Isomer separation processes

Isomar [Isomerization of aromatics] A catalytic process for isomerizing xylene isomers and ethylbenzene into equilibrium isomer ratios. Usually combined with an isomer separation process such as Parex (1). The catalyst is a zeolite-containing alumina catalyst with platinum. Developed by UOP and widely licensed by them. It was first commercialized in 1967 by 1992, 32 plants had been commissioned and 8 others were in design or construction. See also Isolene II. 

Another isomer-separation process which has been announced Is called OlefinSlv (13) This process separates iso-butene from normal butenes in a manner similar to IsoSiv. 

HFCLM-based Isomer Separation Processes. Armstrong and Jin (33) studied liquid membrane permeation through an aqueous SLM in a cellulose filter placed in a batch cell. The feed consisted of a 50-50 mixture of organic isomeric solute systems (structural, stereoisomers, etc.) in an organic solvent with the same solvent present in the permeate side. They incorporated p-cyclodextrin (they also tested a-and y-) in the aqueous solution to develop selectivity for one isomer over the other. Considerable selectivity was achieved initially. With time the selectivity was lost due to the inherent nature of the batch system. 

MX Separation Process. The Mitsubishi Gas—Chemical Company (MGCC) has commercialized a process for separating and producing high purity MX (104—113). In addition to producing MX, this process gready simplifies the separation of the remaining Cg aromatic isomers. This process is based on the formation of a complex between MX and HF—BF. MX is the most basic xylene and its complex with HF—BF is the most stable. The relative basicities of MX, OX, PX, and EB are 100, 2, 1, and 0.14, respectively. 

Process Concepts. Hybrid systems involving gas-phase adsorption coupled with catalytic processes and with other separations processes (especially distillation and membrane systems) will be developed to take advantage of the unique features of each. The roles of adsorption systems will be to efficiently achieve very high degrees of purification to lower fouUng contaminant concentrations to very low levels in front of membrane and other separations processes or to provide unique separations of azeotropes, close-boiling isomers, and temperature-sensitive or reactive compounds. 

In contrast to trace impurity removal, the use of adsorption for bulk separation in the liquid phase on a commercial scale is a relatively recent development. The first commercial operation occurred in 1964 with the advent of the UOP Molex process for recovery of high purity / -paraffins (6—8). Since that time, bulk adsorptive separation of liquids has been used to solve a broad range of problems, including individual isomer separations and class separations. The commercial availability of synthetic molecular sieves and ion-exchange resins and the development of novel process concepts have been the two significant factors in the success of these processes. This article is devoted mainly to the theory and operation of these Hquid-phase bulk adsorptive separation processes. 

The value of many chemical products, from pesticides to pharmaceuticals to high performance polymers, is based on unique properties of a particular isomer from which the product is ultimately derived. Eor example, trisubstituted aromatics may have as many as 10 possible geometric isomers whose ratio ia the mixture is determined by equiHbrium. Often the purity requirement for the desired product iacludes an upper limit on the content of one or more of the other isomers. This separation problem is a compHcated one, but one ia which adsorptive separation processes offer the greatest chances for success. 

Extraction of C-8 Aromatics. The Japan Gas Chemical Co. developed an extraction process for the separation of -xylene [106-42-3] from its isomers using HF—BF as an extraction solvent and isomerization catalyst (235). The highly reactive solvent imposes its own restrictions but this approach is claimed to be economically superior to mote conventional separation processes (see Xylenes and ethylbenzene). 

Xylene Isomeri tion. The objective of C-8-aromatics processing is the conversion of the usual four-component feedstream (ethylbenzene and the three xylenes) into an isomerically pure xylene. Although the bulk of current demand is for xylene isomer for polyester fiber manufacture, significant markets for the other isomers exist. The primary problem is separation of the 8—40% ethylbenzene that is present in the usual feedstocks, a task that is compHcated by the closeness of the boiling points of ethylbenzene and -xylene. In addition, the equiUbrium concentrations of the xylenes present in the isomer separation train raffinate have to be reestabUshed to maximize the yield of the desired isomer. 

Xylenes. The main appHcation of xylene isomers, primarily p- and 0-xylenes, is in the manufacture of plasticizers and polyester fibers and resins. Demands for xylene isomers and other aromatics such as benzene have steadily been increasing over the last two decades. The major source of xylenes is the catalytic reforming of naphtha and the pyrolysis of naphtha and gas oils. A significant amount of toluene and Cg aromatics, which have lower petrochemical value, is also produced by these processes. More valuable p- or 0-xylene isomers can be manufactured from these low value aromatics in a process complex consisting of transalkylation, eg, the Tatoray process and Mobil s toluene disproportionation (M lDP) and selective toluene disproportionation (MSTDP) processes isomerization, eg, the UOP Isomar process (88) and Mobil s high temperature isomerization (MHTI), low pressure isomerization (MLPI), and vapor-phase isomerization (MVPI) processes (89) and xylene isomer separation, eg, the UOP Parex process (90). 

Ethyltoluene is manufactured by aluminum chloride-cataly2ed alkylation similar to that used for ethylbenzene production. All three isomers are formed. A typical analysis of the reactor effluent is shown in Table 9. After the unconverted toluene and light by-products are removed, the mixture of ethyltoluene isomers and polyethyltoluenes is fractionated to recover the meta and para isomers (bp 161.3 and 162.0°C, respectively) as the overhead product, which typically contains 0.2% or less ortho isomer (bp 165.1°C). This isomer separation is difficult but essential because (9-ethyltoluene undergoes ring closure to form indan and indene in the subsequent dehydrogenation process. These compounds are even more difficult to remove from vinyltoluene, and their presence in the monomer results in inferior polymers. The o-ethyltoluene and polyethyltoluenes are recovered and recycled to the reactor for isomerization and transalkylation to produce more ethyltoluenes. Fina uses a zeoHte-catalyzed vapor-phase alkylation process to produce ethyltoluenes. 

In the physical separation process, a molecular sieve adsorbent is used as in the Union Carbide Olefins Siv process (88—90). Linear butenes are selectively adsorbed, and the isobutylene effluent is distilled to obtain a polymer-grade product. The adsorbent is a synthetic 2eohte, Type 5A in the calcium cation exchanged form (91). UOP also offers an adsorption process, the Sorbutene process (92). The UOP process utilizes ahquid B—B stream, and uses a proprietary rotary valve containing multiple ports, which direct the flow of Hquid to various sections of the adsorber (93,94). The cis- and trans-isomers are alkylated and used in the gasoline blending pool. 

The dienol is unstable, and two separate processes have been identified for ketonization. These are a 1,5-sigmatropic shift of hydrogen leading back to the enone and a base-catalyzed proton transfer which leads to the / ,y-enone. The deconjugated enone is formed because of the kinetic preference for reprotonation of the dienolate at the a carbon. Photochemical deconjugation is a synthetically useful way of effecting isomerization of a,) -unsaturated ketones and esters to the j ,y-isomers. 

That benzene hexachloride isomer mixture is then the raw material for lindane production. The production of lindane per se is not a chemical synthesis operation but a physical separation process. It is possible to influence the gamma isomer content of benzene hexachloride to an extent during the synthesis process. Basically, however, one is faced with the problem of separating a 99%-plus purity gamma isomer from a crude product containing perhaps 12 to 15% of the gamma isomer. The separation and concentration process is done by a carefully controlled solvent extraction and crystallization process. One such process is described by R.D. Donaldson et al. Another description of hexachlorocyclohexane isomer separation is given by R.H. Kimball. 

Because p-xylene is the most valuable isomer for producing synthetic fibers, it is usually recovered from the xylene mixture. Fractional crystallization used to be the method for separating the isomers, but the yield was only 60%. Currently, industry uses continuous liquid-phase adsorption separation processes.The overall yield of p-xylene is increased... 

IsoSiv [Isomer separation by molecular sieves] A process for separating linear hydrocarbons from naphtha and kerosene petroleum fractions. It operates in the vapor phase and uses a modified 5A zeolite molecular sieve, which selectively adsorbs linear hydrocarbons, excluding branched ones. Developed by Union Carbide Corporation and widely licensed, now by UOP. The first plant was operated in Texas in 1961. By 1990, more than 30 units had been licensed worldwide. See also Total Isomerization. 

One application in liquid chromatography which does alter the separation process is the use of a specific series of derivatives to enable the separation of chiral (optical isomers) forms of alcohols, amines and amino acids using reverse-phase separation. FLEC is available in the two chiral forms (+)-l-(9-fluorenyl) ethyl chloroformate and (—)-l-(9-fluorenyl) ethyl chlorofor-mate (Figure 3.12). Reaction of two stereoisomers of a test compound (e.g. T+ and T—) with a single isomer of the derivatizing reagent (e.g. R+) will result in the formation of two types of product, T+R+ and T—R+. It is possible to separate these two compounds by reverse-phase chromatography. 

The SMB process was invented by Broughton in 1961 and developed by Universal Oil Products under the general name Sorbex . Initially used for separating n-paraffins in bulk, it is now used for a variety of individual-isomer separations and class separations, and is currently attracting considerable interest for separating pharmaceutical enantiomers. The SMB process is described in Section 17.9.4 and in a growing literaturel-21 22>11 - 74),... 

The exact mechanism controlling shape-selective retentive processes is not fully understood, although it is clear that the pure partitioning and adsorption models cannot account for differences in retention for isomer separations or the range of selectivityobserved for columns of various surface coverages and alkyl chain lengths. 

Zinnen, H.A. (1990) Chromatographic separation process for recovering individual diethyltoluene isomers. U.S. Patent 4,940,548. 

Thorough separations of major synthesized products were performed leading to pure monooctadienyl-xyloside (18) or arabinoside isomers (23). The study of their surface activity showed their interesting capacity of lowering surface tension down to 30-35 mN/m at relatively low concentrations in the range of 1-4- mmol/L (Table 14). Submitting crude mixtures of telomers of xylose or bran syrup to the same examination established that the surface-activity was not improved after the separation process. Therefore, for an industrial application of these surfactants, the use of the lower cost, non-separated mixture can be recommended. 

It can be seen that the de does not reach zero, as the benzylic chiral center induces diastereoselective imine reduction, depending upon the system thermodynamics (that is catalyst, solvent, and temperature). Since the epimerization is first order with respect to the (IS, 4R) isomer but zero order with respect to the mixture of isomers, the process is unaffected by concentration and was conveniently run at the same high concentration as that of the mother liquors from the resolution process. A critical part of the process was the separation of the catalyst from the product, and its removal after the amine epimerization was preferred as this provided the greatest potential for its recycle. Removal of the catalyst was achieved by forming an insoluble ammonio complex formed by bubbling gaseous... 

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