Dividing Wall Column Purification of Methacrylic Esters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for purifying C4-C12 (meth)acrylic esters through direct esterification are inefficient due to the presence of residual catalysts causing retrogradation reactions and contamination, leading to low product purity and high energy and investment costs.
Innovation Solution
A process utilizing a dividing wall column with a specific configuration, including a separating wall not joined to the upper dome, associated with a single condenser and two boilers, allows for the separation and recycling of streams to minimize contamination and optimize energy use, achieving high purity of C4-C12 (meth)acrylic esters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional distillation columns are used for purification, then the equipment construction is simple, but the energy consumption is high and product purity is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two separate distillation columns into a single dividing wall column, where the separating wall divides the column into two sections that perform different separation functions simultaneously. This merging reduces the number of reboilers and condensers needed, lowering energy consumption while maintaining high product purity through enhanced separation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The dividing wall column is segmented into multiple sections by the separating wall, allowing different purification stages to occur within the same equipment. The wall creates distinct zones for separating different impurity components, enabling high purity product recovery without requiring multiple separate columns and associated energy inputs.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple distillation columns are used for purification, then the separation efficiency is high, but the investment cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functionality of two separate distillation columns into a single dividing wall column structure. The separating wall creates two independent separation sections within one column, achieving the separation efficiency of multiple columns while reducing equipment count, investment cost, and overall system complexity.
3Productivity
If residual catalyst is present in the reaction mixture, then the esterification reaction proceeds efficiently, but retrogradation reactions occur during purification causing product degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the homogeneous catalyst from the reaction mixture before the purification stage by separating the aqueous catalyst phase from the organic ester phase. This extraction eliminates the catalyst's harmful retrogradation effects during distillation while preserving the benefits of catalytic esterification, ensuring product stability throughout purification.
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 process achieves a purity of greater than 99.6% C4-C12 (meth)acrylic esters under economical energy conditions, reducing thermal degradation and operational costs by minimizing thermal exposure and using polymerization inhibitors effectively.
Implementation Method 1
a separating wall which is not joined to an upper dome of the column in a top part and which is joined to a bottom of the column in a bottom part, and which associates with a single condenser in the top and with two reboilers in the bottom
Implementation Method 2
associates with a single condenser in the top
Implementation Method 3
associates with two reboilers in the bottom
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to the production of (meth)acrylic esters according to a process by direct esterification, and in particular to the purification of a crude reaction mixture comprising a C4-C12 (meth)acrylic ester using a dividing wall column employed in a particular configuration. The dividing wall column is equipped with a separating wall creating separation zones in the column, the wall not being joined to the upper dome of the column in the top part and being joined to the bottom of the column in the bottom part. The process according to the invention guarantees a product of very high purity, independently of the back-cracking reactions of the heavy by-products liable to arise during the purification of the product sought.