Process for the isolation of reaction products from sugar alcohol or anhydrosugar alcohol hydrogenolysis reaction mixtures using simulated moving bed chromatography

A method of purifying a product of sugar alcohol or anhydrosugar alcohol hydrogenolysis from a reaction mixture, the method comprising:

• a) contacting said reaction mixture with a strong acid ion exchange resin to obtain a first eluent fraction depleted of cationic species;
• b) contacting said first eluent fraction with a strong basic ion exchange resin to obtain a second eluent fraction depleted of anionic species;
• c) evaporating said second eluent fraction under vacuum and retaining a first bottoms fraction depleted of water, volatile alcohols and lower boiling diol;
• d) subjecting said first bottoms fraction to a thin film evaporation and retaining a second bottoms fraction depleted of glycerol;
• e) contacting said second bottoms fraction with a non-functionalized chromatography resin, wherein the resin is loaded into a simulated moving bed chromatography apparatus;
• f) eluting said chromatography resin with deionized water;
• and
• g) collecting a fraction enriched in sorbitan, 1,2,4-butanetriol (BTO), or 1,2,5,6-hexanetetrol (HTO), as compared to said reaction mixture.