Abstract:
Manufacture of diesters of dicarboxylic acids from aliphatic or aromatic dicarboxylic acids or their anhydrides and alcohols of from three to 15 carbon atoms, in which substantial purification of the waste water is achieved by treating the waste water with the same alcohol as used in the ester synthesis.
Abstract:
A process for the production of diesters of aliphatic and aromatic dicarboxylic acids or their anhydrides and alcohols of three to fifteen carbon atoms while recycling the alcohol used in excess and in the absence of an esterification catalyst at a temperature of from 150* to 250*C in which the reaction mixture, after water of esterification has been removed, has aqueous alkali added to the point of neutralization to separate the monoester from the diester, the aqueous solution of the monoester salt thus separated is acidified with sulfuric acid to recover the monoester, the diester is washed with water to remove residues of alkali and the diester which has been washed until neutral is treated with steam, wherein there is added to the aqueous solution of the monoester salt prior to, during or after acidification a weight of the alcohol serving for the production of the ester which is from one-half to once the weight of the monoester salt, washing of the diester is carried out in two stages, the water of esterification and the aqueous condensate obtained in the final steam treatment are used together or separately for washing the diester and the waste water obtained in the diester washing is used completely for the production of the aqueous alkali.
Abstract:
A process for the production of anhydrous or substantially anhydrous formic acid by hydrolysis of methyl formate which is carried out in a column having an upper fractionating section, a middle hydrolysis section and a lower extraction section and in which (a) the hydrolysis is carried out in the middle section of the columm, with water and methyl formate in countercurrent, (b) the resulting formic acid is extracted, in the lower section of the column, by means of a carboxylic acid amide which is fed into the lower end of the middle section of the column, (c) the extract phase, consisting in the main of formic acid and the carboxylic acid amide, is distillatively dehydrated, or substantially dehydrated, in the lower section of the column, (d) the methanol and uncovered methyl formate are removed by fractional distillation in the upper section of the column and (e) the pure formic acid or concentrated aqueous formic acid is distilled from the anhydrous or substantially anhydrous extract phase in a second column, leaving the carboxylic acid amide.
Abstract:
In a process for preparing phthalic anhydride by catalytic gas-phase oxidation of o-xylene or naphthalene or o-xylene/naphthalene mixtures with a gas comprising molecular oxygen over a coated catalyst comprising an inert, nonporous support material on which a catalytically active composition comprising titanium dioxide and vanadium pentoxide is applied in layer form, a catalyst whose catalytically active composition comprises from 3 to 6% by weight of vanadium pentoxide, calculated as V2O5, from 0.3 to 0.5% by weight of a cesium compound, calculated as Cs, and the remainder to 100% by weight of titanium dioxide in the anatase modification is used in the presence or absence of a coated catalyst, differing therefrom, for the catalytic gas-phase oxidation of o-xylene or naphthalene or o-xylene/naphthalene mixtures and, in the presence of such a second catalyst, the latter is used in a combined bed with the catalyst of the above composition in the reactor.
Abstract:
A process for the production of anhydrous or substantially anhydrous formic acid by hydrolysis of methyl formate which is carried out in a column having an upper fractionating section, a middle hydrolysis section and a lower extraction section and in which (a) the hydrolysis is carried out in the middle section of the columm, with water and methyl formate in countercurrent, (b) the resulting formic acid is extracted, in the lower section of the column, by means of a carboxylic acid amide which is fed into the lower end of the middle section of the column, (c) the extract phase, consisting in the main of formic acid and the carboxylic acid amide, is distillatively dehydrated, or substantially dehydrated, in the lower section of the column, (d) the methanol and uncovered methyl formate are removed by fractional distillation in the upper section of the column and (e) the pure formic acid or concentrated aqueous formic acid is distilled from the anhydrous or substantially anhydrous extract phase in a second column, leaving the carboxylic acid amide.