US 4,792,636 AGranted

Process of recovering aldehydes

AssigneeDavy McKee (London) Limited

InventorsJohn R. Hensman, Andrew J. Roberts, George E. Harrison

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A process is provided for the recovery of an optionally substituted C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde from a liquid hydroformylation product medium obtained by rhodium catalyzed hydroformylation of an optionally substituted C.sub.6 to C.sub.16 olefin which contains (i) a rhodium complex hydroformylation catalyst containing rhodium in complex combination with carbon monoxide and with a ligand, (ii) excess ligand, (iii) at least one optionally substituted C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde, and (iv) aldehyde condensation products, which process comprises: (a) degassing said liquid hydroformylation medium; (b) passing the degassed liquid hydroformylation medium through an evaporation zone maintained under temperature and pressure conditions conducive to evaporation of said at least one C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde; (c) recovering from the evaporation zone a liquid catalyst-containing stream; (d) cooling the catalyst-containing stream exiting the evaporation zone; (e) recovering a vaporous stream from the evaporation zone containing (i) at least one optionally substituted C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde, (ii) ligand and (iii) a minor amount of said aldehyde condensation products; (f) passing said vaporous stream to a fractionation zone; (g) recovering from said fractionation zone (i) a vaporous product stream containing said at least one C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde, and (ii) a liquid bottom stream containing said ligand and aldehyde condensation products; and (h) recycling said cooled catalyst-containing stream of step (d) and at least a part of the material of said liquid bottom stream of step (g) to said hydroformylation zone.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A process for the recovery of a C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde, optionally substituted with one or more ether or ester groups, from an organic liquid hydroformylation product medium obtained by rhodium catalysed homogeneous liquid phase hydroformylation of a C.sub.6 to C.sub.16 olefin optionally substituted with one or more ether or ester groups which liquid medium contains (i) a rhodium complex hydroformylation catalyst containing rhodium in complex combination with carbon monoxide and with a ligand, (ii) excess ligand, (iii) at least one C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde optionally substituted with one or more ether or ester group and (iv) aldehyde condensation products in addition to dissolved carbon monoxide and hydrogen, which process comprises:

(a) degassing said liquid hydroformylation medium to produce a degassed liquid hydroformylation medium that is substantially free from dissolved carbon monoxide;
(b) passing the degassed liquid hydroformylation medium through an evaporation zone maintained under temperature and pressure conditions conducive to evaporation of said at least one C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde thereby to effect evaporation of said at least one C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde substantially in the absence of carbon monoxide;
(c) recovering from the evaporation zone a liquid catalyst-containing stream;
(d) cooling the catalyst-containing stream exiting the evaporation zone;
(e) recovering a vaporous stream from the vaporation zone containing (i) at least one C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde optionally substituted with one or more ether or ester groups, (ii) ligand and (iii) a minor amount of said aldehyde condensation products;
(f) passing said vaporous stream to a fractionation zone thereby to effect fractionation of the vaporous stream substantially in the absence of carbon monoxide;
(g) recovering from said fractionation zone (i) a vaporous product stream containing said at least one C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde, and (ii) a liquid bottom stream containing said ligand and aldehyde condensation products;
and
(h) recycling said cooled catalyst-containing stream of step (d) and at least a part of the material of said ligand bottom stream of step (g) to said hydroformylation zone.

6 more elements

A process for the production of a C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde optionally substituted with one or more ether or ester groups by rhodium catalysed hydroformylation of a C.sub.6 to C.sub.16 olefin optionally substituted with one or more ester groups which comprises feeding said olefin and make-up quantitites of carbon monoxide and hydrogen to a hydroformylation zone containing a predetermined volume of a liquid hydroformylation medium containing a rhodium complex hydroformylation catalyst comprising rhodium in complex combination with carbon monoxide and with a ligand, and excess ligand;

withdrawing liquid hydroformylation medium from the hydroformylation zone;
degassing this withdrawn hydroformylation medium;
passing degassed liquid hydroformylation medium through an evaporation zone maintained under temperature and pressure conditions conducive to evaporation of said at least one C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde optionally substituted with one or more ether or ester groups;
recovering from the evaporation zone a liquid catalyst-containing stream;
cooling said catalyst-containing stream exiting the evaporation zone;
recycling cooled catalyst-containing stream to the hydroformylation zone;
recovering a vaporous stream from the evaporation zone containing said at least one C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde optionally substituted with one or more ether or ester groups, ligand and a minor amount of aldehyde condensation products;
passing said vaporous stream to a fractionation zone;
recovering from said fractionation zone a vaporous product stream containing said at least one C.sub.7 to C.sub.17 aldehyde optionally substituted with one or more ether or ester groups and a liquid bottom stream containing ligand and aldehyde condensation products;
and recycling sufficient of the material of said liquid bottom stream to said hydroformylation zone to maintain said predetermined volume of hydroformylation medium therein.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.