US 4,544,493 A · Neutralization of organic sulfuric or sulfonic detergent acid to produce high solids concentration detergent salt

Abstract

A process for neutralizing an organic sulfuric or sulfonic detergent acid, e.g., lauryl sulfuric acid or mixture of such acids, in liquid state, with a liquid solution or slurry of neutralizing agent of a low moisture content is conducted in a wiped film neutralizing reactor wherein a film of the organic acid(s) and neutralizing agent(s) is formed on an internal wall of the reactor, which wall (with the film) is continuously wiped during the neutralization reaction by a wall scraper or a plurality of scrapers which also agitate the reactants, whereby there is produced a pumpable aqueous slurry, having a high concentration of the detergent salt solids which is above a gel region which prevents the concentration of such detergents made by other processes that produce lower detergent concentrations. During the reaction, which is usually preferably conducted under vacuum, the heat generated is removed, usually by evaporation of water, so as to maintain a desirable temperature for the neutralization. Also within the invention are processes wherein the wiped film neutralizing reactor is employed in conjunction with a film reactor for sulfating or sulfonating organic material, such as lauryl alcohol, to the corresponding detergent acid and soon after production thereof neutralizing such acid in the wiped film neutralizing reactor as well as the apparatus for practicing these processes.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A process for neutralizing organic sulfuric or sulfonic acid(s) or a mixture thereof, suitable for use as a detergent in neutralized salt form, which comprises feeding a liquid solution or slurry of neutralizing agent(s) and at least one organic acid containing a single sulfuric acid or sulfonic acid moiety and a higher lipophilic alkyl group of 8 to 20 carbon atoms, to a wall of a cylindrical reaction zone, the ratio of said neutralizing agent to said acid being approximately stoichiometric and the amount of water in said neutralizing agent being sufficiently low so that the neutralized detergent will have a solids content above the gel region;

forming a film of said organic acid and said neutralizing agent on a wall of such zone;
contacting said film with means which continuously produce agitating and wall wiping actions in said reaction zone to react said neutralizing agent(s) and said organic acid(s) by continuously removing and redepositing material on said wall while limiting the film buildup in said zone as said contacting means move said film through said reaction zone, said means comprising a plurality of scraper blades attached to a rotating shaft;
continuing said contacting as the material moves through said zone in from one to thirty seconds while maintaining the temperature in said zone at 40.degree. C. to 70.degree. C., and removing the neutralized product from said reaction zone in the form of a pumpable aqueous medium containing a solids concentration of neutralized organic sulfate or sulfonate which is in the range of 50% to 85% by weight.

A combination apparatus for producing an organic sulfate or sulfonate or a mixture thereof, suitable for use as a detergent, in the form of a pumpable aqueous medium containing a solids concentration of neutralized organic sulfate or sulfonate which is above the gel region and is in the range of 50% to 80% by weight which comprises (1) a film sulf(on)ating reactor having an internal wall, means for directing an organic material containing a higher lipophilic alkyl group of 8 to 20 carbon atoms which is sulfatable and/or sulfonatable by sulfur trioxide gas, to produce a detergent acid, onto said internal wall so that it will flow along said wall in a moving film and means for conducting sulfur trioxide gas onto said film to react with the organic material to produce an organic sulfuric or sulfonic acid or a mixture thereof having a concentration of more than 90% by weight of said acid;

(2) a wiped film neutralizing reactor having an internal wall, means for directing organic sulfuric and/or organic sulfonic acid in liquid state onto said wall of the wiped film reactor in the form of a film, means for conducting a liquid solution or slurry of neutralizing agent for the organic sulfuric acid and/or organic sulfonic acid onto said wall of the wiped film reactor in the form of a film, and means for agitating the material on said wall and for scraping said internal wall to react said organic acid and said neutralizing agent while moving said mixture in film form past said agitating and scraping means in the wiped film neutralizing reactor to form a pumpable aqueous medium containing a solids concentration of neutralized organic sulfate or sulfonate which is above the gel region and in the ranges of 50% to 85% by weight;
and (3) means for directly conducting to said wiped film neutralizing reactor, within no more than five minutes, the organic sulfuric or sulfonic acid or a mixture thereof produced in the film sulf(on)ating reactor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Neutralization of organic sulfuric or sulfonic detergent acid to produce high solids concentration detergent salt

Life of this patent

Neutralization of organic sulfuric or sulfonic detergent acid to produce high solids concentration detergent salt

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18