Generation of boron-trifluoride and sulphuric acid from boron trifluoride hydrate

A continuous process for obtaining commercial grade boron trifluoride and commercial grade sulfuric acid, the commercial grade BF3 containing less than 10 mg of organic carbon and less than 5 mg of CO2 per kilogram of said boron trifluoride, and the commercial grade sulfuric acid being colorless and containing less than 50 ppm of BF3, the boron trifluoride and the sulfuric acid being prepared from oleum and a technical BF3 hydrate aqueous composition containing one or more organic contaminants, the continuous process being carried out in at least two reactors operated in series, and comprising in succession the steps of:

• (a) first reacting the oleum with the technical BF3 hydrate aqueous composition in a first reactor to form a gaseous BF3 product and a sulfuric acid by-product;
• (b) recovering the gaseous BF3 product liberated in step (a) at the top of the first reactor, wherein the gaseous BF3 product contains less than 5 mg of CO2 per kilogram of said BF3 product;
• (c) treating the sulfuric acid by-product obtained from step (a) with hydrogen peroxide, and
• (d) after step (c), treating the sulfuric acid by-product with air to reduce the amount of dissolved BF3 to less than 50 parts per million parts of the sulfuric acid,
• wherein each of the treating of the sulfuric acid by-product with hydrogen peroxide and with air are carried out in at least one reactor that is different from the first reactor.