METHOD FOR THE EXTRACTION AND TRANSFORMATION OF PHTHALATES FROM PVC PLASTICS BY MEANS OF ALCOHOLYSIS AND HYDROLYSIS

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for obtaining phthalic acid and a reusable target PVC plastic from a PVC feedstock containing at least one phthalate, said method comprising: - a first series of steps for obtaining the target PVC plastic and, in particular by implementing an alcoholysis reaction, at least one readily separable dialkylphthalate intermediate product; and - a second series of steps comprising steps g) and h) which implement, in particular, a hydrolysis reaction of the dialkylphthalate generated during the first series of steps, and which make it possible to ultimately recover phthalic acid in the form of a stream of solid phthalic acid.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Title: PROCESS FOR THE EXTRACTION AND TRANSFORMATION BY ALCOOLYSIS AND HYDROLYSIS OF PHTHALATES CONTAINED IN PVC PLASTICS

[0003] Technical field

[0004] The invention relates to the field of recycling of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics, in particular a process for extracting and transforming phthalates, plasticizers used in the composition of PVC, by combined chemical reactions of alcoholysis and hydrolysis. More specifically, the invention relates to a process for recovering phthalic acid (PA) and a reusable target PVC plastic from a PVC feedstock containing at least one phthalate.

[0005] Prior art

[0006] By definition, a plastic is a mixture consisting of a basic polymeric material and numerous additives, the whole being capable of being molded or shaped (generally hot and / or under pressure), in order to produce a semi-finished product or an object. A commonly accepted practice is to name said plastic by the name of the polymer that constitutes it. Thus, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) plastic actually corresponds to the association of the PVC polymer, referred to in the remainder of the description as "PVC resin", with various additives chosen according to the functionalities required for said plastic. Said additives can be organic molecules or macromolecules or inorganic (nano)particles and are used according to the properties they confer on the PVC resin: resistance to heat, light or mechanical stress (stabilizers), flexibility (plasticizers), ease of processing (lubricants), coloring (dyes / pigments), etc.

[0007] There are several methods for recycling PVC plastics: so-called conventional methods involving simple mechanical recycling of plastics, methods involving modifications to their composition, or even chemical transformations of the compounds that constitute them.

[0008] Since the middle of the 20th century èmecentury, the recycling of PVC plastic involving chemical action has been the subject of numerous studies aimed, in a first step, at solubilizing the PVC resin with a variable proportion of additives and then, in a second step, at recovering said resin using various chemical processes (precipitation, evaporation, etc.) in the presence of all or part of the soluble additives. For example, patents EP0945481, EP1268628 and EP2276801 aim to recycle respectively various PVC-based objects (flexible or rigid pipes, window frames, cables, etc.) and specifically PVC-based objects reinforced with fibers (tarpaulins, floor coverings, etc.) using a process implementing a first step of dissolving the PVC resin and soluble additives in an organic solvent, followed by a second step of precipitation with water vapor allowing the recovery of the resin and the majority of the additives.

[0009] Maintaining these additives in the PVC thus recovered for recycling is not always desirable, however. For example, the evolution over time of the regulations that concern them has an impact. Thus, certain plasticizers belonging to the phthalate family, notably widely used to formulate so-called "soft" PVC around forty years ago, have gradually been subject to authorization in Europe on the basis of the REACH regulation which, since the end of 2006, aims to secure the manufacture and use of chemical substances in European industry and, finally, gradually excluded from usable additives.This is particularly the case for the following non-exhaustive list of phthalates: dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dioctyl or diethylhexyl phthalate (DOP or DEHP), benzyl and butyl phthalate (BBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), dipentyl phthalate (DPP), diisopentyl phthalate, n-pentyl and isopentyl phthalate, dihexyl phthalate, etc.

[0010] These new regulations now lead to the prohibition of the presence of such compounds in recycled raw materials (RPM). Taking into account the often very long lifespan of PVC-based objects (several decades), PVC-based objects formulated before the end of 2006 and now at the end of their life cannot be recycled via regeneration methods leading to the retention of these prohibited additives, whether said methods are conventional, such as mechanical recycling processes, or not, such as the examples of dissolution / precipitation processes cited above.

[0011] Furthermore, the phthalate plasticizers used today in Europe (so-called REACH-compatible phthalates) and in the rest of the world represent high value-added additives that are not recovered in their current state while they are kept in the recycled PVC raw material. Indeed, they are expensive products, present in significant proportions in the initial PVC formulations (several tens of percent) and do not allow the PVC MPR to be directly given the ad hoc flexibility properties. The addition of "fresh" plasticizers in significant quantities is therefore essential for the reuse of the recycled PVC material.

[0012] The extraction of phthalate-type additives from PVC-based objects for disposal or recovery therefore represents a major challenge for optimized recyclability of PVC.

[0013] Several processes involving a step of dissolving the PVC resin have been adapted to enable this extraction. For example, patents EP1311599 and JP2007191586 both propose a first step of dissolving the PVC resin and at least the phthalate-type additives using a first organic solvent, followed by a second step of liquid-liquid extraction of the phthalates from the solution obtained previously, via the use of a second organic solvent different from the first. Patent J P2007092035 discloses another example of possible implementation with dissolution of the PVC resin and at least the phthalate-type additives via the use of a solvent under supercritical conditions and the recovery of said phthalates in this same solvent after "breaking" of said supercritical conditions.

[0014] The elimination or recovery of phthalate-type additives from PVC plastic can also be implemented without going through a preliminary step of dissolving said plastic, in particular via direct extraction of said phthalates from the solid polymer matrix by a suitable organic solvent, as perfectly listed in the publication by Ügdüler et al., 2020, “Challenge and opportunities of solvent-based additive extraction methods for plastic recycling”, Waste Management, 104, 148-182. The challenge then lies in optimizing the extraction conditions (nature of the solvent, contact time, temperature, pressure, etc.) to achieve the best possible yields of extracted phthalates.Although this methodology for removing phthalates from PVC plastics is frequently used, particularly to analytically detect and quantify these specific additives in said plastics, to our knowledge, no process for regenerating PVC-based objects uses this technique. Although critical to ensure efficient recycling of PVC plastics and obtain reusable recycled PVC, the extraction of phthalate-type plasticizers is not sufficient to ensure the economic viability of a process for regenerating PVC-based objects. The main reason frequently put forward is the difficulty in finding an economically viable balance between the cost of the unit operations implemented in said regeneration process and the resale cost (equivalent to the added value) of the products obtained.These are made up of recycled PVC-based material free of phthalates, which is naturally recoverable, and said extracted phthalates, which are not very recoverable. Indeed, any regeneration process involving a step of extracting phthalates from PVC-based objects will lead to the recovery of a mixture of phthalates, the latter possibly including non-REACH compatible phthalates. The recovery of said non-REACH compatible phthalates is of course excluded and they will have to be treated as specific waste generating additional costs. The recovery of REACH compatible phthalates, interesting in itself, is in fact delicate because it involves technically complex and costly separation / purification steps.

[0015] In the past, some work has focused on bringing PVC plastics containing phthalates into contact with highly concentrated basic aqueous solutions (essentially NaOH) to transform said phthalates and extract the resulting product(s): a salt of phthalic acid and possible degradation products depending on the associated operating conditions. This chemical reaction was carried out in conjunction with or upstream of a PVC dechlorination step, thus making it possible to obtain a non-chlorinated residue that is largely free of phthalates to enable its energy recovery. Carrying out such a step upstream of dechlorination, and assisted by high frequencies or microwaves, has the advantage of recovering a recoverable phthalic acid salt, as has been studied in the following documents: patent J P3929352; F. Osada et al., 2010, “Deplasticization and dechlorination of flexible polyvinyl chloride in NaOH solution by microwave heating”, J. Mater. Cycles Waste Manag., 2010, 12, 245; SM Shin et al., “Elution Behavior of Additive Agent from Flexible PVC”, 2001, Chawon Rissaikuring, 10, 6, 3. This implementation nevertheless has the following major drawbacks: it requires the use of highly concentrated bases, it leads to the production not of phthalic acid but of its associated salt and the extraction of phthalates is not optimized and does not comply with the REACH regulation applicable since 2006 for the recovery of a compound that can be used as a recycled raw material.

[0016] Summary of the invention

[0017] The present invention aims to overcome, at least in part, the problems of the prior art, and aims in particular to provide a process for regenerating PVC-based objects allowing the treatment of any type of PVC filler containing phthalates and their transformation into two products of interest capable of being recovered as raw materials: phthalic acid and a recyclable PVC plastic free of phthalates, in particular undesirable phthalates, typically those subject to authorization by the European REACH regulation. Phthalic acid is notably used to manufacture phthalates, which are derivatives of phthalic acid. Phthalic acid can be used as a raw material for the manufacture of other chemical products, in fields other than that of plastics formulation, for example to manufacture dyes, perfumes, sweeteners such as saccharin, etc.Thus, to achieve at least one of the above-mentioned objectives, among others, the present invention proposes, according to a first aspect, a method for recovering phthalic acid (PA) and a reusable target PVC plastic from a PVC load containing at least one phthalate in two stages:

[0018] - a first series of steps: steps a) to d), and optional steps e), fl), f2), making it possible to obtain the target PVC plastic and, in particular by implementing an alcoholysis reaction, at least one intermediate product of the dialkylphthalate type, which is easily separable,

[0019] - a second series of steps: steps g) and h) notably implementing a hydrolysis reaction of the dialkylphthalate generated during the first series, and ultimately making it possible to obtain at least one stream of solid phthalic acid in order to recover the phthalic acid.

[0020] The process according to the invention thus makes it possible to produce a phthalic acid powder of good purity from a PVC load, typically PVC waste, without stoichiometric consumption of base or acid.

[0021] More specifically, the first series of steps comprises the following steps a) to d), which are also described in the French patent application filed under number 21 / 05.299: a) a solid-liquid extraction of a PVC filler in the form of particles by bringing the particles of said filler into contact with a solvent comprising at least one alcohol of formula Cnf iOH, n positive integer less than 4 or greater than 8, to produce a liquid phase enriched in said phthalate and a solid phase comprising PVC plastic depleted in said phthalate; b) the chemical transformation of said phthalate from the liquid phase into dialkylphthalate of formula C6H4(COOCnH2n +i)2 by transesterification using said alcohol (alcoholysis) to enrich said liquid phase in said dialkylphthalate; c) a solid-liquid separation between said solid phase and said liquid phase to produce at least one solid stream comprising the PVC plastic depleted in said phthalate in order to recover the target PVC plastic; d) a separation (gas-liquid or liquid-liquid) of the liquid phase, to produce at least a first liquid effluent comprising the dialkylphthalate and a second liquid effluent comprising the solvent.

[0022] The first series of steps may also comprise the following steps e), fi), f2), also described in the French patent application filed under number 21 / 05.299: e) an optional purification of the first liquid effluent obtained in step d) comprising said dialkylphthalate, phthalate partially converted and / or not converted in step b) and optionally soluble impurities, to produce a liquid product consisting essentially of said dialkylphthalate, and a liquid residue comprising said phthalate partially converted and / or not converted in step b) and optionally said soluble impurities;f) an additional optional step fi) and / or additional optional step f2) of chemical transformation by transesterification of said phthalate not converted and / or partially in step b), into dialkylphthalate of formula CgH^COOCnFbn+ih using said alcohol, said step fi) being carried out between steps c) and d) by sending said liquid phase obtained at the end of all steps a), b) and c) into a first additional transesterification reactor to produce a second liquid stream enriched in said dialkylphthalate of formula CgH^COOCnFbn+ih, the second liquid stream being sent to step d), and said step f2) being carried out successively in step e) by sending said liquid residue into a second additional transesterification reactor to produce a third liquid stream enriched in said dialkylphthalate of formula C6H4(COOCnH2n; + i)2, the third liquid stream being returned to step d);

[0023] The second series of steps of the process according to the invention comprises the following steps g) and h): g) a chemical transformation of the dialkylphthalate obtained during step d) or during the optional step e) into phthalic acid of formula CgH^COOH^ by hydrolysis in the presence of water, to produce at least one effluent comprising an aqueous phase enriched in said phthalic acid; h) a step of separating said effluent obtained in step g) to produce at least one solid stream of phthalic acid (phthalic acid in the solid state, e.g. in powder form, in particular forming flakes or needles).

[0024] An advantage of the present invention lies in the ability of the process, through a chemical transesterification reaction (alcoholysis), to transform a mixture of phthalates initially trapped in polymer matrices of various PVC plastic-based objects, regardless of the composition of said mixture (i.e., regardless of the nature and origin of the different phthalates) and despite the possible presence of many other additives, into a single product which is a DAP, which can then itself be isolated, then chemically transformed by hydrolysis reaction into phthalic acid. Said phthalic acid is a precursor product of multiple REACH-compatible phthalates, still very widely used in many fields such as plastics processing.

[0025] Obtaining phthalic acid via a single dialkylphthalate formed during steps a) to d), and optionally e) and fi) and / or f2), also ensures a higher degree of purity compared to other conventional phthalic acid production processes. Indeed, obtaining the single dialkylphthalate product from the mixture of phthalates facilitates its separation. This separation makes it possible to isolate this dialkylphthalate and then carry out the hydrolysis reaction on a reagent already free of many undesirable compounds present in the PVC or in the extraction step (additives, alcohols resulting from alcoholysis, PVC, degradation products). This guarantees the generation of phthalic acid by hydrolysis with a high degree of purity while limiting the number of unit steps associated with the separation / purification operations and therefore limiting costs.Furthermore, the hydrolysis reaction to generate phthalic acid, as opposed to saponification, eliminates the need for basic consumption (such as NaOH) in stoichiometric quantities and acid. The process according to the invention thus fits perfectly into a circular economy strategy.

[0026] According to a first variant, steps a) and b) are implemented within the same unit operation, producing a flow comprising the aqueous phase comprising phthalic acid and the solid phase comprising PVC plastic depleted in said phthalate.

[0027] According to a second alternative variant to the first variant, steps a) and b) are the subject of two separate unit operations, step a) producing a flow comprising said liquid phase and said solid phase sent to step c) of solid-liquid separation carried out between steps a) and b), step c) producing said flow comprising the PVC plastic depleted in said phthalate and a first liquid flow comprising said liquid phase sent to step b).According to one or more embodiments, the hydrolysis in step g) is carried out in the presence of an acid hydrolysis catalyst, preferably a homogeneous acid catalyst chosen from the list consisting of mineral Brônsted acid catalysts, preferably hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, organic Brônsted acid catalysts, preferably p-toluenesulfonic acid, and Lewis acid catalysts, preferably AIF3, or a heterogeneous acid catalyst chosen from the list consisting of aluminas, chlorinated aluminas, fluorinated aluminas, mesoporous aluminosilicates, zeolites and their mixtures with other oxides, ion exchange resins (H+), preferably sulfonic resins.

[0028] According to one or more embodiments, the hydrolysis in step g) is carried out at a temperature between room temperature and 150°C, preferably between 40°C and 130°C, at a pressure between atmospheric pressure and 5.0 MPa, preferably between atmospheric pressure and 2.0 MPa, and for a duration between 1 minute and 10 hours, preferably between 10 minutes and 4 hours.

[0029] According to one or more embodiments, the hydrolysis in step g) is carried out so that the molar ratio between the quantity of water and the quantity of said at least one phthalate to be transformed extracted in step a) is between 100 and 9000.

[0030] According to one or more embodiments, step h) comprises phase change of the phthalic acid from the dissolved state in said aqueous phase to a solid state and solid-liquid separation to produce said solid stream of phthalic acid and at least one aqueous liquid stream.

[0031] According to one or more embodiments, the first liquid effluent in step d) or the liquid product in optional step e) consists essentially of said dialkylphthalate.

[0032] According to one or more embodiments, the solid stream comprising the phthalate-depleted PVC plastic is recycled at least in part in step a).

[0033] According to one or more embodiments, the second liquid effluent comprising at least said solvent from step d) is recycled, at least in part, to step a) and / or step b).

[0034] According to one or more embodiments, the alcohol is chosen from the list consisting of methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, 17-propanol, and preferably methanol, or from the list consisting of nonanol, linear or branched, decanol, linear or branched, undecanol, linear or branched, dodecanol, linear or branched, and preferably nonanol or decanol.

[0035] According to one or more embodiments, the solvent further comprises an organic co-solvent, preferably said organic co-solvent being chosen from an ester derived from said alcohol and being of formula R'COOC n H 2n+l, R' being an alkyl group, preferably comprising between 1 and 3 carbon atoms, and an ether, preferably said organic co-solvent is chosen from the group consisting of methyl acetate, methyl propanoate, and cyclopentylmethyl ether, and said organic co-solvent being added to said alcohol so that the mass ratio between said organic co-solvent and said alcohol is between 0.01 and 4.

[0036] According to one or more embodiments, the organic co-solvent is selected from the group consisting of methyl acetate, methyl propanoate, and cyclopentylmethyl ether.

[0037] According to one or more embodiments, said alcohol is methanol, said dialkylphthalate is dimethylphthalate, and said solvent preferably comprises methyl propanoate such that the mass ratio between said methyl propanoate and said alcohol is between 0.01 and 4.

[0038] According to one or more embodiments, in which the chemical transformation carried out by transesterification in step b), and optionally in step fi) and / or f2), is carried out:

[0039] - at a temperature between room temperature and 200°C, preferably between 40°C and 180°C, at a pressure between atmospheric pressure and 11.0 MPa, preferably between atmospheric pressure and 5.0 MPa,

[0040] - for a period of between 1 minute and 10 hours, preferably between 10 minutes and 4 hours, - with a molar ratio between the quantity of said alcohol in the solvent and the quantity of said phthalate to be extracted or transformed is between 2 and 250, preferably between 4 and 90, and

[0041] - in the presence of a transesterification catalyst, preferably chosen from the list consisting of basic homogeneous catalysts, or mineral or organic Brônsted acids, or Lewis acids, and heterogeneous catalysts formed by alkaline earth metal oxides, or carbonates or hydrogen carbonates of alkali and / or alkaline earth metals, or alkali metals supported on aluminas or zeolites, or zinc oxides and their mixtures with other oxides, or ion exchange resins.

[0042] According to one or more embodiments, said at least one phthalate of said PVC filler is a phthalate of empirical formula C6H4(COORI)(COOR2) whose ester groups are in the ortho position of the benzene ring, Ri or R2 being independently chosen from one of the elements of the group consisting of a linear or branched or cyclic alkyl chain, a linear or branched alkoxyalkyl chain, or an aryl or alkylaryl chain, Ri and / or R2 preferably comprising between 1 and 20 carbon atoms, or even between 1 and 15 carbon atoms.

[0043] According to one or more embodiments, said target PVC plastic is substantially free of said phthalate, and preferably comprises less than 0.1% by weight in total of phthalates selected from the list consisting of dibutyl phthalate, dioctyl or diethylhexyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, dipentyl phthalate, diisopentyl phthalate, n-pentyl isopentyl phthalate, dihexyl phthalate, bis(2-methoxyethyl) phthalate, and mixtures thereof.

[0044] According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a method for recycling a PVC-based object containing at least one phthalate comprising:

[0045] - packaging said PVC-based object comprising at least one grinding or shredding of said PVC-based object to form a PVC charge in the form of particles;

[0046] - the recovery of phthalic acid and a reusable target PVC plastic from said PVC filler in particulate form according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0047] The present invention also relates, according to a third aspect, to a method of manufacturing a flexible PVC-based object comprising a recycled PVC plastic and / or a phthalate manufactured from phthalic acid recovered by the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0048] Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description of particular examples of embodiments of the invention, given as non-limiting examples, the description being made with reference to the appended figures described below.

[0049] List of figures

[0050] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating part of the method (first series of steps) according to an embodiment of the invention comprising steps a), b), c) and d).

[0051] Figure 2 is a diagram of part of the process (first series of steps) according to another embodiment comprising steps a), b), c) and d), with in step d) a separation between the DAP, the solvent, the alcohol-type by-products obtained in step b) and the phthalates partially converted and / or not converted in step b) possibly in a mixture with soluble impurities.

[0052] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating part of the process (first series of steps) according to the embodiments illustrated in Figure 1 or Figure 2, comprising steps a), b), c), d), and illustrating the implementation of other optional steps of transesterification (fi) and recycling of various streams. Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating part of the process (first series of steps) according to another embodiment of the invention comprising steps a), b), c), d) as well as a purification step e) of a first effluent obtained in step d) comprising DAP.

[0053] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating part of the process (first series of steps) according to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, and illustrating the implementation of other optional steps of transesterification (fi; fî) and recycling of various streams.

[0054] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating part of the process (first series of steps) according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, comprising an implementation within the same unit operation of steps a) and b) (first variant of the process according to the invention), a purification step e) of a first effluent obtained in step d) comprising DAP and an additional transesterification step f1) of the residue from step e).

[0055] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating part of the method (first series of steps) according to another embodiment of the invention comprising steps a), b), c), d), in which steps a) and b) are the subject of two separate unit operations (second variant of the method according to the invention), and in which step c) is carried out between steps a) and b).

[0056] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating part of the process (first series of steps) as illustrated in Figure 7, according to a preferred embodiment comprising a purification step e) of a first effluent obtained in step d) comprising DAP and an additional transesterification step f2) of the residue from step e).

[0057] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating generically a part of the process (second series of steps) comprising steps g) and h), and optionally the use of a water-immiscible extraction solvent in the separation step h).

[0058] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating part of the method (second series of steps) according to another embodiment in which the separation step h) comprises two sub-steps h1) and h2).

[0059] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating part of the method (second series of steps) according to another embodiment in which the separation step h) comprises two sub-steps h3) and h4).

[0060] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating part of the method (second series of steps) according to another embodiment in which the separation step h) comprises three sub-steps h5), h6) and h2).

[0061] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating part of the method (second series of steps) according to another embodiment in which the separation step h) comprises three sub-steps h7), h8) and h4).

[0062] In the figures, the same references designate identical or similar elements.

[0063] Description of the embodiments

[0064] Terminology

[0065] Some definitions are given below, although more details on the objects defined below may be given later in the description.

[0066] A PVC-based object is understood to mean an object, generally a consumer object, which comprises, and preferably is made of, at least one PVC plastic.

[0067] Poly(vinyl chloride) plastic, also called PVC plastic or simply PVC, is understood to mean the combination of a PVC polymer, also called PVC resin, with various additives chosen according to the functionalities required for the PVC plastic, themselves chosen according to the intended applications. Said PVC polymer is derived from the radical polymerization of vinyl chloride (VCM), a monomer itself obtained from chlorine and ethylene. Depending on the implementation of said polymerization, four families of PVC resins can be used: 1) PVC suspension resins or PVC-S (suspension polymerization of VCM), 2) PVC emulsion resins or PVC "pastes" (emulsion polymerization), 3) PVC mass resins or PVC-M (mass polymerization) and 4) superchlorinated PVC resins or PVC-C, obtained by superchlorination in post-treatment of the previous resins.

[0068] Said additives used in the composition of a PVC plastic can be organic molecules or macromolecules or inorganic (nano)particles and are used according to the properties they confer on the PVC resin: resistance to heat, light or mechanical stress (stabilizers), flexibility (plasticizers), ease of processing (lubricants), coloring (dyes / pigments), etc.

[0069] Phthalates are the group of chemicals formed by the carboxylic diesters of phthalic acid. They consist of a benzene ring and two carboxylic ester groups positioned ortho to the benzene ring. They can be described using the following formula:

[0070] Cheml or by the empirical formula CSH (COORI)(COOR2), where Ri and R2 are independently selected from one of the elements of the group consisting of a linear, branched or cyclic alkyl chain, a linear or branched alkoxyalkyl chain, or an aryl or alkylaryl chain, said alkyl, alkoxyalkyl, aryl or alkylaryl chain typically being able to contain between 1 and 20 carbon atoms, or even to contain between 1 and 15 carbon atoms. For example, Ri and / or R2 can be independently selected from the ethyl, n-butyl, iso-butyl, n-pentyl, iso-pentyl, n-hexyl, n-octyl, n-nonyl, iso-nonyl, n-decyl, iso-decyl, methoxyethyl, benzyl groups.

[0071] Phthalates are commonly used as plasticizers in plastics, particularly in PVC-type plastics, especially to make them flexible.

[0072] In this description, the term "dialkylphthalate" (DAP) designates the product of empirical formula C6H4(COOCnH2n + i)2 resulting from the transesterification reaction of at least one phthalate-type plasticizer (and in particular of the empirical formula CSH (COORI)(COOR2), as described above) present in PVC-based objects with an alcohol of the empirical formula C n H2n+iOH, n < 4 or n > 8. Dimethylphthalate is a preferred example of DAP.

[0073] In the present description, the definition of said alcohol of crude formula C n H2n+iOH, n < 4 or n > 8, can also include its conjugate base of molecular formula C n H2n+iO _ , with n < 4 or n > 8, the cationic counterion, including of metallic nature, ensuring the electronegativity of said conjugate base being well known to those skilled in the art. Said conjugate base is also called the “alcoholate” or “alkoxide” form of said alcohol.

[0074] The term "alcohol by-product(s) from the alcoholysis reaction" (ALA) means the by-product(s) of formula RiOH or R2OH resulting from the transesterification reaction between at least one phthalate plasticizer present in PVC-based objects with the alcohol of empirical formula CnHîn+iOH, n < 4 or n > 8. Ri or R2 are defined identically to Ri and R2 of the phthalates. As previously, the definition of said alcohol by-product of formula RiOH or R2OH may also include its conjugate base of empirical formula RiO" or R2O".

[0075] The term "alkyl phthalate intermediate from the alcoholysis reaction" (APIA) OR "phthalate partially converted after alcoholysis" means the by-product with the empirical formula CsH4(COORi)(COOC n H2n+i) or C6H4(COOR2)(COOC n H2n +i) resulting from the incomplete transesterification reaction of at least one phthalate-type plasticizer (and in particular of the empirical formula CSH4(COORI)(COOR2), as described above) present in PVC-based objects with an alcohol of the empirical formula Cnf iOH, n < 4 or n > 8. Ri or R2 are defined identically to Ri and R2 of phthalates.

[0076] In the present description, the term "phthalic acid" (PA), also known as benzene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid or o-phthalic acid, designates the product of empirical formula CsH4(COOH)2 resulting from the hydrolysis reaction between DAP as described above and water (H2O).

[0077] The term "alcohol by-product(s) from the hydrolysis reaction" (ALH) means the by-product of formula C n H2n+iOH, with n < 4 or n > 8, resulting from the hydrolysis reaction between DAP as described above and H2O.

[0078] The term "intermediate alkyl phthalate from the hydrolysis reaction" (APIH) OR "partially converted dialkyl phthalate after alcoholysis" means the by-product with the empirical formula CsH4(COOH)(COOC n H2n+i), with n < 4 or n > 8, resulting from the incomplete hydrolysis reaction between DAP as described above and H2O.

[0079] The term “reusable target PVC plastic” means “phthalate-free PVC”, i.e. the solid comprising at least the PVC resin added with at least one of the additives initially present in the PVC plastic of the PVC load treated according to the invention, and from which the phthalates have been extracted and transformed into the form of at least the AP according to the invention.The term "phthalate-free" means in particular that the solid PVC obtained as a product of the process according to the invention contains, in total, less than 0.1% by mass of phthalates subject to authorization by the REACH regulation in Europe (Annex XIV of Regulation (EC) No. 1907 / 2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006), in particular less than 0.1% by mass of phthalates chosen from the list consisting of the following phthalates: dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dioctyl or diethylhexyl phthalate (DOP or DEHP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), dipentyl phthalate (DPP), diisopentyl phthalate, n-pentyl isopentyl phthalate, dihexyl phthalate, bis(2-methoxyethyl), alone or in mixture.

[0080] In the present description, the alcohol of empirical formula C nH2n+iOH, with n < 4 or n > 8, possibly with the addition of at least one organic co-solvent, is also called “solvent”.

[0081] In the present description, the solvent optionally used during separation step h) producing a solid stream of phthalic acid is specifically called “separation solvent” in order to avoid any confusion with the alcohol of empirical formula C n H2n+iOH, with n < 4 or n > 8, possibly with the addition of at least one organic co-solvent.

[0082] In the present description, the expression "greater than..." is understood as strictly greater, and symbolized by the sign ">", and the expression "less than" as strictly less, and symbolized by the sign "<". In the present description, the index "n" of the chemical formulas cited is a positive integer (i.e. strictly greater than zero). According to the invention, n is less than 4 or greater than 8, and preferably less than or equal to 20, or even less than or equal to 15.

[0083] In this description, ambient temperature (Tamb) is understood to mean a temperature typically of 20°C ± 5°C, and atmospheric pressure is understood to mean a pressure of 0.101325 MPa.

[0084] In this description, the term "include" is synonymous with (means the same as) "comprise", "include" and "contain", and is inclusive or open and does not exclude other elements not mentioned. It is understood that the term "include" includes the exclusive and closed term "consist".

[0085] In this description, the expression "between ... and ..." means that the limiting values ​​of the interval are included in the range of values ​​described, unless otherwise specified.

[0086] In the present description, it is understood that a flow “consists essentially” of a compound, a flow comprising at least 95% by mass of said compound, preferably at least 98% by mass, and more preferably at least 99% by mass of said compound.

[0087] In the present description, the different parameter ranges for a given step such as pressure ranges and temperature ranges may be used alone or in combination. For example, in the present description, a range of preferred pressure values ​​may be combined with a range of more preferred temperature values.

[0088] In the following, particular embodiments of the invention may be described. They may be implemented separately or combined with each other, without limitation of combinations when technically feasible.

[0089] The description of the method according to the invention below refers to the diagrams in Figures 1 to 13, illustrating different implementations of the method according to the invention.

[0090] According to the invention, the process for recovering phthalic acid and a reusable target PVC plastic from a PVC charge containing at least one phthalate, comprises, and may consist of, the following steps: a) a solid-liquid extraction of a PVC charge in the form of particles 1 by bringing the particles of said charge into contact with a solvent 9 comprising at least one alcohol of formula C nH2n+iOH, n positive integer less than 4 or greater than 8, to produce a liquid phase enriched in said phthalate and a solid phase comprising PVC plastic depleted in said phthalate; b) chemical transformation of said phthalate of the liquid phase into dialkylphthalate of formula C6H4(COOCnH2n+i)2 by transesterification using said alcohol (alcoholysis) to enrich said liquid phase in said dialkylphthalate; c) solid-liquid separation between said solid phase and said liquid phase to produce at least one solid stream comprising the PVC plastic depleted in said phthalate 6 in order to recover the target PVC plastic; d) separation (gas-liquid or liquid-liquid) of the liquid phase, to produce at least a first liquid effluent comprising the dialkylphthalate and a second liquid effluent comprising the solvent;g) the chemical transformation of the dialkylphthalate obtained during step d) into phthalic acid of formula C6H4(COOH)2 by hydrolysis in the presence of water, to produce at least one effluent comprising an aqueous phase enriched in said phthalic acid; h) a step of separating said effluent obtained in step g) to produce at least one solid stream of phthalic acid in order to recover the phthalic acid.;

[0091] Steps a) to d), and optionally steps e) and fi) and / or f2), make it possible to obtain, in particular by implementing an alcoholysis reaction, at least one intermediate product of the dialkyl phthalate DAP type (stream 5 or 16 in the figures) and at least one solid stream comprising the PVC plastic depleted in said phthalate 6 in order to recover the target PVC plastic.

[0092] Said steps a), b), c), d), e), fi) and f2) are also described in the French patent application filed under number 21 / 05.299.

[0093] Steps g) and h) make it possible to obtain, in particular by implementing a hydrolysis reaction, at least one solid stream comprising phthalic acid 20 in order to recover the phthalic acid.

[0094] Charge

[0095] The method according to the invention is supplied by a feed called “PVC feed” 1 comprising at least one PVC plastic, which necessarily comprises at least one phthalate as described in the present invention.

[0096] Said PVC plastic may contain at least 0.1% by mass of phthalates, or even at least 1% by mass of phthalates or even at least 5% by mass of phthalates. In general, PVC plastics advantageously comprise less than 60% by mass of phthalates, typically less than 40% by mass of phthalates.

[0097] Said PVC load is advantageously a PVC load to be recycled of the “production scraps” type, i.e. waste from the production processes of the PVC polymer during its polymerization or of the PVC plastic during its formulation / shaping or of the PVC-based object during its production, or of the “post-consumer waste” type, i.e. waste generated after consumption by the user of said PVC-based object.

[0098] In particular, the PVC load to be recycled can come from any existing collection and sorting channel or network for production scraps and / or post-consumer waste making it possible to isolate a flow based on at least one PVC plastic comprising at least one phthalate, in particular collection and sorting channels or networks specific to plastic waste.

[0099] Thus, the PVC load, which is typically of the “production scrap” type and / or of the “post-consumer waste” type, generally comes from the major application areas using PVC plastic such as, but not limited to, the fields of building and construction, packaging, automotive, electrical and electronic equipment, sports, medical equipment, etc. Preferably, the PVC load comes from the field of building and construction. More specifically, PVC-based objects are generally used in these fields as profiles (windows, doors, blinds, roller shutter boxes), pipes and fittings, various rigid materials and bottles, rigid plates and films, flexible films and sheets, flexible tubes and profiles, cables, floor coverings, coated fabrics, etc.Preferably, the PVC-based objects forming the PVC filler comprise at least so-called flexible PVC, i.e. PVC containing plasticizer-type additives, preferably of the phthalate type, as is the case, for example, for the following PVC-based objects: flexible films and sheets, flexible tubes and profiles, cables, floor coverings, coated fabrics, etc. Advantageously, the PVC filler comprises at least 50% by mass, preferably at least 70% by mass, preferably at least 90% by mass and even more preferably at least 95% by mass of PVC plastic comprising at least one phthalate.

[0100] Preferably, the PVC filler comprises so-called soft PVC, i.e. PVC containing plasticizer-type additives, preferably of the phthalate type.

[0101] Even more preferably, the PVC filler comprises mainly, or even exclusively, so-called flexible PVC, i.e. PVC containing plasticizer-type additives, preferably of the phthalate type.

[0102] The PVC feedstock treated in the process for recovering a DAP and a reusable target PVC plastic according to the invention is in the form of particles. Thus, if the PVC feedstock is in an initial form which is that specific to production scraps or post-consumer waste, in particular in the latter case in the initial form of PVC-based objects, it may first undergo a conditioning step comprising at least one grinding or shredding to form a PVC feedstock in the form of particles. Depending on the sectors and / or networks from which these production scraps and / or end-of-life PVC-based objects come, the PVC waste may be ground and / or washed and / or undergo any other conditioning step as described below, in order to form the PVC feedstock in the form of particles suitable for the process according to the invention.For example, the PVC filler may advantageously be in the form of ground material, optionally washed, the largest dimension of which is less than 20 cm, preferably less than 10 cm, more preferably less than 1 cm and even more preferably less than 5 mm. The PVC filler may also advantageously be in the form of a micronized solid, i.e. in the form of particles preferably having an average size of less than 1 mm, for example between 10 micrometers (pm) and 800 micrometers (pm). The average size advantageously corresponds to the average diameter of the spheres circumscribed by said particles.

[0103] Thus, by PVC filler in the form of particles, we mean PVC plastic particles typically having an average size, as defined above, of between 10 pm and 20 cm, for example ground particles having an average size of between 1 mm and 20 cm, preferably of between 1 mm and 10 cm, more preferably of between 1 mm and 1 cm, even more preferably of between 1 mm and 5 mm, or particles resulting from micronization (very fine grinding to produce a powder) of an average size of less than 1 mm, preferably of between 10 pm and 800 pm.

[0104] Preferably, the PVC filler treated in the process according to the invention is in the form of ground particles, preferably particles with an average size of between 1 mm and 5 mm, or particles resulting from micronization (very fine grinding to produce a powder) with an average size of less than 1 mm.

[0105] The PVC filler may also comprise “macroscopic” impurities, such as glass, metal, plastics other than PVC (e.g. PET, etc.), wood, paper, cardboard, mineral elements, etc. Advantageously, the PVC filler comprises at most 50% by mass, preferably at most 30% by mass, more preferably at most 10% by mass and even more preferably at most 5% by mass of “macroscopic” impurities.

[0106] Advantageously, the PVC filler in the form of particles has a water content of less than or equal to 0.3% by mass, and preferably less than or equal to 0.1% by mass.

[0107] The various steps of the process according to the invention leading to phthalic acid and reusable target PVC plastic are detailed in the following paragraphs. Optional preliminary step of conditioning the PVC load

[0108] According to the invention, the method may comprise a preliminary step of conditioning the PVC feedstock (not shown in the figures) comprising at least one step of grinding or shredding the PVC feedstock to form a PVC feedstock in the form of solid particles as defined above, capable of being sent to step a) of solid-liquid extraction. This preliminary conditioning step may further comprise one or more steps mentioned in the following non-exhaustive list: grinding by micronization, sorting, over-sorting, washing, drying, etc. Depending on the nature of the PVC feedstock being treated, the step or steps, as well as their possible frequencies and sequences, involved in the preliminary conditioning step are in particular chosen by a person skilled in the art so as to limit the quantity of macroscopic impurities and to reduce the size of the solid elements initially making up the PVC feedstock.

[0109] For example, the preliminary conditioning step makes it possible to provide a PVC filler in the form of particles, for example ground, washed, with an average size of less than 5 mm, the macroscopic impurity content of which is preferably at most 10% by mass, and more preferably at most 5% by mass. Said previously conditioned PVC filler may also be in the form of micronized solid particles, that is to say in the form of particles having an average size of less than 1 mm, for example between 10 pm and 800 pm.

[0110] The preliminary step of conditioning the PVC load preferably comprises at least one step of drying the PVC load already in the form of solid particles of ad hoc size and macroscopic impurity content, such that said PVC load contains a residual water content of at most 0.3% by mass and preferably at most 0.1% by mass.

[0111] Production of target PVC and an isolated DAP stream

[0112] Step a) of solid-liquid extraction of phthalates

[0113] The method according to the invention comprises a step a) of solid-liquid extraction of the phthalate(s) from the PVC filler in the form of particles 1 by bringing said filler into contact with a solvent 9 comprising an alcohol of empirical formula CnE n+iOH, n < 4 or n > 8, in order to obtain an effluent 2 comprising at least one liquid phase and one solid phase. Said liquid phase is then enriched in said phthalate(s), and the solid phase comprises PVC plastic depleted in said phthalate(s).

[0114] The specific choice of n for the solvent alcohol (exclusion of C4, C5, C6, C7, C8 alcohols) makes it possible, during step b), to transform, by transesterification using said alcohol, said phthalates into at least one DAP as defined below, which is not part of the undesirable phthalates such as those subject to authorization by the REACH regulations discussed above.

[0115] According to one or more embodiments, said alcohol is an alcohol of crude formula C n H2n+iOH with n < 4, for example chosen from the list consisting of methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, / - propanol, and even more preferably n = 1, said alcohol then being methanol CH3OH.

[0116] According to one or more embodiments, said alcohol is an alcohol of crude formula C nH2n+iOH with n > 8, for example chosen from the list consisting of nonanol, linear or branched, decanol, linear or branched, undecanol, linear or branched, dodecanol, linear or branched, and preferably nonanol or decanol.

[0117] According to one or more embodiments, said alcohol is an alcohol of crude formula C n H2n+iOH with n > 8 and n less than or equal to 20, or even less than or equal to 15. According to one or more embodiments, said alcohol of crude formula C n H2n+iOH, n < 4 or n > 8 can be used according to the invention in its alcoholate form, that is to say in the form of the conjugate base of said alcohol of crude formula C n H2n+iO _ , with n < 4 or n > 8, the cationic counterion, including of metallic nature, ensuring the electronegativity of said conjugate base being well known to those skilled in the art.

[0118] The solvent 9 may further comprise an organic co-solvent, added to said alcohol, which helps in the extraction of the phthalate(s) from the PVC filler 1. In this case, said organic co-solvent may be an ester derived from said alcohol, said ester having the formula R'COOC n H 2n +i, n being identical to the n of the alcohol from which the ester is derived (n < 4 or n > 8, and for example n less than or equal to 20), and R' being an alkyl group (linear, branched or cyclic, and preferably linear), for example comprising between 1 and 3 carbon atoms, for example 1 or 2 carbon atoms, or else said organic co-solvent may be an ether such as, and in a non-exhaustive manner, cyclopentylmethyl ether (CPME), di-n-propyl ether, dioxane, and preferably CPME.

[0119] Said organic co-solvent is added to said alcohol so that the mass ratio of the co-solvent relative to the alcohol (co-solvent / solvent) is between 0 and 4, preferably between 0.01 and 4, more preferably between 0.02 and 0.66, and even more preferably between 0.05 and 0.66.

[0120] Said additional organic co-solvent is advantageously chosen, preferably when said alcohol is methanol, from the group consisting of methyl acetate, methyl propanoate, CPME.

[0121] Preferably, step a) of solid-liquid extraction of the phthalate(s) from the PVC filler 1 is carried out by bringing said filler 1, in the form of particles, into contact with methanol to which methyl propanoate has been added, preferably such that the mass ratio between the methyl propanoate and the methanol is between 0 and 4, preferably between 0.01 and 4, more preferably between 0.02 and 0.66, and even more preferably between 0.05 and 0.66. In this case, the DAP produced by the process is dimethylphthalate (DMP).

[0122] Step a) of solid-liquid extraction of the phthalate(s) from the PVC filler 1 is preferably carried out according to the following operating conditions: a temperature between room temperature and 200°C, preferably between 40°C and 180°C, more preferably between 60°C and 150°C, and even more preferably between 60°C and 145°C, a pressure between atmospheric pressure and 11.0 MPa, preferably between atmospheric pressure and 5.0 MPa, more preferably between atmospheric pressure and 2.0 MPa, a residence time between 1 min and 10 h, preferably between 10 min and 4 h, more preferably between 10 min and 2 h.

[0123] Preferably, step a) is carried out so that the molar ratio between the quantity of alcohol in solvent 9 and the quantity of phthalate(s) to be extracted from the PVC charge 1 is between 2 and 250, preferably between 4 and 90, and even more preferably between 4 and 30.

[0124] The reactor of step a) of the process according to the invention may advantageously be a reactor of the type stirred by a mechanical stirring system and / or by recirculation loop and / or by fluidization, and / or by ultrasound, for example a reactor of the discontinuous type (also called "batch") or continuous type, preferably perfectly stirred, or a reactor of the rotating drum type.

[0125] In terms of implementation, the PVC filler in the form of particles 1 and the solvent 9 comprising the alcohol, optionally with the addition of at least one organic co-solvent, are advantageously mixed. According to a first option, said mixture can be carried out prior to the introduction of the PVC filler and the solvent into the reactor of step a) of solid-liquid extraction. In this case, said mixture can be formed in a mixer and can then be introduced into the reactor, the latter being maintained at a desired pressure and temperature.

[0126] According to a second option, the PVC filler in the form of particles 1 and the solvent 9 comprising the alcohol, optionally with the addition of at least one organic co-solvent, can be introduced separately into the reactor of step a) of the process according to the invention. Said solid PVC filler and the solvent are then preferably injected into the reactor by two separate lines, one for injecting the solvent 9, and the other the solid PVC filler in the form of particles 1. In this case, the mixture of the PVC filler and the solvent is formed directly in said reactor.

[0127] According to the invention, said solid-liquid extraction step a) makes it possible to obtain at least one effluent 2 comprising at least one liquid phase containing at least the extracted phthalates and at least one solid phase containing the PVC plastic depleted in phthalates, preferably free of phthalates.

[0128] Step b) of chemical transformation of said phthalates by transesterification reaction (alcoholysis)

[0129] The process according to the invention comprises a step b) of chemical transformation of the phthalate(s) extracted in step a) into at least one DAP of formula CgH^COOCnFhn+ih by transesterification reaction (alcoholysis), preferably in the liquid phase, between said phthalate(s) of the liquid phase resulting from step a) and the alcohol of empirical formula Cnh n+iOH, with n < 4 or n > 8, preferably with n < 4, even more preferably with n = 1, said alcohol then being methanol CH3OH. In the case where said alcohol is methanol, said transesterification reaction is then called a methanolysis reaction.

[0130] Step b) of chemical transformation of the phthalate(s) present in the liquid phase at the end of step a) into a DAP of formula C5H4(COOCnH2n+i)2 by transesterification reaction is preferably carried out according to the following operating conditions: a temperature between room temperature and 200°C, preferably between 40°C and 180°C, more preferably between 60°C and 150°C, a pressure between atmospheric pressure and 11.0 MPa, preferably between atmospheric pressure and 5.0 MPa, more preferably between atmospheric pressure and 2.0 MPa, a residence time between 1 min and 10 h, preferably between 10 min and 4 h, more preferably between 10 min and 2 h.

[0131] Preferably, step b) is carried out so that the molar ratio between the quantity of alcohol in solvent 9 and the quantity of phthalates to be transformed from the liquid phase containing the phthalate(s) extracted at the end of step a) is between 2 and 250, preferably between 4 and 90 and even more preferably between 4 and 30.

[0132] The alcohol used to carry out step b) is the same as that used to carry out step a).

[0133] Preferably, said step b) of chemical transformation of the phthalate(s) extracted in step a) into a DAP of formula C6H4(COOCnH2n+i)2 by transesterification reaction is carried out in the presence of a transesterification catalyst, advantageously introduced into the reaction medium.

[0134] The transesterification catalyst 8 thus used is for example chosen from the catalysts in the following non-exhaustive list, well known to those skilled in the art, and preferably from the list consisting of:

[0135] - homogeneous catalysts such as basic catalysts (sodium or potassium hydroxide, sodium or potassium methylate, sodium or potassium carbonate, etc.), mineral Brônsted acid catalysts (hydrochloric, sulfuric, phosphoric acids, etc.), organic Brônsted acid catalysts (methanesulfonic, trifluoromethanesulfonic, trifluoroacetic acids, etc.), Lewis acid catalysts including boron compounds (BH3, BF3) and aluminum compounds (AIF3, AICI3), and organometallic compounds;

[0136] - heterogeneous catalysts such as alkaline earth metal oxides (CaO, BaO, etc.), alkali and / or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydrogen carbonates (CaCOs, etc.), alkali metals supported on aluminas or zeolites, zinc oxides and their mixtures with other oxides (for example zinc oxide and alumina), ion exchange resins (cations or anions), such as for example sulfonic resins, etc.

[0137] For example, the catalyst used according to the invention is a homogeneous catalyst, in particular a homogeneous catalyst of the basic catalyst type such as sodium methylate.

[0138] Preferably, the quantity of catalyst introduced is such that the mass ratio between the catalyst and the phthalate(s) to be transformed is between 0.5% and 10% by mass, preferably between 1% and 8% by mass and even more preferably between 1% and 5% by mass.

[0139] The catalyst, whether homogeneous or heterogeneous, can be recycled and / or eliminated in the process according to methods well known to those skilled in the art, and is preferably recycled. It can be isolated, to be eliminated or preferably recycled for the transesterification reaction, in the downstream steps of the process, or during any other dedicated step.

[0140] The reactor of step b) of the process according to the invention may advantageously be a reactor of the type stirred by a mechanical stirring system and / or by recirculation loop and / or by fluidization, and / or by ultrasound, for example a reactor of the discontinuous or continuous type, preferably perfectly stirred, or a reactor of the rotating drum type.

[0141] In accordance with the invention, said step b) of transformation of the phthalates makes it possible to obtain at least one effluent comprising at least one liquid phase containing at least DAP of formula C6H4(COOCnH2n +i)2 obtained after transesterification reaction, i.e. the liquid phase formed at the end of step a) and enriched in step b) with DAP.

[0142] Steps a) and b) of the method according to the invention can be implemented within the same unit operation or can be the subject of two separate and consecutive unit operations, the unit operation of step a) then always being carried out before the unit operation of step b).

[0143] In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 5, steps a) and b), although shown as separate steps (separate boxes shown), can be implemented either within the same unit operation or be the subject of two separate and consecutive unit operations. In the first case, the effluent 2 is present within the same reactor used, for example, to carry out the two steps a) and b).

[0144] In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, which is one of the preferred embodiments according to the invention, steps a) and b) are the subject of the same unitary operation, which is this time represented by the use of a single step (a+b) (a single “box” (a+b) shown).

[0145] In the embodiments shown in Figures 7 and 8, that of Figure 8 being one of the preferred embodiments according to the invention, steps a) and b) are the subject of two separate and consecutive unit operations, corresponding to a scheme in which step c) is carried out between steps a) and b), as described below. Step c) of solid-liquid separation to obtain a solid flow comprising the PVC plastic depleted in phthalates

[0146] The process according to the invention comprises a step c) of solid-liquid separation between, on the one hand, the liquid phase containing the phthalate(s) extracted in step a) and / or the DAP of formula C6H4(COOCnH2n +i)2 obtained after transesterification reaction in step b), and on the other hand the solid phase containing the PVC plastic depleted in phthalates, preferably free of phthalates.

[0147] The physical separation of the liquid phase and the solid phase can advantageously be implemented according to techniques known to those skilled in the art such as, but not limited to, filtration, centrifugation, electrostatic precipitation or decantation, said techniques being used alone or in combination, in any order.

[0148] This step c) of solid-liquid separation therefore makes it possible to produce at least one solid stream (6) comprising the PVC plastic depleted in the phthalate(s) extracted in step a), in order to recover said reusable target PVC plastic.

[0149] Obtaining the reusable target PVC as defined according to the invention may require returning all or part of the solid flow (6) obtained in step c) to step a), according to as many cycles as necessary in order to produce said target PVC plastic.

[0150] This possibility of recycling the solid flow is shown in Figures 2 to 8.

[0151] According to a first variant of the process according to the invention, said step c) of solid-liquid separation occurs after the completion of steps a) and b). This first variant is illustrated in Figures 1 to 6. In this case, the liquid effluent 3 from step b) is sent to step c) of solid-liquid separation which leads to the separation between the liquid phase containing at least the DAP obtained after transesterification reaction in step b), and the solid phase containing the PVC plastic depleted in phthalate(s). Advantageously for this first variant of the process according to the invention, steps a) and b) are implemented jointly within the same unit operation, this specific implementation leading to a reduction in the number of unit operations necessary for carrying out the process according to the invention and therefore to a limitation of the number of equipment, the quantity of solvent used, the energy used, etc., and therefore a reduction in costs.A preferred example of implementation according to this variant is illustrated in Figure 6.

[0152] According to a second variant of the method according to the invention, the solid-liquid separation step c) occurs after the completion of step a) and before the completion of step b). This second variant is in particular illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. In this case, the liquid effluent 2 from step a) is sent to the solid-liquid separation step c) which leads to the separation of the liquid phase containing the extracted phthalates from the solid phase containing the PVC depleted in phthalate(s). Consequently, for this second variant, steps a) and b) are the subject of two separate unit operations. Step c) therefore produces the solid stream 6 comprising the PVC plastic depleted in phthalate(s), and a first liquid stream 18 which contains the phthalate(s) extracted in step a) and which is then sent to step b) for the transformation of said phthalate(s) by transesterification.This second variant is particularly suitable in the case where the PVC load to be treated would lead to the formation, during step a), of a solid phase not favorable to the completion of the chemical transesterification reaction (in terms of chemical or rheological properties, etc.).

[0153] For example, according to embodiments in accordance with this second variant of the process as shown in Figures 7 and 8, in which step c) is carried out between steps a) and b), steps a) and c) according to the invention can be consecutively implemented in the same discontinuous reactor having a liquid effluent filtration device 2 allowing several cycles of extraction of the phthalates from the solid phase and a device for withdrawing at least the solid phase 6 allowing the final recovery of the target PVC plastic.

[0154] For another example, step c) can be carried out by centrifugation of the liquid effluent 2 or 3 comprising the liquid phase containing at least the extracted phthalates and / or the DAP and the solid phase resulting from step a), leading to the separation of said solid 6, and advantageously to the return of all or part of said solid to step a), preferably previously suspended, for example by means of an addition of solvent 9 (not shown in the figures), until the reusable target PVC plastic is produced.

[0155] Step d) of separation to obtain a first liquid effluent comprising the dialkylphthalate

[0156] The method according to the invention comprises a step d) of gas-liquid or liquid-liquid separation making it possible to extract the DAP of formula CgH^COOCnFhn+ih from the liquid phase obtained at the end of the implementation of at least steps a), b) and c).

[0157] A liquid stream (4, 13) containing said liquid phase advantageously feeds this separation step d) which thus makes it possible to produce at least a first liquid effluent comprising the DAP (stream 5 or 14 according to the figures) and a second effluent comprising at least said solvent (stream 7 or 12 according to the figures). Said second effluent is in liquid form, even if the separation is a gas-liquid separation, the gas phase being able to be condensed to form the second liquid effluent.

[0158] The separation step d) can be carried out according to methods well known to those skilled in the art such as, but not limited to, distillation, decantation, evaporation, liquid-liquid extraction, etc., carried out alone or in combination. The operating conditions of this step (temperature, pressure, etc.) are determined according to the separation method chosen. According to one or more embodiments, the first effluent 5 consists essentially of said DAP. In this (these) case(s), the second liquid effluent 7, represented for example in Figure 1 (or as an option in Figure 3), consists of the residual liquid phase after extraction of the DAP, which contains at least the solvent, i.e. the alcohol optionally added with co-solvent, the alcohol-type by-products (ALA), the intermediate alkylphthalates (APIA) and the phthalate(s) extracted at the end of step a) of the process according to the invention, possibly unconverted.The second liquid effluent 7 can be returned, in whole or in part, preferably totally, to step b) of the method according to the invention.

[0159] It is also possible in this / these case(s), in particular depending on the separation methods chosen, for example distillation with lateral withdrawal, a series of distillation columns or liquid-liquid extraction, to separate from the liquid phase not only the solvent, but also the ALA and very advantageously the APIA with possibly the phthalates extracted in step a) and not converted.Such a separation is for example illustrated in Figure 2 or Figure 7 (and as an alternative to the production of a stream 7 in Figure 3), where it can be seen that step d) produces, in addition to the first effluent 5 consisting essentially of said DAP and the second effluent 12 consisting essentially of said solvent, a third effluent 10 comprising ALA obtained during the transesterification in step b), and a fourth effluent 11 comprising partially converted phthalate(s) (APIA) and / or not converted in step b) and possibly other soluble impurities. The fourth effluent 11 can then be advantageously returned to step b) of the process according to the invention, in particular according to the first and second variants of the process according to the invention, so as to continue the chemical reactions leading to DAP and thus improve the yield of this product.

[0160] According to one or more alternative embodiments, as shown in Figures 4 to 6 and in Figure 8, the first liquid effluent 14 comprising the DAP also comprises other compounds such as partially converted phthalate(s) (APIA) and / or unconverted in step b) and possibly soluble impurities. As described below, according to this or these embodiments, a step of purifying the DAP from the first effluent is necessary. According to this or these embodiments, the separation step d) therefore advantageously produces said first liquid effluent 14 of non-pure DAP, a second effluent 12 preferably consisting essentially of said solvent, and preferably a third effluent 10 comprising ALs Aobtained during the transesterification in step b). The isolation of the ALA and the solvent is made possible in particular depending on the separation methods chosen, for example distillation with a side draw-off, a series of distillation columns or liquid-liquid extraction. In the case where the second effluent 12 consists essentially of said solvent thus recovered, the second effluent 12 can then advantageously be returned, in part or in whole, preferably in whole, to step a) and / or to step b) of the process according to the invention, and in particular according to the first and second process variants according to the invention.

[0161] Step e) DAP purification (optional)

[0162] The method according to the invention may comprise an optional step e) of purification of the first effluent 14 comprising the DAP resulting from the separation step d), to improve its quality and therefore, ultimately, its recovery. The embodiments shown in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 8 illustrate the implementation of such a purification step e).

[0163] In the case of the implementation of said step e), the solvent has advantageously been isolated during the implementation of step d). Furthermore, the APIAs and possibly the phthalate(s) extracted at the end of step a) of the process according to the invention not converted at the end of step b) may have been isolated during step d) of the process according to the invention, or even be isolated during the implementation of said purification step e).

[0164] Thus, it is possible to send the first effluent 14, comprising the DAP, the phthalate(s) partially converted and / or not converted in step b) and possibly soluble impurities, to this purification step e) to form a liquid product 16 consisting essentially of said DAP, and a liquid residue 17 comprising the phthalate(s) partially converted and / or not converted in step b) and possibly the soluble impurities.

[0165] The liquid residue 17 thus recovered can then advantageously be returned to step b) of the process according to the invention, in particular according to the first and second variants of the process according to the invention, so as to continue the chemical reactions leading to DAP, as illustrated in figure 4 or figure 5.

[0166] The purification step e) can advantageously be carried out by methods well known to those skilled in the art, such as precipitation, crystallization, adsorption, optionally followed by filtration or centrifugation. The purification step e) can comprise the implementation of several of these methods in parallel or in series. For example, and without being exhaustive, the purification step e) can comprise a precipitation and filtration step, followed by an adsorption step, or even comprise an adsorption and filtration step, optionally followed by a precipitation step, or even comprise a crystallization and filtration step. The operating conditions in this step e) (temperature, pressure, etc.) are determined according to the chosen purification method.

[0167] Additional step(s) f and / or f2) of chemical transformation of phthalates by transesterification (optional)

[0168] In order to promote the production of DAP according to the invention, it is possible to carry out, independently of step b) of chemical transformation of the phthalate(s) extracted in step a), an additional chemical transformation step allowing the transformation of the APIs A and / or the extracted phthalate(s) possibly not converted at the end of step b).

[0169] The process may thus further comprise an additional step fi), as represented in Figure 3 or Figure 5, of chemical transformation by transesterification of the phthalate(s) not converted in step b) and / or of at least one APIA produced in step b), into DAP of formula C6H4(COOCnH2n +i)2 by means of the solvent comprising the alcohol. In these embodiments, step fi) is carried out between steps c) and d), and advantageously after step b), by sending the liquid phase 4, advantageously obtained at the end of all steps a), b) and c), into a first additional transesterification reactor, to produce a second liquid stream 13 enriched in DAP, said second liquid stream 13 being sent to step d). According to this embodiment, step c) is preferably carried out at the end of step b).

[0170] The process may also comprise an additional step f2) of chemical transformation by transesterification of the phthalate(s) not converted in step b) and / or of at least one API Aproduced in step b), or possibly in the optional step fi), into DAP of formula CgE fCOOCnl^n+ih using the solvent comprising the alcohol, step f2) being carried out successively in step e) by sending the liquid residue 17 from step e) into a second additional transesterification reactor to produce a third liquid stream 15 enriched in said DAP, said third liquid stream 15 being returned to step d).

[0171] The implementation of the additional step fi) and / or the additional step f2) of chemical transformation by transesterification can be carried out according to the first variant (step c) of solid-liquid separation carried out after steps a) and b)) or second variant (step c) of solid-liquid separation located between steps a) and b)) of the process according to the invention.

[0172] Preferably, the process according to the invention comprises a single additional step of chemical transformation by transesterification, and preferably step f2).

[0173] The implementation of step fi) and / or step f2) is as described for step b) of the process according to the invention. In particular, the ranges associated with the operating conditions of steps b) and fi) and / or f2) are similar, and the latter are chosen by a person skilled in the art so as to promote the production of DAP depending on the chemical nature of the flow to be treated at the inlet of said step fi) and / or step f2).

[0174] The same applies to the preferred use of a transesterification catalyst 8, as described in step b). The transesterification catalyst in step(s) fi) and / or f2) may be identical to or different from that used in step b).

[0175] Said stream sent to step fi) and / or to step f2) (stream 4 or liquid residue 17) is a liquid phase comprising one or more phthalates extracted in step a) and possibly partially converted (API A ) and / or not converted in step b), and possibly soluble impurities, which are then isolated either during the implementation of separation step d), or during the implementation of purification step e) of the process according to the invention if the latter is advantageously implemented. Depending on the sequence of steps considered involving step fi) and / or step f2), it may be necessary to use an additional supply of solvent comprising the alcohol of crude formula C n H 2n+iOH with n < 4 or n > 8, optionally with the addition of at least one organic co-solvent, this additional supply of solvent possibly resulting from a top-up of “fresh” solvent 9 or from a recycling of the stream 12 of said solvent optionally isolated at the end of step d) of the process according to the invention. This additional supply in the first additional transesterification reactor implemented in step fi) and / or in the second additional transesterification reactor implemented in step f2), by adding fresh solvent 9, and / or by recycling the second effluent 12 consisting of said solvent, is illustrated in Figures 3, 5, 6 and 8.

[0176] When purification step e) is carried out, at least a portion of said liquid residue 17 produced in step e) can be recycled to step fi), as illustrated in Figure 5, so as to continue the chemical reactions leading to DAP.

[0177] Figures 6 and 8 represent preferred embodiments according to the first variant (step c) of solid-liquid separation after carrying out steps a) and b)) and according to the second variant (step c) of solid-liquid separation between steps a) and b)) of the method according to the invention.

[0178] As visible in Figure 6, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention in accordance with the first variant, the method comprises an implementation within the same unit operation of steps a) and b), a step c) of solid-liquid separation located after steps a) and b), a step d) of separation, a step e) of purification of a first effluent 14 obtained in step d) comprising DAP, and advantageously an additional step f2) of transesterification of the residue 17 resulting from step e).

[0179] According to this embodiment, as shown diagrammatically in Figure 6, the PVC charge in the form of particles 1, possibly previously conditioned, is introduced into a reactor combining the performance of steps a) and b) respectively of solid-liquid extraction and chemical transformation by transesterification preferably in the presence of a catalyst 8. The reactor is also supplied with a stream of fresh solvent 9 external to the process comprising at least one alcohol of crude formula C n H 2n+iOH, with n < 4 or n > 8, preferably methanol, with the addition of an optional co-solvent, preferably methyl propanoate, and optionally with at least a fraction of a stream 12 of solvent isolated in separation step d). The reaction effluent 3 containing the liquid phase comprising at least the DAP, preferably the DMP, and the solid phase comprising the PVC plastic depleted in phthalates, preferably free of phthalates, is sent to solid-liquid separation step c), for example using centrifugation, to produce a solid stream 6 comprising said PVC plastic depleted in the extracted phthalate(s) in order to recover said reusable target PVC plastic, and a liquid stream 4 containing at least the DAP, preferably the DMP, and at least the solvent. The solid stream 6 can be partially recycled to step a).Liquid stream 4 from step c), containing DAP, solvent, and possibly unconverted or partially converted phthalate(s) (API. A ) and possibly ALs A , is sent to separation step d) which makes it possible to isolate on the one hand the solvent according to a flow 12, but also preferably the ALs A according to a flow 10, and finally a liquid effluent 14 comprising the DAP, preferably DMP, and possibly partially and / or unconverted phthalate(s) and possibly soluble impurities. The liquid effluent 14 is sent to a purification step e), in order to obtain the purified DAP, preferably DMP. The residue 17 resulting from this purification step e) may still contain unconverted or partially converted phthalate(s) (API A), an additional step f2) of chemical transformation of transesterification is preferably carried out. The residue 17 is therefore advantageously sent to a second transesterification reactor containing a suitable transesterification catalyst, to carry out the transesterification of the unconverted or partially converted phthalate(s) (APIA) by means of a solvent 9 comprising the alcohol of empirical formula CnFhn+iOH, with n < 4 or n > 8, added with an optional co-solvent, preferably methyl propanoate. The solvent may be a fresh solvent supplement or come from the stream 12 recycled at least in part to this step f2). This step f2) produces a liquid stream 15 enriched in said DAP, preferably in DMP, returned to the separation step d).

[0180] As shown in Figure 8, according to another preferred embodiment of the invention, in accordance with the second variant, the process comprises an implementation of steps a) and b) according to two separate unit operations, with a step c) carried out between steps a) and b), followed by a step d), and also comprises a purification step e) of a first effluent 14 obtained in step d) comprising DAP, and an additional transesterification step f2) of the residue 17 from step e).

[0181] According to this embodiment, as shown diagrammatically in Figure 8, the PVC charge in the form of particles 1, possibly previously conditioned, is introduced into a reactor to carry out step a) of solid-liquid extraction of the phthalate(s) from said PVC charge. The reactor is supplied with a stream of fresh solvent 9 external to the process comprising at least one alcohol of crude formula C n H 2n+iOH, n integer with n < 4 or n > 8, preferably methanol, added with an optional co-solvent, preferably methyl propanoate, and optionally by a stream 12 of solvent isolated in the subsequent separation step d). The effluent 2 produced in step a) comprises at least one liquid phase containing at least the phthalate(s) extracted from said feedstock 1 and at least one solid phase containing the PVC plastic depleted in phthalates, preferably free of the extracted phthalates. The effluent 2 is sent to a solid-liquid separation step c), for example using centrifugation, to produce a solid stream 6 comprising said PVC plastic depleted in the phthalate(s), in order to recover said reusable target PVC plastic, and a liquid stream 18 containing at least the phthalate(s) extracted in step a) and at least the solvent.The liquid stream 18 is then sent to a reactor to carry out step b) of chemical transformation of the phthalate(s) extracted by transesterification, preferably in the presence of a catalyst 8. The transesterification reactor can also be supplied with a fresh solvent stream 9 external to the process comprising the same alcohol, preferably methanol, with the addition of a possible cosolvent, preferably methyl propanoate, and optionally with at least a fraction of a solvent stream 12 isolated in separation step d).The reaction effluent 4 containing the liquid phase comprising at least DAP, preferably DMP, the solvent, the unconverted or partially converted phthalate(s) (APIA), is sent to the separation step d) which makes it possible to isolate on the one hand the solvent according to a stream 12, but also the ALA according to a stream 10, and finally a liquid effluent 14 comprising DAP, preferably DMP, and optionally the partially (APIA) and / or unconverted phthalate(s) and optionally soluble impurities. The liquid effluent 14 is preferably sent to a purification step e), in order to obtain the DAP, preferably DMP, purified 16. The residue 17 resulting from this purification step e) may still contain the unconverted or partially converted phthalate(s) (APIA), an additional step f2) of chemical transformation transesterification is preferably carried out.The residue 17 is advantageously sent to a second transesterification reactor preferably containing a suitable transesterification catalyst, to carry out the transesterification of the unconverted or partially converted phthalate(s) (API. A ) by means of a solvent 9 comprising the alcohol of the crude formula CnHîn+iOH, with n < 4 or n > 8, with the addition of an optional co-solvent, preferably methyl propanoate. The solvent may be a fresh solvent supplement or come from the stream 12 recycled at least in part to this step f2). This step f2) produces a liquid stream 15 enriched in said DAP, preferably in DMP, returned to the separation step d).

[0182] Production of solid phthalic acid

[0183] Steps g) and h) can be implemented indifferently at the end of the various embodiments and variants of the method of the invention for the implementation of steps a) to d), and possibly the associated optional steps, described above.

[0184] For example, it is thus possible to combine the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3, an example of carrying out steps a) to d) and the optional step fl) leading to flow 5 consisting essentially of DAP, with Figure 9 describing the general implementation of said steps g) and h) to obtain at least one solid flow comprising phthalic acid.

[0185] According to a key aspect of the invention, phthalic acid is produced from the DAP produced at the end of steps a) to d), and optionally e) and f1 and / or f2), which has been isolated, so as to facilitate the production of phthalic acid having good purity, according to steps g) and h) described in detail below.

[0186] Step g) of chemical transformation of the DAP obtained at the end of steps a) to d) by hydrolysis

[0187] The process according to the invention comprises a step g) of chemical transformation of the dialkyl phthalate obtained during step d) (stream 5) or during the optional step e) (stream 16) into at least phthalic acid of formula CsH4(COOH)2 by hydrolysis reaction, preferably in the liquid phase, between said DAP and water (H2O).

[0188] Step g) of hydrolysis of DAP is preferably carried out according to the following operating conditions: a temperature between room temperature and 150°C, preferably between room temperature and 145°C, more preferably between 40°C and 130°C, and more preferably between 60°C and 110°C, a pressure between atmospheric pressure and 5.0 MPa, preferably between atmospheric pressure and 2.0 MPa, more preferably between atmospheric pressure and 0.5 MPa, a residence time between 1 min and 10 h, preferably between 10 min and 4 h, more preferably between 10 min and 2 h and even more preferably between 10 min and 1 h.

[0189] Preferably, step g) is carried out so that the molar ratio between the quantity of water 21 and the quantity of DAP to be transformed is between 100 and 9000, preferably between 150 and 1800 and even more preferably between 200 and 850.

[0190] Preferably, said step g) of hydrolysis of DAP is carried out in the presence of a hydrolysis catalyst 22, advantageously introduced into the reaction medium.

[0191] The hydrolysis catalyst 22 thus used is advantageously an acid catalyst, for example chosen from the acid catalysts of the following non-exhaustive list, well known to those skilled in the art, and preferably from the list consisting of:

[0192] - homogeneous catalysts such as mineral Brônsted acid catalysts (e.g. hydrochloric, sulfuric, phosphoric acids, etc.), organic Brônsted acid catalysts (methanesulfonic, trifluoromethanesulfonic, trifluoroacetic, para-toluenesulfonic acids, etc.), and Lewis acid catalysts in particular (e.g. Al F3);

[0193] - acid heterogeneous catalysts such as aluminas, chlorinated or fluorinated aluminas, mesoporous aluminosilicates, zeolites and their mixtures with other oxides, ion exchange resins (H + ), such as sulfonic resins, etc.

[0194] For example, the catalyst used according to the invention is a homogeneous catalyst, in particular a homogeneous catalyst of the organic Brônsted acid catalyst type such as p-toluenesulfonic acid.

[0195] Preferably, the quantity of catalyst introduced is such that the mass ratio between the catalyst and the DAP is between 0.02% and 10% by mass, preferably between 0.5% and 8% by mass and even more preferably between 1% and 5% by mass.

[0196] The catalyst, whether homogeneous or heterogeneous, can be recycled and / or eliminated in the process according to methods well known to those skilled in the art, and is preferably recycled. It can be isolated, to be eliminated or preferably recycled for the hydrolysis reaction, in the downstream steps of the process or during any other dedicated step.

[0197] The reactor used in step g) may advantageously be a reactor of the type stirred by a mechanical stirring system and / or by recirculation loop and / or by fluidization, and / or by ultrasound, for example a reactor of the discontinuous or continuous type, preferably perfectly stirred, or a reactor of the rotating drum type.

[0198] In accordance with the invention, said step g) of hydrolysis of DAP makes it possible to obtain at least one effluent 19 comprising at least one aqueous phase containing at least the phthalic acid of formula C6H4(COOH)2 obtained after hydrolysis reaction of the DAP initially contained in the streams 5 and 16 formed respectively at the end of steps d) and e) and sent to step g).

[0199] Step h) of separation of at least one solid effluent comprising phthalic acid

[0200] The method according to the invention comprises a step h) comprising at least one solid-liquid separation carried out on at least the effluent 19 from step g), to produce at least one solid stream comprising phthalic acid 20 in order to recover the AP and at least three other liquid streams 23, 24 and 25 respectively and distinctly comprising at least the residual water from the hydrolysis step g), at least the DAP and / or the API. Hresulting from the partial hydrolysis of said DAP, and at least of AL H , a secondary product resulting from the partial or total hydrolysis of DAP.

[0201] The phthalic acid in solid form, separated in this step h) to produce the solid stream of phthalic acid 20, can be formed in step h) according to different implementations detailed below, in relation to figures 10 to 13.

[0202] The present invention does not exclude that a portion of phthalic acid in solid form is produced in step g).

[0203] To facilitate the performance of step h), an organic solvent 26 immiscible with water and having physicochemical affinities with at least DAP and / or APIH, also called “separation solvent”, may be used to facilitate obtaining the solid stream comprising phthalic acid 20. Said separation solvent immiscible with water is advantageously chosen from the list consisting of: ketones, such as 2,4-dimethyl-3-pentanone, ethers, such as methoxycyclopentane (CPME), hydrocarbons, in particular cyclic and aromatic, such as toluene, xylenes, isohexane, taken alone or as a mixture. Preferably, the separation solvent is chosen from 2,4-dimethyl-3-pentanone, CPME, toluene and xylenes. When such a separation solvent is used, said solvent is advantageously separated according to methods well known to those skilled in the art, and preferably returned to step h) (stream 27).Preferably, step h) is carried out without adding additional separation solvent. Steps g) and h) of the process according to the invention are shown in generic figure 9.

[0204] The solid-liquid physical separation of the effluent 19 from step g) can advantageously be implemented according to techniques known to those skilled in the art such as, and in a non-exhaustive manner, filtration, centrifugation, the use of a precipitating agent, electrostatic precipitation, or decantation, said techniques being used alone or in combination, in any order. In particular, depending on the solvent used during steps a) to d) of the process according to the invention, and therefore depending on the chemical nature of the DAP thus formed (crude formula CgE COOCnE n+ih with n < 4 or n > 8), several separation steps can be judiciously chosen and arranged to best produce the aforementioned streams 20, 23, 24 and 25.

[0205] Different embodiments of step h) are described below in relation to Figures 10 to 13.

[0206] A first example of implementation of step h) is shown in Figure 10, and is particularly well suited when the DAP sent to step g) has the chemical formula C6H4(COOCnH2n + i)2 with n < 4, i.e. n = 1, 2 or 3.

[0207] According to this configuration, the effluent 19 may comprise a single liquid phase or two immiscible liquid phases, in particular the effluent 19 comprises a single liquid phase (single-phase liquid) for n less than or equal to 2.

[0208] The effluent 19 is sent to a first step hi) combining a liquid-solid phase change of the phthalic acid and a first solid-liquid separation of the medium thus obtained to obtain at least one solid stream comprising the phthalic acid 20 (phthalic acid in the solid state).

[0209] This liquid-solid phase change consists of a phase change of the phthalic acid from the dissolved state in the aqueous phase of the effluent 19, obtained at the end of step g), to a solid state allowing its subsequent recovery during the first solid-liquid separation of step h1). The liquid-solid phase change of the phthalic acid can advantageously be implemented by means of one or more crystallization or precipitation operations according to techniques known to those skilled in the art such as, and in a non-exhaustive manner, cold wall crystallization, the use of a precipitating agent, batch distillation, etc., said techniques being used alone or in combination, in any order.For example, the phase change of phthalic acid from the dissolved state to the solid state is obtained by cooling to a temperature between 10°C and room temperature, for example to a temperature of 15°C, for example via the use of cold wall crystallization, so as to cause said precipitation of phthalic acid, and produce a solid phase of phthalic acid. Following the formation of phthalic acid in the solid state, a gas-liquid or liquid-liquid separation, according to techniques well known to those skilled in the art such as distillation, decantation, evaporation, liquid-liquid extraction, etc., carried out alone or in combination, is carried out so as to recover at least one organic liquid stream 24 containing at least the DAP and / or the APIH and an aqueous liquid stream 28 containing at least the water and the ALH.The stream 24 can then be advantageously returned to step g) of the process according to the invention so as to continue the chemical reactions leading to phthalic acid and thus improve the yield of phthalic acid. The stream 28 can, for its part, be sent to a second separation step hz) making it possible to recover at least two liquid streams 23 and 25 containing respectively water and ALH, the step hz) being able to be a liquid-liquid or gas-liquid separation, and being able for example to comprise a separation by distillation possibly followed by a more advanced separation, for example by membrane. The streams 23 and 25 can then be advantageously returned respectively to step g) and to step b) of the process according to the invention, so as to supply these steps with water or solvent if the latter comprises an AL. Hproduct (for example for the specific case where n = 1, the ALH produced is methanol), and thus optimize the inputs of reagents / solvents in the process. In the specific case where n = 1, the ALH produced being methanol, the latter can also be extracted directly in step g), for example by a gas-liquid separation such as a reactive distillation, so as to enhance the formation of phthalic acid by chemical displacement of the thermodynamic equilibrium of the hydrolysis reaction. The implementation of steps hi) and hî) remains, in this case, unchanged.

[0210] A second example of implementation of step h) is shown in Figure 11, and is particularly well suited when the DAP sent to step g) of the process according to the invention has the chemical formula CgPMCOOCnHîn+ih with n > 8. In this configuration, the effluent 19 comprises at least two immiscible liquid phases: an aqueous liquid phase comprising phthalic acid and an organic liquid phase containing at least APIH and / or DAP and / or ALH. The effluent 19 is sent to a first step h3) combining a liquid-solid phase change of the phthalic acid and the solid-liquid separation of the medium thus obtained to obtain at least one solid stream comprising phthalic acid (in the solid state) 20, at least one organic liquid stream 29 containing at least DAP, APIH and ALH and at least one aqueous liquid stream 23 containing at least water.The liquid-solid phase change of the phthalic acid and the separation of the streams thus obtained can advantageously be implemented according to the same techniques as those described in relation to FIG. 10 above for step hi). The stream 29 can then be sent to a second separation step tu) making it possible to recover at least two liquid organic streams 24 and 25, the stream 24 containing the DAP and / or the APIH, and the stream 25 comprising at least the ALs. H. For example, the techniques used for the separation of liquid streams from steps h3) and tu) are liquid-liquid extractions. As in the embodiment(s) described in relation to FIG. 10, the various streams 23, 24 and 25 can also be advantageously returned to certain steps of the process further upstream. For example, stream 23 comprising residual water and stream 24 comprising DAP and APIH can be recycled to step g), in particular to supply water and / or continue the chemical reactions leading respectively to phthalic acid and thus improve its yield, and stream 25 comprising ALH can be recycled to step b), in particular to supply solvent to this step b) if said solvent comprises an ALH produced in step g), and thus optimize the solvent supply to the process.

[0211] A third example of implementation of step h) is shown in Figure 12, and is particularly well suited when the DAP sent to step g) has the chemical formula C6H4(COOCnH2n +i)2 with n = 3. According to this configuration, the effluent 19 comprises at least two immiscible liquid phases: an organic liquid phase containing at least DAP and / or APIH and at least one aqueous liquid phase containing at least phthalic acid, ALH and water. The effluent 19 is sent to a first separation step hs) to separate the organic liquid phase from the aqueous liquid phase, so as to separately produce two streams 24 and 30 respectively comprising the organic phase and the aqueous phase. The stream 24 comprising the organic phase containing DAP and / or APIH can then advantageously be returned to step g) so as to continue the chemical reactions leading to phthalic acid and thus improve the yield of this product.The aqueous liquid stream 30 containing at least the phthalic acid, the ALH and the residual water is sent to a step he) combining a liquid-solid phase change of the phthalic acid and a solid-liquid separation, as already described for a part of the step hi) in relation to Figure 10 (part on the change of state of the phthalic acid from dissolved to solid and solid-liquid separation), to produce at least one solid stream of phthalic acid 20, and one aqueous liquid stream 28. Said stream is sent to a step hz) as described in relation to Figure 10, producing two streams 23 and 25, which can be recycled as also already described in relation to Figure 10.

[0212] A fourth example of implementation of step h) is shown in Figure 13, and is particularly well suited when the DAP sent to step g) has the chemical formula C6H4(COOCnH2n +i)2 with n > 8. According to this configuration, the effluent 19 comprises at least two immiscible liquid phases: an organic liquid phase containing at least DAP, API H and the AL Hand at least one aqueous liquid phase containing at least the phthalic acid and the residual water. The effluent 19 is sent to a first separation step h?) to separate the organic liquid phase from the aqueous liquid phase, so as to separately produce the two streams 29 and 31 respectively comprising the organic phase and the aqueous phase. The aqueous liquid stream 31 containing at least the phthalic acid and the residual water is sent to a step hs) combining a liquid-solid phase change of the phthalic acid and a solid-liquid separation, as well as a separation as already described for a part of the step hi) in relation to Figure 10 (part on the change of state of the phthalic acid from dissolved to solid and solid-liquid separation), to produce at least one solid stream comprising the phthalic acid 20 and at least one aqueous liquid stream 23 containing the residual water.As described previously, the aqueous liquid stream 23 produced in step hs) can advantageously be returned to certain more upstream steps of the process, for example to step g). The stream 29 produced in step h7) is sent to a step h4) as previously described in relation to FIG. 11, to produce streams 24 and 25, which can be recycled as also already described in relation to FIG. 11.

[0213] Phthalic anhydride can be produced by sending the solid stream of AP 20 to a dehydration step, where phthalic anhydride can be the starting compound taken to synthesize PVC phthalates. Dehydration of AP to form phthalic anhydride is known, and such a dehydration step can be carried out as described for example in US3720692

[0214] Recycling process

[0215] The present invention also relates to a method for recycling a PVC-based object containing at least one phthalate, said recycling method comprising:

[0216] - packaging the PVC-based object comprising at least one grinding or shredding of the PVC-based object to form a PVC charge in the form of particles;

[0217] - the recovery of phthalic acid and a reusable target PVC plastic from said PVC filler in particulate form according to the method of the first aspect of the invention described above in detail.

[0218] The stage of conditioning the PVC-based object may include the various stages detailed above for the preliminary conditioning of the PVC load before its introduction in stage a).

[0219] It is advantageous, from a circular economy perspective, to use the phthalic acid obtained by the recovery process described to obtain again phthalates suitable for the formulation of soft PVC plastics and / or to use the target PVC plastic produced by the recovery process according to the invention to manufacture a new object based on soft PVC. Such an object can then be manufactured more easily so as to meet the standards in force with regard to phthalates, and include only REACH compatible phthalates, by being manufactured from raw materials meeting or adapted to meet said standards, i.e. the recovered target PVC plastic free of non-REACH compatible phthalates, and the AP allowing the production of REACH compatible phthalates.

[0220] Manufacturing process

[0221] The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a flexible PVC-based object comprising a recycled PVC plastic and / or a phthalate manufactured from phthalic acid recovered by the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0222] The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a soft PVC-based object comprising a recycled PVC plastic obtained by the phthalic acid recovery process and a reusable target PVC plastic according to the first aspect of the invention described above in detail.

[0223] Such a manufacturing method typically comprises a step of recovering phthalic acid and a reusable target PVC plastic from a PVC feedstock, as detailed above, then a step of mixing said reusable target PVC plastic with additives, then a step of shaping said mixture.

[0224] Example

[0225] This example illustrates the invention without limiting its scope, and illustrates in particular the extraction of a phthalate contained in a PVC plastic, the conversion of the phthalate into dimethylphthalate (DMP) in the presence of a catalyst by methanolysis, and the conversion of the DMP into phthalic acid in the presence of a catalyst and water.

[0226] 18.2 g of a PVC plastic filler (from PVC-based objects of the "medical tube" type), in the form of extrudates of average size of 2 mm, containing 4.4 g of di-decyl phthalate (DIDP), are introduced into a reactor stirred by a mechanical stirring system, of the paddle type. 26.5 g of methanol and 17.7 g of methyl propanoate (organic co-solvent) are then added, the mass ratio of methyl propanoate / methanol being 0.66 and the molar ratio of methanol / DIDP being 84. 0.17 g of catalyst (NaOMe) are then added to the previous mixture so that the mass percentage NaOMe / DIDP is 4%.

[0227] The reactor is sealed, purged with nitrogen and then heated to 100°C with an autogenous pressure of around 1.2 MPa and maintained under these conditions for 4 hours with stirring at 1000 rpm. The reactor is then cooled.

[0228] After 4 hours, a solid and a liquid are obtained which are analyzed.

[0229] Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) analyses of the liquid phase show that it contains 1.89 g of dimethylphthalate (DMP) from the conversion of DIDP and 0.05 g of decylmethylphthalate due to a partial conversion of DIDP. The liquid also contains 3.11 g of decanol (C10H22O) from the methanolysis reaction of DIDP. Identification was made possible by comparing the retention times of pure analytical standards and quantification was carried out from the determination of response coefficients from the analysis of these same standards.

[0230] The solid obtained was prefractionated by preparative SEC size exclusion chromatography equipped with dual optical detection (UV / Visible) and refractometry (RI). The fractions from the collection were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with quantitative UV-Visible optical detection. The results indicate the presence of DIDP in the target PVC plastic at a content lower than 1000 ppm, which is in compliance with current European regulations.

[0231] These results show that phthalate-free PVC is obtained in accordance with the invention, and that DIDP has been converted to 99.9%. In this example, the extraction of DIDP and its conversion are carried out in a single step.

[0232] At the end of this methanolysis, the 1.89 g of DMP are reintroduced into a reactor stirred by a mechanical stirring system, such as paddles. 52.56 g of water are then added (water / DMP molar ratio of 300). 0.06 g of catalyst, which is p-toluene sulfonic acid (PTSA), are then added to the previous mixture so that the PTSA / DMP mass ratio is 3%.

[0233] The reactor is sealed, purged with nitrogen and then heated to 100°C with an autogenous pressure of around 1.2 MPa and maintained under these conditions for 4 hours with stirring at 1000 rpm. The reactor is then cooled to 65°C.

[0234] After 4 hours, the reaction medium is cooled to 10°C, which leads to the precipitation of a solid mainly consisting of phthalic acid. The solid obtained is filtered. The remaining liquid (filtrate) is then left to react three times under the same conditions as previously described. At the end of each reactive step, a cold reprecipitation step allows the extraction of a solid phase mainly consisting of phthalic acid. At the end of this protocol, the secondary solid fractions are combined and analyzed.

[0235] Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) analyses of the solid phase show that it contains 1.45 g of diphthalic acid (PA) resulting from the conversion of DMP and 0.18 g of monomethyl phthalate (2-(methoxycarbonyl)benzoic acid) resulting from a partial hydrolysis of DMP. The liquid also contains 0.59 g of methanol (C1H4O) resulting from the hydrolysis reaction of DMP. Identification was made possible by comparing the retention times of pure analytical standards and quantification was carried out from the determination of the response coefficients resulting from the analysis of these same standards.

[0236] These results therefore also show that the DMP was converted at 99.9%.

Claims

Claims 1. A method for recovering phthalic acid and a reusable target PVC plastic from a PVC feedstock containing at least one phthalate, comprising the following steps: a) a solid-liquid extraction of said PVC feedstock in the form of particles (1) by bringing said particles of the PVC feedstock into contact with a solvent (9) comprising at least one alcohol of formula Cnb n+iOH, n being a positive integer less than 4 or greater than 8, to produce a liquid phase enriched in said phthalate and a solid phase comprising PVC plastic depleted in said phthalate; b) the chemical transformation of said phthalate of said liquid phase into dialkylphthalate of formula C6H4(COOCnH2n +i)2 by transesterification using said alcohol to enrich said liquid phase in said dialkylphthalate; c) a solid-liquid separation between said solid phase and said liquid phase to produce at least one solid stream comprising the PVC plastic depleted in said phthalate (6) in order to recover said target PVC plastic; d) a separation of said liquid phase, to produce at least a first liquid effluent comprising said dialkylphthalate (5, 14) and a second liquid effluent comprising at least said solvent (7, 12);e) an optional purification of said first liquid effluent (14) obtained in step d) comprising said dialkylphthalate, phthalate partially converted and / or not converted in step b) and optionally soluble impurities, to produce a liquid product (16) consisting essentially of said dialkylphthalate, and a liquid residue (17) comprising said phthalate partially converted and / or not converted in step b) and optionally said soluble impurities;f) an additional optional step fi) and / or additional optional step f2) of chemical transformation by transesterification of said phthalate not converted and / or partially in step b), into dialkylphthalate of formula CgH^COOCnFbn+ih using said alcohol, said step fi) being carried out between steps c) and d) by sending said liquid phase obtained at the end of all steps a), b) and c) into a first additional transesterification reactor to produce a second liquid stream (13) enriched in said dialkylphthalate of formula C6H4(COOCnH2n+i)2, said second liquid stream (13) being sent to step d), and said step f2) being carried out successively in step e) by sending said liquid residue (17) into a second additional transesterification reactor to produce a third liquid stream (15) enriched in said dialkylphthalate of formula C6H4(COOC; nH2n+i)2, said third liquid stream (15) being returned to step d); g) a chemical transformation of said dialkylphthalate obtained in step d) or in the optional step e) into phthalic acid of formula C6H4(COOH)2 by hydrolysis using water to produce an effluent (19) comprising an aqueous phase comprising said phthalic acid; h) a separation of said phthalic acid from step g) and put into a solid form to produce at least one solid stream of phthalic acid (20).

2. Method according to claim 1, in which steps a) and b) are implemented within the same unit operation.

3. Method according to claim 1, in which steps a) and b) are the subject of two separate unit operations, step a) producing a stream (2) comprising said liquid phase and said solid phase sent to step c) of solid-liquid separation carried out between steps a) and b), step c) producing said flow comprising PVC plastic depleted in said phthalate (6) and a first liquid flow (18) comprising said liquid phase sent to step b).

4. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hydrolysis in step g) is carried out in the presence of an acid hydrolysis catalyst, preferably an acid homogeneous catalyst chosen from the list consisting of inorganic Brônsted acid catalysts, preferably hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, organic Brônsted acid catalysts, preferably p-toluenesulfonic acid, and Lewis acid catalysts, preferably AIF3, or an acid heterogeneous catalyst chosen from the list consisting of aluminas, chlorinated aluminas, fluorinated aluminas, mesoporous aluminosilicates, zeolites and their mixtures with other oxides, ion exchange resins (H+), preferably sulfonic resins.

5. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hydrolysis in step g) is carried out at a temperature between room temperature and 150°C, preferably between 40°C and 130°C, at a pressure between atmospheric pressure and 5.0 MPa, preferably between atmospheric pressure and 2.0 MPa, and for a time between 1 minute and 10 hours, preferably between 10 minutes and 4 hours.

6. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the hydrolysis in step g) is carried out so that the molar ratio between the quantity of water and the quantity of said at least one phthalate to be transformed extracted in step a) is between 100 and 9000.

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein step h) comprises phase changing the phthalic acid from the dissolved state in said aqueous phase to a solid state and solid-liquid separation to produce said solid stream of phthalic acid (20) and at least one aqueous liquid stream (23, 28).

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first liquid effluent (5) in step d) or said liquid product (16) in optional step e) consists essentially of said dialkyl phthalate.

9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said solid stream comprising the phthalate-depleted PVC plastic (6) is recycled at least in part to step a).

10. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said alcohol is selected from the list consisting of methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, 17-propanol, and preferably methanol, or from the list consisting of nonanol, linear or branched, decanol, linear or branched, undecanol, linear or branched, dodecanol, linear or branched, and preferably nonanol or decanol.

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said solvent further comprises an organic co-solvent, preferably said organic co-solvent being selected from an ester derived from said alcohol and being of formula R'COOCnF n+1, R' being an alkyl group, preferably comprising between 1 and 3 carbon atoms, and an ether, preferably said organic co-solvent is selected from the group consisting of methyl acetate, methyl propanoate, and cyclopentylmethyl ether, and said organic co-solvent being added to said alcohol such that the mass ratio between said organic co-solvent and said alcohol is between 0.01 and 4.

12. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the chemical transformation carried out by transesterification in step b), and optionally in step fi) and / or f2), is carried out: - at a temperature between room temperature and 200°C, preferably between 40°C and 180°C, at a pressure between atmospheric pressure and 11.0 MPa, preferably between atmospheric pressure and 5.0 MPa, - for a period of between 1 minute and 10 hours, preferably between 10 minutes and 4 hours, - with a molar ratio between the quantity of said alcohol of the solvent (9) and the quantity of said phthalate to be extracted or transformed is between 2 and 250, preferably between 4 and 90, and - in the presence of a transesterification catalyst, preferably chosen from the list consisting of basic homogeneous catalysts, or mineral or organic Brônsted acids, or Lewis acids, and heterogeneous catalysts formed by alkaline earth metal oxides, or carbonates or hydrogen carbonates of alkali and / or alkaline earth metals, or alkali metals supported on aluminas or zeolites, or zinc oxides and their mixtures with other oxides, or ion exchange resins.

13. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said at least one phthalate of said PVC filler is a phthalate of empirical formula CgH^COORiHCOOF ) whose ester groups are in the ortho position of the benzene ring, Ri or R2 being independently chosen from one of the elements of the group consisting of a linear or branched or cyclic alkyl chain, a linear or branched alkoxyalkyl chain, or an aryl or alkylaryl chain, Ri and / or R2 preferably comprising between 1 and 20 carbon atoms, or even between 1 and 15 carbon atoms.

14. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein said target PVC plastic is substantially free of said phthalate, and preferably comprises less than 0.1% by weight in total of phthalates selected from the list consisting of dibutyl phthalate, dioctyl or diethylhexyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, dipentyl phthalate, diisopentyl phthalate, n-pentyl isopentyl phthalate, dihexyl phthalate, bis(2-methoxyethyl) phthalate, and mixtures thereof.

15. Process for recycling a PVC-based object containing at least one phthalate comprising: - packaging said PVC-based object comprising at least one grinding or shredding of said PVC-based object to form a PVC charge in the form of particles; - recovering phthalic acid and a reusable target PVC plastic from said particulate PVC feedstock according to any one of claims 1 to 14.