Continuous Oxidative Cleavage of Vegetable Oils for Temperature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oxidative cleavage processes of vegetable oils are prone to uncontrolled temperature increases due to exothermic reactions, risk of explosive decomposition, and difficulties in mixing oxidizing agents with reagents, leading to low selectivity and by-product formation.
Innovation Solution
A continuous process that maintains constant process conditions, uses continuous reactors to facilitate heat exchange and reduce viscosity, and controls radical concentrations to prevent uncontrolled reactions, allowing safe feeding of high oxidizing agent concentrations and direct feeding of intermediate products to enhance reactivity and yield.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If batch process is used for oxidative cleavage, then flexibility in operation is maintained, but uncontrolled temperature increase and safety risks occur due to exothermic reactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies continuous processing where vegetable oils are continuously fed through multiple reactors with controlled residence times. This continuous action allows steady-state operation with consistent temperature control, eliminating the batch-wise temperature spikes while maintaining operational flexibility through adjustable flow rates and reactor configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The oxidative cleavage process is divided into multiple sequential reaction stages in separate reactors. Each reactor handles a specific conversion step with dedicated catalysts and conditions, segmenting the overall exothermic process into manageable portions that can be individually controlled for temperature and safety.
2Productivity
If high concentration of oxidizing agent is used, then reaction efficiency increases, but risk of explosive decomposition increases
Solution Approach 1:
The oxidizing agent is introduced and reacted in segmented stages across multiple reactors rather than adding high concentration all at once. This staged approach maintains high overall efficiency while controlling the instantaneous concentration and reaction rate in each reactor to prevent explosive decomposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous process incorporates feedback control through steady-state operation where reaction conditions (temperature, flow rates, concentrations) are monitored and maintained at optimal levels. This feedback mechanism ensures that oxidizing agent concentration never exceeds safe thresholds while maintaining high productivity.
3Productivity
If oxidative cleavage of vicinal diols is performed, then saturated carboxylic acids are produced, but mixing difficulties occur due to high viscosity of reaction mixture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary fluidization medium (such as water or low-viscosity solvent) that facilitates mixing between the gaseous oxidizing agent and the high-viscosity reaction mixture. This intermediary improves mass transfer and mixing efficiency without interfering with the oxidative cleavage reaction that produces carboxylic acids.
4Speed
If radical type oxidation mechanism is allowed to proceed, then reaction proceeds rapidly, but by-products form due to uncontrolled radical propagation
Solution Approach 1:
Different reactors are designed with specific local conditions optimized for their function: early reactors use catalysts and conditions that promote selective radical formation and controlled propagation, while later reactors optimize for complete conversion. This local optimization of reaction conditions maintains rapid rates while minimizing by-products through spatially differentiated quality control.
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
The continuous process effectively controls temperature, reduces by-product formation, and increases reaction yield by maintaining constant radical concentrations and fluidity, making the process safer and more efficient compared to batch processes.
Implementation Method 1
a catalyst capable of catalyzing the oxidation reaction of the olefinic double bond to obtain an intermediate compound containing vicinal diols
Implementation Method 2
a catalyst capable of catalyzing the oxidation reaction of the vicinal diols to carboxylic groups, to obtain saturated monocarboxylic acids
Implementation Method 3
the reaction mixture contains a high percentage of reaction products which, being more fluid than the reagents, contribute towards significantly decreasing the viscosity of the system
Implementation Method 4
The continuous process according to the present invention is more effectively controllable with respect to known processes, making it possible to feed high concentrations of oxidizing agent in safe conditions
Implementation Method 5
hydrolyzing in a third reactor the triglycerides having more than one acid function to obtain glycerol and saturated carboxylic acids with more than one acid function
Data Source
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AI summary
There is described a continuous process for the oxidative cleavage of vegetable oils containing triglycerides of unsaturated carboxylic acids, for the obtainment of saturated carboxylic acids, comprising the steps of: a) feeding to a first continuous reactor at least a vegetable oil, an oxidizing compound and a catalyst capable of catalyzing the oxidation reaction of the olefinic double bond to obtain an intermediate compound containing vicinal diols, and of b) feeding to a second continuous reactor said intermediate compound, a compound containing oxygen and a catalyst capable of catalyzing the oxidation reaction of the vicinal diols to carboxylic groups, to obtain saturated monocarboxylic acids (i) and triglycerides containing saturated carboxylic acids with more than one acid function (ii); c) separating the saturated monocarboxylic acids (i) from the triglycerides having more than one acid function (ii). d) hydrolyzing in a third reactor the triglycerides having more than one acid function (ii) to obtain glycerol and saturated carboxylic acids with more than one acid function.