Diacyl Peroxide Production via Aldehyde Oxidation and Anhydride Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current processes for producing diacyl peroxides are economically and environmentally unattractive due to the high cost of reagents like acid chlorides and anhydrides, and the resulting waste streams have high salt and organic content, leading to increased costs and environmental concerns.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the reaction of anhydrides with aldehydes and oxygen to produce diacyl peroxides, followed by extraction and recycling of carboxylic acid to form anhydrides, which reduces the need for expensive reagents and minimizes waste, allowing for on-site production and low Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) effluents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If acid chlorides are used to produce diacyl peroxides, then the reaction proceeds efficiently, but the production cost increases and chloride-containing waste water with high salt concentration is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful chloride waste stream into a beneficial outcome by using an alternative oxidation process that eliminates chloride entirely. The oxidation of aldehydes with oxygen produces only water and carbon dioxide as byproducts, transforming a harmful waste generation process into an environmentally benign one while maintaining production efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the reaction system by replacing acid chlorides with aldehydes as the starting material and using oxygen as the oxidant instead of traditional peracid reagents. This parameter change fundamentally alters the waste stream composition from high-salt chloride waste to minimal organic waste, resolving the environmental contradiction.
2Ease of manufacture
If anhydrides are used to produce asymmetrical diacyl peroxides, then the reaction proceeds, but the production cost increases and the waste stream contains high organic load with high COD value
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the high-COD waste stream by using in-situ generated peracids from aldehyde oxidation rather than commercial anhydride reagents. The oxidation pathway using oxygen as the terminal oxidant produces minimal organic waste, converting a high-pollution process into a low-pollution one while maintaining ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system generates its own oxidizing agent in-situ through the oxidation of aldehydes with oxygen. This self-service approach eliminates the need to import external anhydride reagents and their associated waste streams, reducing both production complexity and environmental impact while maintaining manufacturing capability.
3Reliability
If traditional processes are used to produce diacyl peroxides, then the reaction is well-established, but the production cost is high due to expensive reagents like acid chlorides and anhydrides
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, stable reagents like acid chlorides and commercial anhydrides with cheaper, readily available aldehydes and oxygen. The in-situ generated peracids serve as disposable intermediates that are consumed in the reaction, eliminating the need to purchase and handle expensive reagents while reducing production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system generates its own oxidizing agents in-situ from inexpensive aldehyde feedstocks and oxygen, eliminating dependence on expensive commercial reagents. This self-service approach maintains process reliability through controlled in-situ generation while dramatically reducing raw material costs.
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 reduces production costs, minimizes waste, and enhances safety by eliminating the use of corrosive and volatile reactants, enabling on-site production of diacyl peroxides with lower COD effluents and increased production efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
producing a mixture comprising a diacyl peroxide and a carboxylic acid by reacting one or more anhydrides with the formula R1—C(═O)—O—C(═O)—R2 with an aldehyde of the formula R3—C(═O)H and oxygen
Implementation Method 2
extracting or separating the carboxylic acid from the mixture in the form of its carboxylic acid salt or adduct
Implementation Method 3
reacting the carboxylic acid obtained in step c) and optionally an additional amount of carboxylic acid of the formula R2—C(═O)OH—with an acid anhydride or a ketene of the formula C(R4)2═C═O to form one or more anhydrides with the formula R1—C(═O)—O—C(═O)—R2
Data Source
AI summary
Process for the production of a diacyl peroxide involving the reaction of an anhydride with an aldehyde and oxygen, removal of the formed carboxylic acid, production of an anhydride from said carboxylic acid, and recycling of the anhydride within the process.