IMPROVED METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CARBONYLATION WITH REDUCED CATALYST LOSS

摘要

AN APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CARBONYLATING A REACTANT, INCLUDING SEQUESTERING GROUP VIII CATALYST METAL FROM A PROCESS STREAM WHICH GENERALLY HAS A PPB CONCENTRATION OF THE CATALYST METAL. THE PROCESS STREAM IS TREATED WITH A POLYMER HAVING NITROGEN-CONTAINING HETEROCYCLIC REPEAT UNITS TO SEQUESTER THE CATALYST FROM THE STREAM, THUS ALLOWING VALUABLE CATALYST TO BE RECOVERED AND RETURNED TO THE REACTION MIXTURE. AN APPARATUS PROVIDES A RESIN BED DOWNSTREAM OF THE LIGHT ENDS COLUMN IN A CARBONYLATION PROCESS. PREFERABLY, SPENT RESIN IS REGENERATED WITH A REGENERANT COMPOSITION COMPATIBLE WITH THE CARBONYLATION REACTION MIXTURE SO THAT CATALYST METAL CAN BE DIRECTLY RECYCLED AND THE RESIN RE-USED.