Process for the preparation of ascorbic acid

摘要

The present invention is a process for the preparation of ascorbic acid using a simulated moving bed (SMB) reactor system to accomplish the simultaneous conversion of KLG or a derivative of KLG to ascorbic acid and the separation of reaction products. The SMB reactor contains a solid or mixture of solids effective for catalyzing the reaction of KLG or its derivative and for separating the reactions products by selective adsorption of at least one product. In a general embodiment, this process involves (1) feeding a solution of KLG or a derivative thereof in a first solvent and a desorbent which is miscible with the first solvent, to a simulated moving bed reactor; (2) reacting the KLG or the KLG derivative to form ascorbic acid; and (3) removing from the simulated moving bed reactor (i) a first liquid stream comprising a solution of ascorbic acid in the desorbent and the first solvent (ii) a second liquid stream comprising the first solvent and the desorbent.