Method for preparing short-chain diacid by catalytically oxidizing polyethylene with ionic liquid

Through the catalytic oxidation reaction of ionic liquid, polyethylene is converted into short-chain diacid, solving the problem of high cost of polyethylene recycling and short-chain diacid preparation, and achieving efficient, low-cost and green and environmentally friendly resource recycling.

CN120040279AActive Publication Date: 2025-05-27ZHEJIANG UNIV +1

Patent Information

Application Number
CN202510537940.2
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-04-27
Publication Date
2025-05-27
Estimated Expiration
2045-04-27

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the prior art, the recycling of polyethylene and the preparation of short-chain diacids have problems such as high cost, severe reaction and no green color, making it difficult to achieve efficient and low-cost resource recycling.

Method used

Using ionic liquid as catalyst and reaction medium, the efficient preparation of short-chain diacid is achieved through oxidation reaction with polyethylene in the presence of nitric oxide and oxygen. This method not only improves reaction efficiency and operational simplicity, but also allows the reuse of the catalyst.

Benefits of technology

The efficient degradation of polyethylene and the low-cost synthesis of short-chain diacids are achieved, with a yield of up to more than 90%, and the carbon number is controlled in the range of 4-12. The method is green and environmentally friendly, avoiding the use of metal catalysts.

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Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of chemical synthesis, and discloses a method for preparing short-chain diacid by catalytic oxidation of polyethylene with an ionic liquid, which comprises the following steps: mixing the ionic liquid and polyethylene, and mixing for oxidation reaction in the presence of nitric oxide and oxygen to obtain the short-chain diacid. According to the method, the polyethylene is adopted as the raw material for the first time, the ionic liquid is used as the reaction catalyst and the reaction medium, nitric oxide is catalyzed to generate nitrogen dioxide, efficient catalytic oxidation of the polyethylene is achieved, the short-chain diacid product with the carbon number of 4-12 is obtained, the highest yield reaches 90% or above, and the influence on the yield is not large when the polyethylene recycled material is adopted. The method not only solves the problem of polyethylene waste recovery, but also solves the problem of high preparation cost of short-chain diacid, so that the preparation cost is greatly reduced.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of chemical synthesis, and particularly relates to a method for preparing short-chain diacids by catalytic oxidation of polyethylene with ionic liquids. Background Art

[0002] Due to characteristics such as low cost, excellent performance, and easy processing and molding, plastics have become an indispensable part of modern life. According to statistics, nearly 80% of the plastic waste generated by humans is buried in landfills or ultimately enters nature, and the natural degradation process may last for hundreds of years, which will cause great harm to human health and the ecological environment. Polyethylene (PE) is one of the most widely used plastics, and its annual output accounts for more than a quarter of all plastic products. Due to the inert C-H bonds and C-C bonds, complex aggregation states, and poor solubility of polyolefins, its upgrading and recycling are full of challenges. Developing practical and efficient chemical methods to use these widely used polyolefin plastics as potential carbon resources and convert them into high-value-added chemicals can not only reduce the environmental and ecological burden but also contribute to the recycling of resources, which is of great significance for the sustainable development of human society.

[0003] Short-chain diacids are important chemicals, commonly used in the synthesis of high-molecular compounds and the preparation of biomedicines. For example, pimelic acid is not only used to prepare polymers and plasticizers but also commonly used in biochemical research, the preparation of biomedicines, and ligand synthesis. For example, it is used as a biological reagent for amino acids, proteins, and culture media, a stain for nucleic acids and their derivatives, antibiotics and vitamins, endonucleases and modifying enzymes, separation reagents for enzymes and coenzymes, and biological buffers, etc., and has wide applications and important values.

[0004] The structural formula of short-chain diacids is shown as follows:

[0005] Traditional preparation methods usually adopt the oxidation method of cyclic ketones or cyclic alcohols, using oxidants such as nitric acid to oxidize cyclic ketones or cyclic alcohols to prepare the corresponding diacids, usually with high costs, and accompanied by high energy consumption and a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions: a. Chinese Patent CN 1938254 A discloses a method for preparing a dicarboxylic acid compound. In the presence of trifluoroacetic acid, aliphatic cyclic secondary alcohol compounds or aliphatic cyclic ketone compounds are oxidized using nitrites or nitrates to prepare aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, with a yield of 100%. There are problems such as high costs of cyclic ketones or alcohols and violent exothermic reactions during the reaction.

[0006] b. The international patent WO 01 / 87815 A2 discloses a method for preparing aliphatic carboxylic acid compounds by oxidizing aliphatic or alicyclic ketones with molecular oxygen in the presence of a soluble manganese (II) compound, with a yield of 91.8%. However, it also has the disadvantage of high cost of aliphatic or alicyclic ketones.

[0007] At present, the main domestic enterprises producing short-chain diacids (C 4 -C 12 ) include Nanjing Xinhua Yuan Chemical, Shandong Daoqin Chemical, Wuhan Hengjiu Chemical, etc. They mainly use the oxidation method of cyclic ketones or alcohols. The main problems are high raw material costs, violent reactions, and lack of greenness.

[0008] In recent years, with the rise of green chemistry, the demand for using environmentally friendly catalysts and solvents has been increasing. Therefore, new methods for synthesizing short-chain diacids (C 4 -C 12 ) have been gradually developed. For example, using ionic liquids as reaction systems to convert waste polymers into high-value products is a hot research field at present. These new research results are expected to play a more important role in future applications. According to the requirements of current green chemistry, we have combined the degradation of waste polyethylene with the production of high-value diacids to create a new method for preparing short-chain diacids (C 4 -C 12 ). Summary of the Invention

[0009] In view of the urgent need to dispose of polyethylene and the problems of high value and high preparation cost of short-chain diacids (C4-C12), the present invention provides a method for preparing short-chain diacids by catalytic oxidation of polyethylene with ionic liquids. The method has high reaction efficiency, simple operation, and the catalyst can be reused, realizing the efficient degradation of polyethylene and the low-cost synthesis of short-chain diacids (C4-C12).

[0010] To achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: A method for catalytic oxidation of polyethylene with ionic liquids to prepare short-chain diacids, comprising the steps of: mixing ionic liquids and polyethylene, and performing an oxidation reaction in the presence of nitric oxide and oxygen to obtain short-chain diacids.

[0011] The present invention for the first time uses polyethylene as a raw material, and uses an ionic liquid as a reaction catalyst and reaction medium, which has good absorption performance for nitric oxide, has good contact with polyethylene, is more likely to achieve efficient catalytic oxidation of polyethylene, and controls the carbon number of the diacid product within a certain range. Finally, the yield of short-chain diacid can reach more than 90% at most, and the carbon number of the product is controlled within the range of 4-12; among them, the ionic liquid can be recycled and reused. This method not only solves the problem of polyethylene waste recycling, but also solves the problem of high preparation cost of short-chain diacids, and greatly reduces its preparation cost.

[0012] The ionic liquid includes any one or more of [trihexyltetradecylphosphonium][benzenesulfonate], [trihexyltetradecylphosphonium][trifluoroacetate], [trihexyltetradecylphosphonium][acetate], [trihexyltetradecylphosphonium][trichloroacetate], [trihexyloctylphosphonium][benzenesulfonate], [trihexyloctylphosphonium][acetate], [trihexyloctylphosphonium][trifluoroacetate], [trihexyloctylphosphonium][trichloroacetate], [tributyloctylphosphonium][benzenesulfonate], [tributyloctylphosphonium][acetate], [tributylethylphosphonium][acetate], [tributylethylphosphonium][benzenesulfonate], [triethylbutylammonium][acetate], [triethylbutylammonium][benzenesulfonate], [tetraethylammonium][acetate], [tetraethylammonium][benzenesulfonate], [tributylethylphosphonium][trifluoroacetate], [tributylethylphosphonium][acetate].

[0013] Preferably, the ionic liquid with good absorption performance for nitric oxide and small contact tension with polyethylene includes any one or more of [trihexyltetradecylphosphonium][benzenesulfonate], [trihexyltetradecylphosphonium][trifluoroacetate], [trihexyltetradecylphosphonium][acetate], [tributyloctylphosphonium][acetate], [tributylethylphosphonium][trichloroacetate], [triethylbutylammonium][acetate].

[0014] The mass ratio of the ionic liquid to polyethylene is 0.5 or more. Preferably, the mass ratio of the ionic liquid to polyethylene is 1 or more, more preferably 2 or more, and further preferably 2-6. Increasing the amount of the ionic liquid is beneficial to improving the yield, but too much has little effect on the yield but increases the cost.

[0015] The pressure of the nitric oxide is 0.1~1 MPa. Preferably, the pressure of the nitric oxide is 0.2~1 MPa, and more preferably the pressure of the nitric oxide is 0.4~0.8 MPa. The more the NO content, the more beneficial it is to the progress of the reaction and the higher the yield.

[0016] The pressure of the oxygen is 0.5-10 MPa. Preferably, the pressure of the oxygen is 1.0~5.0 MPa.

[0017] The temperature of the oxidation reaction is 80 - 160°C, and the reaction time is 10 - 36 h. Preferably, the reaction temperature is 100 - 160°C, and the reaction time is 12 - 30 h.

[0018] After the reaction, the ionic liquid can be recycled. The recycling of the ionic liquid includes: adding water to the reaction system to dissolve the product, and extracting the aqueous phase with dichloromethane to separate and recycle the ionic liquid and the diacid product.

[0019] The separation and purification process of the short-chain diacid product includes: adding a sulfuric acid methanol solution to the diacid product separated from the ionic liquid, refluxing the reaction to methylate the short-chain diacid product, separating the dimethyl esters of the binary acids of each component by vacuum distillation, and then hydrolyzing to obtain the short-chain diacids of each component.

[0020] The short-chain diacids include one or more of succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, undecanedioic acid, dodecanedioic acid, etc.

[0021] The yield of the short-chain diacids is above 30%. Preferably, the yield can be above 40%, above 50%, above 60%, above 70%, above 80%, above 90%, and the highest can reach 92%.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: In the present invention, the method of catalytic oxidation with ionic liquid is used to achieve the efficient degradation of waste polyethylene under mild conditions, avoiding the use of metal catalysts. The waste polyethylene is controllably converted into high-value short-chain diacids, and the low-cost synthesis of short-chain diacids (C 4 -C 12 ) is realized through a new route. Description of the Drawings

[0023] Figure 1 It is the distribution and yield of the short-chain diacid product in Example 1.

[0024] Figure 2 It is the gas chromatogram of the short-chain diacid product in Example 1. Detailed Embodiments

[0025] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art make modifications or equivalent replacements on the basis of understanding the technical solutions of the present invention, and without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, they should all be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0026] The raw materials used in the following specific embodiments are all purchased from the market. Raw materials such as ionic liquids, polyethylene, and nitric oxide are purchased from companies such as Anhui Zesheng Technology Co., Ltd. and Jingong Specialties Co., Ltd., and the drug purity is chemically pure. The new polyethylene is purchased from Macklin Reagent Manufacturer, with the product number H790495, and the melting index: 12 g / 10 min (190 °C / 2.16 kg). The polyethylene waste comes from common plastic bags.

[0027] Example 1 In a 100 ml autoclave with mechanical stirring conditions, add [trihexyltetradecylphosphonium][benzenesulfonate] (20 g) and polyethylene (5 g), stir and mix, and fill with 0.5 MPa of NO and 3 MPa of O 2 at room temperature. Control the reaction temperature at 140 °C, the stirring rate at 200 r / min, and react for 24 h. After the reaction, add sulfuric acid methanol solution to the system, reflux for 1 h to achieve the methylation of the product diacid, separate the dimethyl esters of each component of the dibasic acid by vacuum distillation, and finally obtain short-chain dibasic acids with carbon numbers ranging from 4 to 12 through hydrolysis, with a conversion rate ≥ 99% and a yield of 91%.

[0028] The yield and product distribution are as Figure 1 shown, and the component characterization of the product is as Figure 2 shown. It can be seen that the products are all dibasic acids with C4-12, and the yield of short-chain products is higher.

[0029] Examples 2 - 5 According to the process conditions of Example 1, control the mechanical stirring speed at 200 r / min, and keep the ionic liquid, NO and O 2 pressure and reaction time the same as above, change the reaction temperature, and the product distribution and yield are shown in Table 1. It can be seen that the decrease of the reaction temperature will lead to the decrease of the conversion rate and the yield. Too high a reaction temperature will lead to the decrease of the yield.

[0030] Table 1 Influence of different reaction temperatures on the oxidation reaction of polyethylene Serial number Reaction temperature (°C) Conversion rate (%) Diacid yield (%) Example 2 80 50 38 Example 3 100 90 72 Example 4 120 ≥99 80 Example 1 140 ≥99 91 Example 5 160 ≥99 62 Examples 6 - 10 According to the process conditions of Example 1, control the mechanical stirring speed at 200 r / min, and keep the ionic liquid, NO and O 2 pressure and reaction temperature the same as above, change the reaction time, and the product distribution and yield are shown in Table 2. It can be seen that the decrease of the reaction time will lead to the decrease of the conversion rate and the yield. Too long a reaction time will lead to the decrease of the yield.

[0031] Table 2 Influence of different reaction times on the oxidation reaction of polyethylene Serial number Reaction time (t) Conversion rate (%) Diacid yield (%) Example 6 6 15 7 Example 7 12 63 53 Example 8 18 82 72 Example 1 24 ≥99 91 Example 9 30 ≥99 81 Example 10 36 ≥99 69 Examples 11 - 16 Under the process conditions of Example 1, control the mechanical stirring speed at 200 r / min. The ionic liquid, O 2 pressure, reaction temperature and time are the same as above. Change the pressure of NO charged. The product distribution and yield are shown in Table 3. It can be seen that the decrease in the pressure of NO charged will lead to the decrease in conversion rate and yield. Excessive pressure of NO charged will lead to the decrease in yield.

[0032] Table 3 Influence of Different NO Charging Pressures on the Oxidation Reaction of Polyethylene Serial number NO pressure (MPa) Conversion rate (%) Diacid yield (%) Example 11 0.1 47 42 Example 12 0.2 60 52 Example 13 0.4 85 74 Example 1 0.5 ≥99 91 Example 14 0.6 92 82 Example 15 0.8 ≥99 75 Example 16 1 ≥99 61 Examples 17 - 21 Under the process conditions of Example 1, control the mechanical stirring speed at 200 r / min. The ionic liquid, NO pressure, reaction temperature and time are the same as above. Change the pressure of O 2 charged. The product distribution and yield are shown in Table 4. It can be seen that the decrease in the pressure of O 2 charged will lead to the decrease in conversion rate and yield. The increase in the pressure of O 2 charged does not result in an obvious change in yield.

[0033] Table 4 Influence of Different O 2 Charging Pressures on the Oxidation Reaction of Polyethylene Serial number <![CDATA[O 2 Pressure (MPa)]]> Conversion rate (%) Diacid yield (%) Example 17 1.0 67 63 Example 18 2.0 95 85 Example 19 2.5 ≥99 91 Example 1 3 ≥99 91 Example 20 4.0 ≥99 90 Example 21 5.0 ≥99 89 Examples 22 - 28 Under the process conditions of Example 1, control the mechanical stirring speed at 200 r / min. The amount of ionic liquid used, NO and O 2 pressures, reaction temperature and time are the same as above. Change the type of ionic liquid. The product distribution and yield are shown in Table 5. It can be seen that with the shortening of the cationic chain length and the increase in the polarity of the ionic liquid, the yield will decrease. Different anions also have a certain influence on the yield Table 5 Influence of Different Types of Ionic Liquids on the Oxidation Reaction of Polyethylene Serial number Types of ILs Conversion rate (%) Diacid yield (%) Example 1 [Trihexyltetradecylphosphonium][benzenesulfonate] ≥99 91 Example 22 [Trihexyltetradecylphosphonium][trifluoroacetate] 92 86 Example 23 [Trihexyltetradecylphosphonium][acetate] 87 80 Example 24 [Trihexyloctylphosphonium][benzenesulfonate] ≥99 88 Example 25 [Tributyloctylphosphonium][acetate] ≥99 80 Example 26 [Tributylethylammonium][trichloroacetate] ≥99 75 Example 27 [Triethylbutylammonium][acetate] ≥99 70 Example 28 [Tetraethylammonium][benzenesulfonate] ≥99 64 Examples 29 - 34 Under the process conditions of Example 1, control the mechanical stirring speed at 200 r / min. The type of ionic liquid, NO and O 2 pressures, reaction temperature and time are the same as above. Change the amount of ionic liquid used. The product distribution and yield are shown in Table 6. It can be seen that the decrease in the amount of ionic liquid used will lead to the decrease in conversion rate and yield. The increase in the amount of ionic liquid used has no obvious influence on the yield.

[0034] Table 6 Influence of Different Amounts of Ionic Liquid on the Oxidation Reaction of Polyethylene Serial number Dosage of ILs (g) Conversion rate (%) Diacid yield (%) Example 29 0 4 1 Example 30 5 90 60 Example 31 10 ≥99 80 Example 32 15 ≥99 86 Example 1 20 ≥99 91 Example 33 25 ≥99 91 Example 34 30 ≥99 92 Example 35 According to the process conditions of Example 1, control the mechanical stirring speed at 200 r / min, the type and dosage of ionic liquid, NO and O 2 The pressure, reaction temperature and time are the same as above. Using the recycled ionic liquid, the product distribution and yield are shown in Table 7.

[0035] The recycled ionic liquid is obtained after the reaction in Example 1. After adding water to dissolve the product, dichloromethane is used to extract the aqueous phase to separate and recycle the ionic liquid and the diacid product. The recycled ionic liquid is obtained after removing dichloromethane.

[0036] It can be seen that the recycled ionic liquid still maintains high reaction activity and has no obvious effect on the reaction yield.

[0037] Table 7 Influence of recycled ionic liquid on polyethylene oxidation in the subsequent reaction Serial number Dosage of recycled ILs (g) Conversion rate (%) Diacid yield (%) Example 35 20 ≥99 89 Example 36 According to the process conditions of Example 1, control the mechanical stirring speed at 200 r / min, the type and dosage of ionic liquid, NO and O 2 The pressure, reaction temperature and time are the same as above. Using recycled polyethylene as the reactant, the product distribution and yield are shown in Table 8.

[0038] Table 8 Influence of using recycled polyethylene as the reactant on the oxidation reaction Serial number Dosage of PE in recycled material (g) Conversion rate (%) Diacid yield (%) Example 36 5 ≥99 88 It can be seen that using recycled polyethylene can still achieve good results and has almost no obvious effect on the reaction yield.

Claims

1. A method for preparing short-chain diacids by oxidizing polyethylene using ionic liquid catalysis, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: mixing ionic liquid and polyethylene, and performing an oxidation reaction on the mixture in the presence of nitrogen monoxide and oxygen to obtain a short-chain diacid.

2. The method for preparing short-chain diacids by oxidizing polyethylene using ionic liquid as catalyst according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ionic liquid includes any one or more of [trihexyltetradecyl phosphate] [benzenesulfonic acid], [trihexyltetradecyl phosphate] [trifluoroacetic acid], [trihexyltetradecyl phosphate] [acetic acid], [trihexyltetradecyl phosphate] [trichloroacetic acid], [trihexyloctyl phosphate] [benzenesulfonic acid], [trihexyloctyl phosphate] [acetic acid], [trihexyloctyl phosphate] [trifluoroacetic acid], [trihexyloctyl phosphate] [trichloroacetic acid], [tributyloctyl phosphate] [benzenesulfonic acid], [tributyloctyl phosphate] [acetic acid], [tributylethyl phosphate] [acetic acid], [tributylethyl phosphate] [benzenesulfonic acid], [triethylbutylammonium] [acetic acid], [triethylbutylammonium] [benzenesulfonic acid], [tetraethylammonium] [acetic acid], [tetraethylammonium] [benzenesulfonic acid], [tributylethyl phosphate] [trifluoroacetic acid], and [tributylethyl phosphate] [acetic acid].

3. The method for preparing short-chain diacids by oxidizing polyethylene using ionic liquid as catalyst according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mass ratio of the ionic liquid to the polyethylene is greater than 0.

5.

4. The method for preparing short-chain diacids by oxidizing polyethylene using ionic liquid as catalyst according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure of the nitric oxide is 0.1 ~ 1 MPa.

5. The method for preparing short-chain diacids by oxidizing polyethylene using ionic liquid as catalyst according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure of the oxygen is 0.5-10 MPa.

6. The method for preparing short-chain diacids by oxidizing polyethylene with ionic liquid catalysis according to claim 1, characterized in that: The temperature of the oxidation reaction is 80-160°C, and the reaction time is 10-36 hours.

7. The method for preparing short-chain diacids by oxidizing polyethylene using ionic liquid as catalyst according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the reaction is completed, the ionic liquid can be recycled and reused. The recycling of the ionic liquid includes: adding water to the reaction system to dissolve the product, extracting the aqueous phase with dichloromethane, and realizing the separation and recycling of the ionic liquid and the diacid product.

8. The method for preparing short-chain diacids by oxidizing polyethylene with ionic liquid catalysis according to claim 1, characterized in that: The separation and purification process of the product short-chain diacid includes: adding a sulfuric acid methanol solution to the diacid product separated from the ionic liquid, reflux reaction to methylate the product short-chain diacid, separation of the dimethyl esters of the dibasic acids of each component by reduced pressure distillation, and then hydrolysis to obtain the short-chain diacids of each component.

9. The method for preparing short-chain diacids by oxidizing polyethylene catalyzed by ionic liquid according to claim 1, characterized in that: The short-chain diacids include one or more of succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, undecanedioic acid, and dodecanedioic acid.

10. The method for preparing short-chain diacids by oxidizing polyethylene using ionic liquid as catalyst according to claim 1, characterized in that: The yield of the short-chain diacid is above 30%.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Method for alcoholysis recovery of waste PET polyester by using ionic liquid as catalyst

    CN116283566A

  • Process for producing aliphatic dicarboxylic acid compound

    CN1938254A

  • AU6228301A

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