Separation method for dinitrotoluene and mixed acid in a toluene to dinitrotoluene process

Abstract

Proposed is a separation method in a toluene to dinitrotoluene process, wherein said method with a first process step comprising feeding a toluene comprising first stream (1) and a nitric acid comprising second stream (2) into a first reactor (R1), reacting of the toluene comprising first stream (1) and the nitric acid comprising second stream (2) within the first reactor (R1) to a first reaction mixture (3), said first reaction mixture (3) comprising a first liquid/liquid mixed phase of an acid phase and an organic phase comprising mononitrotoluene, feeding the first reaction mixture (3) into a first separation device (S1), separating the first reaction mixture (3) within the first separation device (S1) into a first forward stream (4) having a flow direction to a second process step and a first backward stream (5) having a flow direction back to the first reactor (R1), said method having a second process step comprising feeding the first forward stream (4) into a second reactor (R2), feeding a nitric acid comprising third stream (6) and a sulfuric acid comprising fourth stream (7) into the second reactor (R2), reacting of the first forward stream (4), the nitric acid comprising third stream (6) and the sulfuric acid comprising fourth stream (7) within the second reactor (R2) to a second reaction mixture (8), said second reaction mixture (8) comprising a second liquid/liquid mixed acid phase and an organic phase comprising mononitrotoluene and dinitrotoluene, feeding the second reaction mixture (8) into a second separation device (S2), separating the second reaction mixture (8) within the second separation device (S2) into a second forward stream (9) having a flow direction to a process output and a second backward stream (10) having a flow direction back to the first reactor (R1), wherein fine separating of at least one of the streams (4, 5, 9, 10) after the first separation step (S1) and/or the second separation step (S2) in a coalescer is carried out.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.