphorus comprising less than 5 wt. % of an active metal to produce a 6-aminocapronitrile product;
- reacting the 6-aminocapronitrile product to produce hexamethylenediamine;
- and
- reacting the hexamethylenediamine to form non-PA6 polyamides, polyurethanes, or hexamethylene diisocyanate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.