Back to results
US 5,965,771 AGranted
Regeneration of carboxylic acid-laden basic sorbents by leaching with a volatile base in an organic solvent
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsC. Judson King, Scott M. Husson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Carboxylic acids are sorbed from aqueous feedstocks onto a solid adsorbent. The acids are freed from the sorbent phase by treating it with an organic solution of alkylamine thus forming an alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex which is decomposed with improved efficiency to the desired carboxylic acid and the alkylamine. Carbon dioxide addition can be used to improve the adsorption or the carboxylic acids by the solid phase sorbent.
Claims34
A process for recovering carboxylic acid from a carboxylic acid-containing aqueous feed stream comprising:
- (a) contacting the carboxylic acid-containing feed stream with a solid phase acid sorbent under conditions whereby carboxylic acid is sorbed from the feed stream to the solid phase acid sorbent, thereby forming an acid-depleted aqueous feed stream and an acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent;
- (b) separating the acid-depleted aqueous feed stream from the acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent;
- (c) contacting the separated acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent with a desorbing solution comprising an alkylamine in an organic solvent, thereby solubilizing the carboxylic acid from the sorbing phase into the desorbing solution as an alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex, and forming a carboxylic acid-lean solid phase acid sorbent;
- (d) separating the alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex-containing desorbing solution from the carboxylic acid-lean solid phase acid sorbent;
- (e) treating the alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex-containing desorbing solution to decompose the alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex to yield the carboxylic acid and the alkylamine;
- and
- (f) separating the alkylamine and the carboxylic acid and
- (g) recovering the carboxylic acid and the alkylamine separated in step (f).
5 more elements
A process for regenerating a carboxylic acid-enriched solid phase acid sorb comprising:
- (a) contacting the acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent with a desorbing solution comprising an alkylamine in an organic solvent, thereby solubilizing the carboxylic acid from the sorbing phase into the desorbing solution as an alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex, and forming a carboxylic acid-lean solid phase acid sorbent;
- (b) separating the alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex-containing desorbing solution from the carboxylic acid-lean solid phase acid sorbent;
- (c) treating the alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex-containing desorbing solution to decompose the alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex to yield the carboxylic acid and the alkylamine;
- and
- (d) separating the alkylamine and the carboxylic acid and
- (e) recovering the carboxylic acid and the alkylamine separated in step (d).
3 more elements
A process for recovering carboxylic acid from a carboxylic acid-containing aqueous feed stream comprising:
- (a) contacting the carboxylic acid-containing feed stream with a solid phase acid sorbent in the presence of a positive pressure of added carbon dioxide under conditions whereby carboxylic acid is sorbed from the feed stream to the solid phase acid sorbent and carbon dioxide is converted into carbonate and/or bicarbonate, thereby forming an acid-depleted, carbonate and/or bicarbonate-containing aqueous feed stream and an acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent;
- (b) separating the acid-depleted, carbonate and/or bicarbonate-containing aqueous feed stream from the acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent;
- (c) contacting the separated acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent with a desorbing solution comprising an alkylamine in an organic solvent, thereby solubilizing the carboxylic acid from the sorbing phase into the desorbing solution as an alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex, and forming a carboxylic acid-lean solid phase acid sorbent;
- (d) separating the alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex-containing desorbing solution from the carboxylic acid-lean solid phase acid sorbent;
- (e) treating the alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex-containing desorbing solution to decompose the alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex to yield the carboxylic acid and the alkylamine;
- and
- (f) separating the alkylamine and the carboxylic acid and
- (g) recovering the carboxylic acid and the alkylamine separated in step (f).
5 more elements
A process for recovering carboxylic acid from a carboxylic acid-containing aqueous feed stream comprising:
- (a) contacting the carboxylic acid-containing feed stream with a solid phase acid sorbent in the presence of a positive pressure of added carbon dioxide under conditions whereby carboxylic acid is sorbed from the feed stream to the solid phase acid sorbent and carbon dioxide is converted into carbonate and/or bicarbonate, thereby forming an acid-depleted, carbonate and/or bicarbonate-containing aqueous feed stream and an acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent;
- (b) separating the acid-depleted, carbonate and/or bicarbonate-containing aqueous feed stream from the acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent;
- (c) treating the acid-depleted, carbonate and/or bicarbonate-containing aqueous feed stream to convert carbonate and/or bicarbonate to carbon dioxide for recycle to step (a);
- (d) contacting the separated acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent with a desorbing solution comprising an alkylamine in an organic solvent, thereby solubilizing the carboxylic acid from the sorbing phase into the desorbing solution as an alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex, and forming a carboxylic acid-lean solid phase acid sorbent;
- (e) separating the alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex-containing desorbing solution from the carboxylic acid-lean solid phase acid sorbent;
- (f) treating the alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex-containing desorbing solution to decompose the alkylamine/carboxylic acid complex to yield the carboxylic acid and the alkylamine;
- and
- (g) separating the alkylamine and the carboxylic acid and
- (h) recovering the carboxylic acid and the alkylamine separated in step (g).
6 more elements
A process for recovering carboxylic acid from a carboxylic acid-containing aqueous feed stream comprising:
- (a) contacting the carboxylic acid-containing feed stream with a solid phase acid sorbent in the presence of a positive pressure of added carbon dioxide under conditions whereby carboxylic acid is sorbed from the feed stream to the solid phase acid sorbent and carbon dioxide is converted into carbonate and/or bicarbonate, thereby forming an acid-depleted, carbonate and/or bicarbonate-containing aqueous feed stream and an acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent;
- (b) separating the acid-depleted, carbonate and/or bicarbonate-containing aqueous feed stream from the acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent;
- (c) subjecting the separated acid-enriched solid phase acid sorbent to desorption conditions, thereby desorbing the carboxylic acid from the sorbing phase and forming a carboxylic acid-lean solid phase acid sorbent;
- (d) separating the desorbed carboxylic acid from the carboxylic acid-lean solid phase acid sorbent, and
- (e) recovering the desorbed carboxylic acid separated in step (d).
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.