Apparatus and process for nitration selectivity flexibility enabled by azeotropic distillation

摘要

Disclosed are processes and apparatuses for concentrating at least one organic acid using an alkyl acetate as an entrainer. The processes and apparatuses may use the same alkyl acetate as an entrainer to concentrate a mixture of organic acids.

主权项

1. A process comprising:
reacting a gaseous hydrocarbon feedstock with a liquid aqueous feedstock in a reactor at a reaction temperature of at least 140° C. and less than 325° C. and a reaction pressure of at least 6.8×106 Pascal in a high pressure nitration process to produce a product stream comprising a nitroalkane and byproducts, wherein the liquid aqueous feedstock comprises at least about 40 weight percent of a first organic acid; processing the product stream to produce a first top stream and a first bottom stream, wherein the first top stream comprises the nitroalkane and the first bottom stream comprises the first organic acid and water; supplying at least a portion of the first bottom stream to an azeotropic distillation column; using an alkyl acetate as an entrainer in the azeotropic distillation column, such that the first bottom stream is separated into at least a second top stream and a second bottom stream, wherein the second top stream comprises the alkyl acetate and water and wherein the second bottom stream comprises the first organic acid; separating the second top stream in a phase separator into an organic phase and an aqueous phase, the organic phase comprising the alkyl acetate; and returning at least a portion of the organic phase to the azeotropic distillation column.