Solvent Displacement in Metal-Containing Ionic Liquids

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Solution Overview

Problem

Metal-containing ionic liquids have high viscosities that require solvents or viscosity modifiers for handling and flowability, but the addition of these solvents negatively impacts the purity of the ionic liquids and their products.

Innovation Solution

A process involving contacting a metal-containing ionic liquid composition with a gaseous unsaturated compound at a pressure of at least 50 psig to displace and remove a portion of the solvent, thereby forming a purified metal-containing ionic liquid composition.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If solvents or viscosity modifiers are added to metal-containing ionic liquids to improve handling and flowability, then viscosity is reduced and handling is improved, but purity of the ionic liquid and products is negatively impacted

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandling and flowabilityVSAvoidpurity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the solvent component from the metal-containing ionic liquid composition through a separation process. The ionic liquid and solvent are contacted with a separation medium that selectively retains the ionic liquid while allowing the solvent to be removed, thereby obtaining purified ionic liquid without the contaminating solvent additives.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent discards the solvent component from the composition while recovering the metal-containing ionic liquid in purified form. The solvent is separated and removed from the system, and the valuable ionic liquid is recovered with enhanced purity for subsequent applications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

2Speed

If solvents are added to reduce viscosity, then flowability is improved, but the solvent content remains high and purity is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveflowabilityVSAvoidsolvent content
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The separation process extracts the solvent from the metal-containing ionic liquid composition, reducing the solvent content to below 10 wt% while maintaining the flowability benefits achieved during processing. The ionic liquid is recovered in a concentrated, purified form with minimal solvent残留.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of operation

If high amounts of solvent are used to improve handling, then viscosity is reduced, but the composition requires additional purification steps

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovehandlingVSAvoidpurification process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a separation medium as an intermediary substance that facilitates the separation of ionic liquid from solvent. This medium acts as a bridge, selectively interacting with the ionic liquid to enable easy separation and purification in a single processing step, thereby simplifying the overall purification process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 the solvent content in metal-containing ionic liquids, enhancing their purity and improving the purity of products derived from them, while also improving handling and flowability.

Implementation Method 1

contacting a metal-containing ionic liquid composition with a gaseous unsaturated compound at a pressure of at least 50 psig to displace and remove a portion of the solvent

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSolvent displacement:

Data Source

PatentUS20250196021A1Methods of solvent displacement for metal-containing ionic liquids
Publication Date: 2025.06.19 CHEVRON PHILLIPS CHEMICAL COMPANY LP

AI summary

Purification processes include a step of contacting a metal-containing ionic liquid composition with a gaseous unsaturated compound at a pressure of at least 50 psig to remove at least a portion of the solvent to form a purified metal-containing ionic liquid composition. The metal-containing ionic liquid composition contains an ionic liquid comprising an ionic liquid cation and an ionic liquid anion, a metal cation, and a solvent at a molar ratio of solvent: metal cation of at least 0.25:1.