Recovery of organic acid salts from impure process streams by addition of bases

摘要

This invention provides an improved method for recovering an organic acid as a salt from various process streams by addition of a crystallizing base to a concentrated solution of neutralized organic acid. The addition of such a base causes crystallization of the salt. This process provides more efficient recovery of organic acid salt from a fermentation process stream than traditional recrystallization and it may be used essentially as a one step purification process. The improved method is particularly applicable to the recovery of trisodium or tripotassium citrate from process streams produced in the fermentation and recovery of citric acid, with the addition of a crystallizing base such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide or ammonia.