Processes for the production of lactic acid with concurrent recovery and reuse of by-products thereof

A process for the preparation of lactic acid, the process comprising the steps of:

• a. providing an aqueous medium comprising a lactate salt with divalent cations;
• b. adding an acid to the aqueous medium of step (a) to obtain lactic acid and a salt residue comprising the divalent cations;
• c. reacting the salt residue comprising the divalent cations of step (b) with a first base comprising monovalent cations to obtain a second base comprising the divalent cations and a salt residue comprising the monovalent cations;
• and
• d. collecting the salt residue comprising the monovalent cations of step (c),
• wherein the second base comprising the divalent cations of step (c) is recovered and reused in the process of producing an aqueous medium of step (a).

A process for the preparation of lactic acid, the process comprising the steps of:

• a. providing an aqueous medium comprising a lactate salt with monovalent cations;
• b. reacting the lactate salt with monovalent cations of step (a) with a first salt comprising divalent cations to obtain a lactate salt with divalent cations and a second salt residue comprising the monovalent cations;
• c. adding an acid to the lactate salt with divalent cations of step (b) to obtain lactic acid and a salt residue comprising the divalent cations;
• and
• d. collecting the second salt residue comprising the monovalent cations of step (b),
• wherein the salt residue comprising the divalent cations of step (c) is recovered and reused as the first salt in step (b).

A process for the preparation of lactic acid, the process comprising the steps of:

• a. providing an aqueous medium comprising a lactate salt with divalent cations;
• b. reacting the lactate salt with divalent cations of step (a) with a first base comprising monovalent cations to obtain a second base comprising the divalent cations and a lactate salt comprising the monovalent cations;
• c. adding an acid to the lactate salt comprising the monovalent cations of step (b) to obtain lactic acid and a salt residue comprising the monovalent cations;
• and
• d. performing electrodialysis on the salt residue comprising the monovalent cations of step (c) to obtain a base comprising the monovalent cations and an acid,
• wherein the second base comprising the divalent cations of step (b) is recovered and reused in the process of producing an aqueous medium of step (a), the base comprising the monovalent cations of step (d) is recovered and reused as the first base in step (b), and/or the acid in step (d) is recovered and reused in step (c).

A process for the preparation of lactic acid, the process comprising the steps of:

• a. providing an aqueous medium comprising a lactate salt with monovalent cations;
• b. adding an acid to the lactate salt with monovalent cations of step (a) to obtain lactic acid and a salt residue comprising the monovalent cations;
• and
• c. performing electrodialysis on the salt residue comprising the monovalent cations of step (b) to obtain a base comprising the monovalent cations and an acid,
• wherein the base comprising the monovalent cations of step (c) is recovered and reused in the process of producing an aqueous medium of step (a), and/or the acid in step (c) is recovered and reused in step (b).