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AssigneeHaifa Chemicals Ltd.
InventorsShalom Manor, Moshe Bar-Guri, Amiad Alexandron, Moshe Kreisel
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The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of potassium nitrate with co-production of relatively concentrated aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid. According to the invention, potassium chloride and nitric acid are reacted in the medium of an organic solvent selected from butanols and pentanols. The solution obtained after the separation of the resulting potassium nitrate, containing hydrochloric acid together with nitric acid and said organic solvent, is subsequently washed thus resulting an aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid which contains nitric acid. The nitric acid is extracted by an organic solvent selected from organic esters of phosphoric acid, ketones having five to ten carbon atoms and straight or cyclic polyethers having molecular weight in the range of 100 to 1000 and polyalkylene glycols which are slightly miscible in water and having molecular weight in the range of 1000 to 3000, or mixtures thereof, preferably in the presence of an organic diluent. The remaining brine consists of a substantially nitrate-free hydrochloric acid. The NO.sub.3.sup.- -loaded solvent is washed, the nitric acid as well as the organic solvent being respectively recycled in the process. The process saves appreciable amounts of nitric acid, co-producing hydrochloric acid which can be utilized without any further concentrating step.
A process for the manufacture of potassium nitrate by reacting potassium chloride and nitric acid which comprises the performance of said reaction in the medium of an organic solvent selected from butanols and pentanols, the ratio between said reactants being in the range of 0.9 mole of HNO.sub.3 per one mole of KCl up to 3 moles of HNO.sub.3 to one mole of KCl, separating the potassium nitrate, while the liquid phase removed consists of an aqueous solution and organic solvent extract containing hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, washing the solvent extract in obtaining a hydrochloric acid containing nitric acid, the improvement consisting in that said solution of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid is contacted with an organic solvent selected from organic esters of phosphoric acid, ketones having five to ten carbon atoms and straight or cyclic polyethers having molecular weight in the range of 100 to 1000, and polyalkylene glycols slightly miscible in water and having molecular weight in the range of 1000 to 3000, or mixtures thereof, preferably in the presence of an organic diluent, whereby said organic solvent extracts selectively the nitric acid leaving a relatively concentrated aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid substantially nitrate-free.
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