Solid Adsorbent Process for Residual Catalyst Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for removing residual catalyst components from crude organic products, such as polyalphaolefin polymerization products, are inefficient, leading to high costs due to remaining catalyst residues, which cause discoloration, hydrogenation catalyst poisoning, and generation of hydrogen halide gas, and often require complex water washing processes producing hazardous waste.
Innovation Solution
A process involving contacting the crude organic product with a solid adsorbent in an adsorbent system to reduce residual catalyst levels, avoiding water washing and producing only non-hazardous solid waste, which can be run continuously and is more efficient than existing methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If water washing process is used to remove residual catalyst, then catalyst removal effectiveness is improved, but process complexity increases and hazardous waste is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful residual catalyst components from the crude organic product using a solid adsorbent material. The adsorbent selectively binds and removes metal halides and other catalyst residues through adsorption, separating the harmful substances from the desired product without requiring complex water washing steps
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs porous solid adsorbent materials with high surface area and selective pore structures to trap and retain residual catalyst components. The porous structure provides numerous active sites for adsorption, enabling effective catalyst removal while maintaining a simple process configuration
2Manufacturing precision
If water washing process is used to remove residual catalyst, then catalyst removal effectiveness is improved, but waste generation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful residual catalyst waste stream into a manageable solid adsorbent-catalyst complex. By using solid adsorbents to capture the harmful metal halides and catalyst residues, the process transforms dissolved hazardous contaminants into filterable solid waste that can be easily separated and disposed of, eliminating the generation of hazardous aqueous waste
3Reliability
If hydrogenation catalyst loading is increased to compensate for catalyst poisoning, then hydrogenation effectiveness is improved, but operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary removal of residual polymerization catalyst before the hydrogenation step. By eliminating metal halides and other catalyst poisons in advance using solid adsorbents, the hydrogenation catalyst is protected from deactivation, allowing operation at lower, more economical catalyst loadings while maintaining high hydrogenation effectiveness
4Productivity
If continuous operation is implemented, then productivity is improved, but process control difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous operation by implementing a continuous adsorption process where crude organic product continuously passes through columns or reactors containing solid adsorbents. The adsorbent beds are designed to maintain consistent catalyst removal performance over extended operation periods, allowing uninterrupted processing while keeping control systems relatively simple through standardized flow management
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 effectively reduces residual catalyst levels, eliminating the need for complex water washing steps and minimizing hazardous waste, while allowing for continuous operation and reducing the costs associated with catalyst residues in subsequent treatment processes.
Implementation Method 1
contacting the crude organic product with a solid adsorbent in an adsorbent system
Data Source
AI summary
A process for reducing the level of residual catalyst comprising one or more alkylhalide, alkoxyhalide, metal halide, metal oxyhalide, alkyl metal, alkoxy metal, boron compound and coordinated metal compound wherein the metal is a Group III, Group IV, Group V, Group VI and/or Group VIII metal, from a crude organic product (e.g., polyolefins, alkylated aromatic compounds, alkylated amines, etc.) comprising the residual catalyst is provided, the process comprising contacting the crude organic product with a solid adsorbent in an adsorbent system.