Carboxylic Acid Production via Salt Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fermentation processes for producing organic acids often result in the co-production of undesirable salt by-products, leading to waste and complicating the separation and recovery of the acid, with a need for alternative methods that reduce waste and enhance acid production efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the use of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts of carboxylic acids, treated with an inorganic acid to convert them to their acid form, followed by treatment with ammonia to produce ammonium salts and recyclable metal precipitates, facilitating easy separation and recovery of the acid while reducing salt co-product waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a base is added to maintain desired pH during organic acid production, then the organic acid is converted to its salt form for easier handling, but salt by-products are generated that must be discarded as waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the previously harmful salt by-products into useful ammonium salt products. By treating the metal salt with ammonia or ammonium compound, the process transforms waste salts into valuable fertilizers and chemical intermediates, eliminating the need to discard salt by-products while maintaining the ease of handling organic acid in salt form
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameter of the salt by-products from metal salts to ammonium salts through treatment with ammonia. This parameter change transforms the undesirable waste into useful products, resolving the contradiction between ease of handling and waste generation
2Productivity
If stronger acids are added to convert salt form back to acid form for separation and recovery, then the organic acid can be separated, but additional salt by-products are produced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using stronger acids that generate additional salt waste, the patent uses ammonia or ammonium compounds to treat the metal salt. This converts the salt into ammonium salt form, which can be separated and recovered as a useful product rather than being discarded, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and waste generation
3Productivity
If conventional fermentation processes are used to produce organic acids, then the acid production process is established, but salt co-products reduce overall process efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful salt co-products into useful ammonium salt products through treatment with ammonia. This transformation eliminates the need to discard salt co-products and improves overall process efficiency by creating valuable by-products from what was previously waste, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and substance loss
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This process enables the production of carboxylic acids in high quantity with reduced salt co-product waste, allowing for efficient separation and recovery, and the ammonium salts produced have various applications, including as fertilizers and additives.
Implementation Method 1
The least one alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt of a carboxylic acid can be treated with an inorganic acid to convert at least a portion of the least one alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt of a carboxylic acid to its carboxylic acid form
Implementation Method 2
the water soluble alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt is treated with ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium carbonate or ammonium bicarbonate to produce an ammonium salt and an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal precipitate
Implementation Method 3
The process can include a step of fermenting a carbohydrate in the presence of at least one alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt to produce at least one alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt of a carboxylic acid
Data Source
AI summary
This invention provide processes for producing carboxylic acid product, along with useful salts. The carboxylic acid product that is produced according to this invention is preferably a C2-C12 carboxylic acid. Among the salts produced in the process of the invention are ammonium salts.