Process for oxidating hydrocarbons
AssigneeBayer Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsReinhard Thiel, Heinz Jorg Rosenbaum, Karl Heinz Heller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Hydrocarbons containing from 4 to 20 carbon atoms are oxidized with a gas containing molecular oxygen in the presence of a catalyst and/or auxiliary agents. The resulting reaction mixture is saponified with an aqueous alkaline solution and the resulting alkaline solution containing organic impurities is subjected to liquid phase oxidation with a gas containing molecular oxygen in at least a stoichiometric quantity sufficient for completely burning the organic ingredients, the oxidation taking place in a reaction zone heated to at least 200.degree.C under a pressure sufficient to keep at least some of the water in the liquid phase. The alkali carbonate/bicarbonate solution formed is recycled to the hydrolysis stage.
Claims15
In a process for the oxidation of hydrocarbons to form alcohol-ketone mixtures which comprises:
- a. reacting a hydrocarbon having from 4 to 20 carbon atoms with a gas containing molecular oxygen in the presence of an oxidation catalyst;
- b. washing the reaction mixture from (a) in an intermediate hydrolysis stage with water and separating said catalyst, leaving a washed organic reaction mixture;
- c. saponifying the organic reaction mixture from (b) with an aqueous alkaline solution and separating the organic phase from the aqueous alkaline phase that forms;
- d. recovering said alcohol-ketone mixture from the organic phase from (c);
- e. recovering alcohols and the other secondary products in the aqueous alkaline phase from (c) by distallation or stripping;
- the improvement which comprises:
- f. subjecting the aqueous alkaline phase from (e) which contains organic impurities to a liquid phase oxidation with a gas containing molecular oxygen in at least a stoichiometric quantity sufficient to completely burn the organic impurities and to form carbon dioxide water and an alkali carbonate/bicarbonate solution, said oxidation taking place in a reaction zone heated to at least 200.degree.C and under a pressure sufficient to keep at least some of the water in the liquid phase;
- and
- g. returning said alkali carbonate/bicarbonate solution to saponification step (c).
In a process for the oxidation of hydrocarbons to form alcohol-ketone mixtures which comprises:
- a. reacting a hydrocarbon having from 4 to 20 carbon atoms with a gas containing molecular oxygen in the presence of a boron compound;
- b. washing the reaction mixture from (a) in an intermediate hydrolysis stage with water and separating said boron compound, leaving a washed organic reaction mixture;
- c. saponifying the organic reaction mixture from (b) with an aqueous alkaline solution and separating the organic phase from the aqueous alkaline phase that forms;
- d. recovering said alcohol-ketone mixture from the organic phase from (c);
- e. recovering alcohols and the other secondary products in the aqueous alkaline phase from (c) by distillation or stripping;
- the improvement which comprises:
- f. subjecting the aqueous alkaline phase from (e) which contains organic impurities to a liquid phase oxidation with a gas containing molecular oxygen in at least a stoichiometric quantity sufficient to completely burn the organic impurities and to form carbon dioxide water and an alkali carbonate/bicarbonate solution, said oxidation taking place in a reaction zone heated to at least 200.degree.C and under a pressure sufficient to keep at least some of the water in the liquid phase;
- and
- g. returning said alkali carbonate/bicarbonate solution t saponification step (c).
In a process for the oxidation of hydrocarbons to form alcohol-ketone mixtures which comprises:
- a. reacting a hydrocarbon having from 4 to 20 carbon atoms with a gas containing molecular oxygen in the presence of an oxidation catalyst and a boron compound;
- b. washing the reaction mixture from (a) in an intermediate hydrolysis stage with water and separating said catalyst and boron compound, leaving a washed organic reaction mixture;
- c. saponifying the organic reaction mixture from (b) with an aqueous alkaline solution and separating the organic phase from the aqueous alkaline phase that forms;
- d. recovering said alcohol-ketone mixture from the organic phase from (c);
- e. recovering alcohols and the other secondary products in the aqueous alkaline phase from (c) by distillation or stripping;
- the improvement which comprises:
- f. subjecting the aqueous alkaline phase from (e) which contains organic impurities to a liquid phase oxidation with a gas containing molecular oxygen in at least a stoichiometric quantity sufficient to completely burn the organic impurities and to form carbon dioxide water and an alkali carbonate/bicarbonate solution, said oxidation taking place in a reaction zone heated to at least 200.degree.C and under a pressure sufficient to keep at least some of the water in the liquid phase;
- and
- g. returning said alkali carbonate/bicarbonate solution to saponification step (c).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.