Polymerization inhibiting and emulsion breaking compositions and methods of use

Abstract

The present invention relates to a composition for inhibiting polymerization and simultaneously breaking emulsions formed between hydrocarbons and caustic alkali, the composition comprising an amino acid and a borohydride, the amino acid being preferably 6-aminohexanoic acid and the borohydride being preferably sodium borohydride. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for inhibiting polymerization and simultaneously breaking emulsions by treating a polymerizable material with the additive composition of the present invention. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to the use of the additive composition of the present invention to inhibit polymerization and simultaneously break emulsions by adding the additive composition to a polymerizable material. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to the use of the additive composition to prevent contamination caused by polymerization in a basic solution, the polymerizable material being treated with the additive composition of the present invention.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] First, the present invention is not intended to be defensive. The present invention relates to polymerization inhibiting and emulsion breaking compositions and methods of use thereof. In particular, the present invention relates to polymerization inhibiting and emulsion breaking compositions and methods of using same to inhibit polymerization and simultaneously break emulsions formed between hydrocarbons and caustic. More specifically, the present invention relates to a polymerization inhibiting and emulsion breaking composition comprising an amino acid and a borohydride for inhibiting polymerization and at the same time breaking emulsions formed between hydrocarbons and caustic. More specifically, the present invention also relates to the use of an additive composition comprising an amino acid and a borohydride to inhibit polymerization and at the same time break up emulsions formed between hydrocarbons and caustic. The present invention also relates to the use of an additive composition comprising an amino acid and a borohydride to prevent contamination caused by polymerization in basic solutions in contact with gaseous or liquid hydrocarbon streams that are effluent from hydrocarbon cracking operations. [Background technology]

[0002] In thermal cracking operations, feedstocks such as ethane, propane, naphtha, kerosene, gas oil, fuel oil, etc., are "cracked," i.e., subjected to removal of hydrogen to form unsaturated hydrocarbons. Thermal cracking also tends to produce oxygenated hydrocarbons, including carbonyl compounds such as acetaldehyde. In typical operations, the cracked effluent stream is quenched, fractionated, and compressed. Acidic contaminants such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide, and mercaptans are typically removed from the effluent hydrocarbon stream by washing in a caustic scrubber. Caustic scrubbers partially remove oxygenated hydrocarbons, however, at the same time, the basic conditions in the scrubber tend to cause base-induced condensation reactions of carbonyl compounds, particularly including aldehydes (e.g., acetaldehyde) and / or ketones, which in turn lead to the formation of polymers.

[0003] Polymerization of oxygenated compounds such as carbonyl-containing organics in basic solutions has been stopped by adding amine compounds such as hydroxylamine hydrochloride, hydroxylamine sulfate, hydrazine, carbohydrazide, etc. Several patents relate to methods for inhibiting carbonyl contamination. The present inventors have previously reported a method of inhibiting polymerization in Patent Document 1, which has also been found to be advantageous in dissolving deposits formed during polymerization. In Patent Document 1, the present inventors proposed the use of lactams or amino acids to inhibit polymerization and solubilize deposits formed during polymerization. According to the disclosure of Patent Document 1, an additive selected from the group consisting of 6-aminohexanoic acid, taurine, NH2(CH2)xYOzOH (wherein x is an integer of 1 to 12, Y can be S or C, and z=1 to 2), their isomers, salts, and combinations, and β-alanine and its salts, is effective in inhibiting polymerization and dissolving deposits formed during polymerization. The present inventors also reported in Patent Document 1 that an additive selected from the group consisting of acid salts of 6-aminohexanoic acid and an acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, perchloric acid, and organic acids is effective in inhibiting polymerization and dissolving deposits formed during polymerization. The present inventors also reported in Patent Document 1 that an additive selected from the group consisting of 6-aminohexanoic acid and the sodium salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid is also effective in inhibiting polymerization and dissolving deposits formed during polymerization when the component in the feed stream is a carbonyl compound and the molar ratio of the carbonyl compound to 6-aminohexanoic acid or the sodium salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid is 1:10 to 1:0.01.

[0004] However, the present inventors have found that the additives disclosed in Patent Document 1 are as follows: a) 6-aminohexanoic acid b) or an acid salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid c) or the sodium salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid It was found that. While these may be effective in inhibiting polymerization (controlling polymer formation), they do not overcome the problem of emulsions formed between the hydrocarbon and the caustic, and therefore the additives of the '100 patent are not effective in preventing the formation of emulsions or breaking up emulsions that are formed. The inventors have found that when the additive of the patent specification is used, the time to break the formed emulsion is substantially longer. According to the experimental data shown in Table 1 of the present invention, the inventors have found the following: i) At a dose of 0.25 ml (0.29 g), the time to emulsion breakdown after toluene extraction is approximately 4 minutes. ii) At a dosage of 0.30 ml (0.34 g), the time to break the emulsion after toluene extraction increases to approximately 5 minutes. iii) At a dosage of 0.35 ml (0.40 g), the time to break the emulsion after toluene extraction increases to approximately 7 minutes. iv) At a dosage of 0.40 ml (0.46 g), the time to break the emulsion after toluene extraction increases to approximately 12 minutes. v) At a dose of 0.50 ml (0.57 g), the time to break the emulsion after toluene extraction increases to approximately 14 minutes. We found that.

[0005] From the above experimental data in Table 1 of the prior art Patent Document 1, it can be clearly seen that the time to break the emulsion is substantially higher with each dosage, and further substantially increases from about 4 minutes to about 14 minutes with an increase in dosage of the additive of Patent Document 1 from 0.25 ml (0.29 g) to 0.50 ml (0.57 g), making such a composition and method very uneconomical. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 6,986,839 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Thus, there is a need for an additive or additive composition that is not only effective in inhibiting and controlling polymerization, but also effective in reducing or nearly eliminating the tendency to form emulsions, and, if an emulsion does form, has a tendency to break the emulsion. Thus, there is a need for an additive composition that is not only effective in inhibiting and controlling polymerization, but also effective in reducing or nearly eliminating the tendency to form emulsions, and, if an emulsion does form, effective in breaking up the formed emulsion, where the time to break up the formed emulsion is substantially reduced or decreased even at lower dosages of the additive composition, and further, where the time to break up the formed emulsion does not substantially increase with increasing dosages of the additive composition, and thus is economical.

[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an additive composition which is not only effective in inhibiting and controlling polymerization, but which is also effective in reducing or nearly eliminating the tendency to form emulsions, and, if an emulsion does form, has a tendency to break the emulsion. It is therefore an object of the present invention to solve the problems of the prior art by providing an additive composition which is not only effective in inhibiting and controlling polymerization, but should also be effective in reducing or nearly eliminating the tendency to form emulsions, and should be effective in breaking up the formed emulsion if an emulsion is formed, and the time to break up the formed emulsion should be substantially reduced or decreased even at lower dosages of the additive composition; further, the time to break up the formed emulsion should not increase substantially with increasing dosages of the additive composition, and therefore should be economical.

[0009] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an additive composition which is not only effective in inhibiting and controlling polymerization, but is also effective in reducing or nearly eliminating the tendency to form emulsions, and, if an emulsion is formed, is effective in breaking up the formed emulsion, the time to break up the formed emulsion is substantially reduced or decreased even at lower dosages of the additive composition; further, the time to break up the formed emulsion does not substantially increase with increasing dosages of the additive composition, and is therefore economical. It also provides a method for inhibiting and controlling polymerization and simultaneously breaking emulsions by treating polymerizable materials with the additive composition of the present invention. It is also an object of the present invention to provide the use of the additive composition to inhibit and control polymerization and simultaneously break emulsions formed by treating polymerizable materials with the additive composition of the present invention. It is also an object of the present invention to provide the use of the additive composition to prevent fouling by inhibiting polymerization in basic solutions in contact with gaseous or liquid hydrocarbon streams that are effluent from hydrocarbon cracking operations. Further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] With a view to solving the above problems of the prior art, the present inventors have surprisingly and unexpectedly discovered that a composition comprising aminohexanoic acid and borohydride, when added to a polymerizable material or a stream of polymerizable material, exhibits a synergistic effect by being effective in reducing or nearly eliminating the tendency to form emulsions, and, if an emulsion is formed, being effective in breaking up the formed emulsion, and being effective in inhibiting and controlling polymerization. The present inventors have surprisingly and unexpectedly found that compositions comprising aminohexanoic acid and borohydride are suitable for substantially reducing the time to break up a formed emulsion, even at lower doses of the additive composition, and further have surprisingly and unexpectedly found that the time to break up a formed emulsion does not increase substantially with increasing doses of the additive composition of the present invention.

[0011] Thus, in a first embodiment, the present invention relates to an additive composition for inhibiting and controlling polymerization, while simultaneously reducing or substantially eliminating the tendency to form emulsions, and breaking up formed emulsions if they do form, the additive composition comprising aminohexanoic acid and borohydride. Thus, in a second embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for inhibiting and controlling polymerization, while simultaneously reducing or substantially eliminating the formation of emulsions, and breaking the emulsions that do form, by treating a polymerizable material with the additive composition of the present invention. Thus, in a third embodiment, the present invention relates to the use of an additive composition to inhibit and control polymerization and simultaneously reduce or nearly eliminate the formation of emulsions, and break up the formed emulsions, if they are formed, by using the additive composition of the present invention in a stream of polymerizable material. Thus, in one aspect, the present invention relates to an additive composition comprising aminohexanoic acid and borohydride to inhibit and control polymerization and simultaneously break up any formed emulsions.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, aminohexanoic acid can be 6-aminohexanoic acid or can be used as the acid salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid or the sodium salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid or any other salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the aminohexanoic acid is preferably 6-aminohexanoic acid.

[0013] In one embodiment of the invention, the borohydride may be sodium borohydride, potassium borohydride, lithium borohydride, an ammonium salt of borohydride, or sodium triisopropoxyborohydride. The ammonium salt of borohydride may be tetramethylammonium borohydride, or tetraethylammonium borohydride. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the borohydride is preferably sodium borohydride (NaBH4). Thus, in a first embodiment, the present invention provides a method for producing a method for treating a pulmonary arthritis, comprising: (a) an aminohexanoic acid [compound-A] selected from the group consisting of 6-aminohexanoic acid, acid salts of 6-aminohexanoic acid, sodium salts of 6-aminohexanoic acid, and mixtures thereof; and (b) a borohydride compound [Compound B] selected from the group consisting of sodium borohydride, potassium borohydride, lithium borohydride, ammonium salts of borohydride, sodium triisopropoxyborohydride, and mixtures thereof; A destructive additive composition comprising:

[0014] Therefore, in a second embodiment, the present invention also provides the following for breaking emulsion and simultaneously inhibiting and controlling polymerization: (a) an aminohexanoic acid [Compound-A] selected from the group consisting of 6-aminohexanoic acid, an acid salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid, a sodium salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid, or a mixture thereof; and (b) a borohydride compound [Compound B] selected from the group comprising sodium borohydride, potassium borohydride, lithium borohydride, ammonium borohydride salts, sodium triisopropoxyborohydride, or mixtures thereof. The additive composition comprises: In the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the aminohexanoic acid is preferably 6-aminohexanoic acid. In the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the borohydride is preferably sodium borohydride (NaBH4).

[0015] In the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the polymerizable material is selected from materials that tend to polymerize when heated, condensed, or cracked. In the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the polymerizable material is a polymer formed by aldol condensation or aldol condensation of acetaldehyde. In the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the ammonium salt of borohydride is tetramethylammonium borohydride or tetraethylammonium borohydride.

[0016] Thus, in a third embodiment, the present invention is a method for breaking an emulsion and simultaneously inhibiting and controlling the polymerization of a polymerizable material, comprising treating the polymerizable material with an additive composition, the additive composition comprising: (a) an aminohexanoic acid [compound-A] selected from the group consisting of 6-aminohexanoic acid, acid salts of 6-aminohexanoic acid, sodium salts of 6-aminohexanoic acid, and mixtures thereof; and (b) a borohydride compound [Compound B] selected from the group consisting of sodium borohydride, potassium borohydride, lithium borohydride, ammonium salts of borohydride, sodium triisopropoxyborohydride, and mixtures thereof; Includes. In a third embodiment of the present invention, the aminohexanoic acid is preferably 6-aminohexanoic acid. In a third embodiment of the present invention, the borohydride is preferably sodium borohydride (NaBH4). In a third embodiment of the present invention, the aminohexanoic acid and the borohydride are added to the polymerizable material as a blend or mixture in a one-step process. In a third embodiment of the present invention, an emulsion is formed between a hydrocarbon and a caustic. In a third embodiment of the invention, the polymerizable material is selected from materials that tend to polymerize upon heating, condensing, or cracking. In a third embodiment of the invention, the polymerizable material is a polymer formed by aldol condensation, preferably by aldol condensation of acetaldehyde.

[0017] Thus, in a fourth embodiment, the present invention relates to the use of an additive composition for breaking an emulsion and simultaneously inhibiting and controlling the polymerization of a polymerizable material, the method comprising the step of adding an additive composition to a polymerizable material, the additive composition comprising: (a) an aminohexanoic acid [Compound-A] selected from the group consisting of 6-aminohexanoic acid, an acid salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid, a sodium salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid, or a mixture thereof; and (b) a borohydride compound selected from the group consisting of sodium borohydride, potassium borohydride, lithium borohydride, ammonium borohydride, sodium triisopropoxyborohydride, or a mixture thereof [Compound B] Includes. In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the aminohexanoic acid is preferably 6-aminohexanoic acid. In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the borohydride is preferably sodium borohydride (NaBH4). In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the aminohexanoic acid and the borohydride are added to the polymerizable material as a blend or mixture in a one-step process. In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, an emulsion is formed between a hydrocarbon and a caustic. In a fourth embodiment of the invention, the polymerizable material is selected from materials that tend to polymerize upon heating, condensing or cracking. In a fourth embodiment of the invention, the polymerizable material is a polymer formed by aldol condensation, preferably by aldol condensation of acetaldehyde.

[0018] Thus, in a fifth embodiment, the present invention relates to the use of an additive composition for preventing contamination, the method comprising the step of adding the additive composition to a polymerizable material, the additive composition being (a) an aminohexanoic acid [compound-A] selected from the group consisting of 6-aminohexanoic acid, acid salts of 6-aminohexanoic acid, sodium salts of 6-aminohexanoic acid, and mixtures thereof; and (b) a borohydride compound [Compound B] selected from the group consisting of sodium borohydride, potassium borohydride, lithium borohydride, ammonium salts of borohydride, sodium triisopropoxyborohydride, and mixtures thereof; Includes. In a fifth embodiment of the present invention, the aminohexanoic acid is preferably 6-aminohexanoic acid. In a fifth embodiment of the present invention, the borohydride is preferably sodium borohydride (NaBH4). In a fifth embodiment of the present invention, an emulsion is formed between a hydrocarbon and a caustic. In a fifth embodiment of the invention, the polymerizable material is selected from materials that tend to polymerize when heated, condensed or cracked. In a fifth embodiment of the invention, the polymerizable material is a polymer formed by aldol condensation, preferably by aldol condensation of acetaldehyde. In a fifth embodiment of the invention, the contamination is caused or formed by polymerization of a polymerizable material in a basic solution. In a fifth embodiment of the invention, the basic solution is contacted with a gaseous or liquid hydrocarbon stream. In a fifth embodiment of the present invention, the gaseous and liquid hydrocarbon streams are effluents from a hydrocarbon cracking operation. In a fifth embodiment of the present invention, the aminohexanoic acid and the borohydride are added to the polymerizable material as a blend or mixture in a one-step process. In a fifth embodiment of the invention, the contamination is caused by polymerization in a basic solution in contact with a gaseous or liquid hydrocarbon stream that is the effluent from a hydrocarbon cracking operation.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the aminohexanoic acid and borohydride components of the additive composition herein may be added to the polymerizable material in any order. However, it has been surprisingly and unexpectedly discovered that when the aminohexanoic acid and borohydride components of the additive composition herein are added together as a blend or mixture into a polymerizable material, the time to break up the emulsion that is formed is substantially reduced as compared to when the aminohexanoic acid and borohydride components of the additive composition herein are added separately. Thus, in a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is a method for inhibiting and controlling polymerization and breaking emulsions by treating a polymerizable material with an additive composition comprising: (a) aminohexanoic acid; and (b) borohydride; Here, the aminohexanoic acid and the borohydride are added together as a blend or mixture into the polymerizable material. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, it has been surprisingly and unexpectedly discovered that: (i) For a 0.25 ml (0.29 g) dose of the composition containing about 98% 6-aminohexanoic acid and about 2% sodium borohydride (NaBH4), the time to break the emulsion after toluene extraction is instantaneous versus about 4 minutes using the prior art additive. (ii) Similarly, for a 0.30 ml (0.34 g) dose of a composition of the present invention containing about 98% 6-aminohexanoic acid and about 2% sodium borohydride (NaBH4), the time to break the emulsion after toluene extraction is about 1 minute versus about 5 minutes using the prior art additive. (iii) Similarly, for a 0.35 ml (0.40 g) dose of the present composition containing about 98% 6-aminohexanoic acid and about 2% sodium borohydride (NaBH4), the time to break the emulsion after toluene extraction is about 3 minutes compared to about 7 minutes using the prior art additive. (iv) Similarly, for a 0.40 ml (0.46 g) dose of a composition of the present invention containing about 98% 6-aminohexanoic acid and about 2% sodium borohydride (NaBH4), the time to break the emulsion after toluene extraction is about 4 minutes versus about 12 minutes using the prior art additive. (v) Similarly, for a 0.50 ml (0.57 g) dose of the composition containing about 98% 6-aminohexanoic acid and about 2% sodium borohydride (NaBH4), the time to break the emulsion after toluene extraction is about 4 minutes compared to about 14 minutes using the prior art additive. It was found that.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, 6-aminohexanoic acid can be prepared by any method known in the art, including but not limited to the methods described in Examples 3, 4, or 10 of US Pat. No. 5,999,363. In a preferred embodiment, the polymer control can be measured by any known method. In the present example, the polymer control is measured by a toluene solubility reading and the demulsification tendency is measured by the time it takes for the toluene and caustic phases to separate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] As can be seen from the above discussion of experimental findings, the problems of the prior art have been solved and the additive composition of the present invention has surprisingly and unexpectedly been found to be not only effective in inhibiting and controlling polymerization, but also effective in reducing or nearly eliminating the tendency to form emulsions, and, if an emulsion does form, has the technical advantage of breaking the emulsion in a substantially reduced time period. Based on the experimental results of the present invention, the inventors, without being bound by theory or mechanism, found that when the prior art additive: 6-aminohexanoic acid is added to polymerizable material, an emulsion is formed, which is believed to be the reason for the substantial increase in the time to break the emulsion in the two-step process of the present invention.However, when 6-aminohexanoic acid is combined with NaBH4, i.e., when the additive composition of the present invention is added as a blend or mixture in a one-step process, the formed emulsion breaks much faster than when the prior art additives, i.e., the 6-aminohexanoic acid additive of Patent Document 1 and the NaBH4 additive of US Patent No. 5,582,808 (US Patent No. 808) are used individually, which supports the synergistic effect of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention has the following technical advantages: (a) inhibiting and controlling polymerization; and (b) if an emulsion is formed, it tends to break the emulsion more quickly than the prior art additives (i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,313 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,008,636). It was found that there was both. It may be noted herein that neither the '808 patent nor the '808 patent discuss the problem of emulsions formed between hydrocarbons and caustic alkali, and the question of providing a solution to this problem is not raised in the '808 patent and the '808 patent. Thus, according to the present invention, the time to break the formed emulsion is substantially reduced even at lower doses of the additive composition of the present invention, and further, the time to break the formed emulsion also does not substantially increase with increasing doses of the additive composition of the present invention. The present invention also overcomes the problems of borohydride as used in the prior art US Patent No. 808, where a substantially higher amount of borohydride was required, particularly at a molar ratio of about 4:1::carbonyl:borohydride or at least about 25%. Furthermore, although the time to break the emulsion can be shortened using borohydride, polymerization is still high. As can be seen from the attached experimental data, according to the present invention, the amount of borohydride is generally very low, which not only results in faster breaking of emulsion, but also inhibits and controls polymerization. In an embodiment of the invention, the composition comprises: a) about 99.9% to 90% by weight of said aminohexanoic acid and about 0.1% to 10% by weight of said borohydride b) preferably about 99.9% to 95% by weight of aminohexanoic acid and about 0.1% to 5% by weight of borohydride; c) More preferably, about 99.9% to 97% by weight of aminohexanoic acid and about 0.1% to 3% by weight of borohydride. d) even more preferably, about 99.9% to 97.5% by weight of aminohexanoic acid and about 0.1% to 2.5% by weight of borohydride; e) even more preferably, about 99.9% to 98.5% by weight of aminohexanoic acid and about 0.1% to 1.5% by weight of borohydride; may include:

[0022] An object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of borohydride. In an embodiment of the present invention, the amount of the composition of the present invention that may be added to the polymerizable material is as follows: i) About 5ppm~3000ppm; ii) preferably about 5 ppm to 2000 ppm; iii) more preferably about 5 ppm to 1000 ppm; iv) Even more preferably, it is about 5 ppm to 500 ppm. It may change like this.

[0023] An object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of additive composition. The polymerizable material referred to herein is a material that tends to polymerize either when heated, condensed, or cracked. In one embodiment of the present invention, the polymerizable material referred to herein is a polymer formed due to aldol condensation, preferably due to aldol condensation of acetaldehyde, which is sometimes referred to in the industry as aldol or red tide polymer, with vinyl acetate (VA) being the source of acetaldehyde. The emulsions referred to herein are emulsions formed between the hydrocarbons and the caustic which impede the separation process of the hydrocarbons and the caustic. The additive compositions provided herein not only reduce polymerization, i.e., polymer formation, but also have the technical advantage of reducing or nearly eliminating the tendency to form emulsions and, if an emulsion does form, the tendency to break the emulsion formed between the hydrocarbons and the caustic. EXAMPLES

[0024] The additive compositions of the present invention can be prepared in any manner and used in any manner to simultaneously inhibit polymerization and break emulsions formed between hydrocarbons and caustic. In one embodiment of the present invention, the 6-aminohexanoic acid used in this example can be prepared by any method known in the art, including but not limited to the methods described in Examples 3, 4, or 10 of U.S. Patent No. 5,991,943, and the sodium borohydride (NaBH4) used in this example is commercially available. For experimental results, please refer to the experimental data shown in the following tables. Tables I and II are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In this example, the polymer control is measured by the toluene solubility reading and the tendency to break the emulsion is measured by the time it takes for the toluene and caustic phases to separate. Note that the denser the emulsion, the more time it takes to break the emulsion and the higher the tendency to form an emulsion, the longer it will take to break. As can be seen from the attached experimental results, the prior art additive: NaBH4 takes less time for the toluene (hydrocarbon) and caustic phases to separate, but the amount of polymer formed is higher, therefore, it is not the preferred choice of the industry. As can be observed from the attached experimental results, the prior art additive: 6-aminohexanoic acid, takes longer time for the toluene (hydrocarbon) and caustic phases to separate, therefore, it is also not the preferred choice of the industry. As can be seen from the accompanying experimental results, the comparative additive compositions containing (a) 6-aminohexanoic acid and (b) hydroxylamine chloride, or sodium dithionite, or ethylenediamine, require longer times for the toluene (hydrocarbon) and caustic phases to separate, and therefore are also not the industrially preferred choice. However, the composition of the present invention comprising (a) 6-aminohexanoic acid and (b) NaBH4 takes less time for the toluene (hydrocarbon) and caustic phases to separate and also results in less amount of polymer being formed, therefore, it is the preferred choice of the industry.

[0025] [Table 1]

[0026] [Table 2]

Claims

1. below: (a) an aminohexanoic acid [compound A] selected from the group consisting of 6-aminohexanoic acid, acid salts of 6-aminohexanoic acid, sodium salts of 6-aminohexanoic acid, and mixtures thereof; and (b) Sodium borohydride (NaBH ４ ), a borohydride compound [compound B] selected from the group consisting of potassium borohydride, lithium borohydride, ammonium salts of borohydride, sodium triisopropoxyborohydride, and mixtures thereof; 1. An additive composition for breaking emulsions and simultaneously inhibiting and controlling polymerization of a polymerizable material comprising:

2. 10. The additive composition of claim 1, wherein the polymerizable material is selected from materials that tend to polymerize upon heating, condensing, or cracking.

3. 3. The additive composition of claim 1 or 2, wherein the polymerizable material is a polymer formed by aldol condensation or aldol condensation of acetaldehyde.

4. The additive composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ammonium salt of borohydride is tetramethylammonium borohydride or tetraethylammonium borohydride.

5. 1. A method for breaking emulsion and simultaneously inhibiting and controlling polymerization of a polymerizable material, the method comprising treating the polymerizable material with an additive composition, wherein the additive composition comprises: (a) an aminohexanoic acid [compound A] selected from the group consisting of 6-aminohexanoic acid, an acid salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid, a sodium salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid, and mixtures thereof; and (b) a borohydride compound [Compound B] selected from the group consisting of sodium borohydride, potassium borohydride, lithium borohydride, ammonium salts of borohydride, sodium triisopropoxyborohydride, and mixtures thereof; A method comprising:

6. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the aminohexanoic acid and the borohydride are added to the polymerizable material as a blend or mixture in a one-step process.

7. 7. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein the emulsion is formed between a hydrocarbon and a caustic alkali.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the polymerizable material is selected from materials which tend to polymerize on heating, on condensation or on cracking.

9. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the polymerizable material is a polymer formed by aldol condensation or aldol condensation of acetaldehyde.

10. 1. Use of an additive composition for breaking emulsion and simultaneously inhibiting and controlling polymerization of a polymerizable material, said use comprising adding said additive composition to a polymerizable material, wherein said additive composition comprises: (a) an aminohexanoic acid [compound A] selected from the group consisting of 6-aminohexanoic acid, an acid salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid, a sodium salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid, and mixtures thereof; and (b) a borohydride compound [Compound B] selected from the group consisting of sodium borohydride, potassium borohydride, lithium borohydride, ammonium salts of borohydride, sodium triisopropoxyborohydride, and mixtures thereof; Including, use.

11. 1. Use of an additive composition for preventing contamination, said use comprising adding said additive composition to a polymerizable material, wherein said additive composition comprises one or more of the following: (a) an aminohexanoic acid [compound A] selected from the group consisting of 6-aminohexanoic acid, an acid salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid, a sodium salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid, and mixtures thereof; and (b) a borohydride compound [Compound B] selected from the group consisting of sodium borohydride, potassium borohydride, lithium borohydride, ammonium salts of borohydride, sodium triisopropoxyborohydride, and mixtures thereof; Including, use.

12. 12. The use according to claim 11, wherein the stain is formed by polymerization of a polymerizable material in a basic solution.

13. 13. The use according to claim 12, wherein the basic solution is in contact with a gaseous or liquid hydrocarbon stream.

14. 14. The use according to claim 13, wherein the gaseous and liquid hydrocarbon streams are effluents from a hydrocarbon cracking operation.