JP2006282563A - Treating method of high-boiling compound by-produced in manufacture of gamma-butyrolactone and manufacturing method of gamma-butyrolactone - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for efficiently decomposing by-produced high-boiling compounds in the manufacturing method of gamma-butyrolactone to obtain organic acid salts convertible into "succinic anhydride or succinic acid" as a raw material thereof. <P>SOLUTION: The highly efficient and industrially advantageous method for purifying the organic acid salts comprises treating the high-boiling compounds having an ester bond by-produced in the manufacturing method of gamma-butyrolactone with an alkaline aqueous solution to convert it into an aqueous solution containing the organic acid salts convertible into "succinic anhydride or succinic acid" as the raw material thereof and 1,4-butanediol, and adding a water-soluble organic compound as a poor solvent to the obtained aqueous solution thereby to effect solid-liquid separation by precipitating the organic acid salts as a solid from the aqueous solution of the organic acid salts containing alcohols, high-boiling compounds while keeping the remaining alcohols and high-boiling compounds in the aqueous solution. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for treating a high boiling point compound by-produced in the production of gamma butyrolactone and a method for producing gamma butyrolactone.

Gamma-butyrolactone is not only used as an excellent solvent per se, but is also useful as an important intermediate for various substances such as N-methylpyrrolidone, and therefore various production processes have been developed. For example, as shown in JP-A-3-26340 and JP-A-3-232874, hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride and dehydrogenation reaction of 1,4-butanediol have been developed. Also reported are hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride using a ruthenium complex catalyst (Junal of catalysis 194, 188-197, 2000) and dehydrogenation reaction of 1,4-butanediol (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-240595). Has been. These gamma-butyrolactone production methods often proceed with good yield, but may produce high-boiling compounds as by-products, and the raw materials are succinic anhydride, succinic acid, 1,4-butanediol, maleic anhydride. And so on. If this high-boiling compound is reconverted to succinic anhydride, succinic acid, 1,4-butanediol and the like as raw materials and can be recycled, a more cost-competitive production process of gamma-butyrolactone can be constructed. However, a method for efficiently decomposing the high boiling point compound and regenerating a raw material for gamma butyrolactone such as succinic acid has not been found. Therefore, if these high-boiling compounds produced as a by-product can be decomposed and the raw material can be regenerated, a more efficient method for producing gamma-butyrolactone can be established. Therefore, such a method has been demanded.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-26340 JP-A-3-232874 JP 2001-240595 A Journal of catalysis 194, 188-197, 2000

  According to the present invention, in a method for producing gamma-butyrolactone, a method for efficiently decomposing a high-boiling compound produced as a by-product and obtaining an organic acid salt that can be converted into a raw material “succinic anhydride or succinic acid” is provided. it can.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a method for obtaining an organic acid salt capable of efficiently decomposing a high-boiling compound produced as a by-product and converting it into a raw material “succinic anhydride or succinic acid” in a method for producing gamma-butyrolactone. That is.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have found that in the production method of gamma-butyrolactone, by-product high-boiling compounds are 1,4-butanediol, succinic acid, and solvent decomposition products are ester bonds. An organic acid salt that can be converted into a raw material “succinic anhydride or succinic acid” by treating the high-boiling compound with an aqueous alkali solution and 1,4-butanediol It was found to be converted into an aqueous solution containing. Further, by adding a water-soluble organic compound as a poor solvent to the obtained aqueous solution, the organic acid salt is precipitated as a solid from the aqueous solution of the organic acid salt containing alcohols and high-boiling compounds, and the remaining alcohols, high A method for purifying industrially advantageous organic acid salts having high efficiency by solid-liquid separation while keeping the boiling point compound as an aqueous solution has been found, and the present invention has been completed. That is, the gist of the present invention resides in the following (1) to (7).

(1) A method for treating a high-boiling compound by-produced in the production of gamma-butyrolactone, wherein an alkaline aqueous solution is added to an aqueous solution of the high-boiling compound and heated and stirred to convert the high-boiling compound into an organic acid salt and 1,4 -A method of decomposing into butanediol, adding a water-soluble organic compound to an alkaline aqueous solution containing the obtained organic acid salt and 1,4-butanediol, and precipitating the organic acid salt.
(2) The method according to (1) above, wherein the production of gamma butyrolactone is production of gamma butyrolactone by hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride or succinic acid.
(3) In the production of gamma-butyrolactone by hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride or succinic acid, by-product obtained by removing gamma-butyrolactone and reaction solvent from the reaction solution obtained by hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride or succinic acid Extraction and separation by adding water and nonpolar solvent to the catalyst solution containing the boiling point compound, separating and removing only the nonpolar organic solvent phase from the multiple phases after separation, adding alkaline aqueous solution to the remaining phase and heating A method in which after stirring, a water-soluble organic compound is added to the obtained alkaline liquid phase to precipitate organic acid salts.
(4) The production of gamma butyrolactone is a hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride or succinic acid using a ruthenium complex catalyst, the nonpolar solvent is a hydrocarbon having 5 to 20 carbon atoms, and the alkaline aqueous solution is sodium hydroxide or water The method according to (3) above, which is an aqueous solution of potassium oxide, and the organic acid salt is a sodium salt or potassium salt of succinic acid.
(5) The method according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the precipitated organic acid salt is subjected to solid-liquid separation by filtration.
(6) The method according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the precipitated organic acid salt is subjected to solid-liquid separation by centrifugation.
The present invention can be used for any of batch, semi-batch and continuous systems. The details will be described below.
(7) A method for producing gamma-butyrolactone by hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride or succinic acid, removing gamma-butyrolactone and reaction solvent from the reaction solution obtained by hydrogenation reaction, and by-product high-boiling compound obtained The catalyst solution containing water is extracted and separated by adding water and a nonpolar solvent, and only the nonpolar organic solvent phase is separated and removed from the separated phases, and an aqueous alkali solution is added to the remaining phase and heated and stirred. Then, a water-soluble organic compound is added to the obtained alkaline liquid phase to precipitate succinates, and the succinates are solid-liquid separated, and then the succinates are converted to succinic acid with acids, A method for producing gamma-butyrolactone, comprising using succinic acid as a raw material succinic acid for hydrogenation reaction.

  The method for treating a high-boiling compound by-produced in the production of gamma-butyrolactone of the present invention is a method for treating a high-boiling compound produced as a by-product in the production of gamma-butyrolactone, wherein an alkaline aqueous solution is added to the aqueous solution of the high-boiling compound. The high boiling point compound is decomposed into an organic acid salt and 1,4-butanediol by heating and stirring, and a water-soluble organic compound is added to the aqueous alkali solution containing the obtained organic acid salt and 1,4-butanediol. Organic acid salts are precipitated.

  The “high-boiling compound by-produced in the production of gamma-butyrolactone” in the present invention is a result of intensive studies, and as a result, 1,4-butanediol, succinic acid, and 4-hydroxybutyric acid, and in some cases, alcohols and acids of reaction solvent decomposition products It was found to be produced by dehydration condensation of each component containing The high boiling point compound produced by dehydration condensation has an ester bond. The high-boiling compounds produced as a by-product used a hydrogenation reaction of succinic acid or succinic anhydride, a hydrogenation reaction of maleic anhydride or a dehydrogenation reaction of 1,4-butanediol using a solid catalyst, and a homogeneous complex catalyst. It is produced as a by-product in a method for producing gamma-butyrolactone including a hydrogenation reaction of succinic acid or succinic anhydride, a hydrogenation reaction of maleic anhydride, or a dehydrogenation reaction of 1,4-butanediol. The production method may be any of a gas phase, a liquid phase, a solid catalyst, and a complex catalyst. The present invention can be applied to all the above gamma butyrolactone production methods, but preferably is a by-product of the production of gamma butyrolactone by the hydrogenation reaction of succinic acid or succinic anhydride using a solid catalyst, homogeneous complex catalyst It is a by-product in the production of gamma-butyrolactone by hydrogenation reaction of succinic acid or succinic anhydride. When a solid catalyst is used, copper-chromium, copper-zinc, copper-aluminum, and copper-metal oxide based solid catalysts are preferred. A particularly preferred method for producing gamma-butyrolactone is a hydrogenation reaction of succinic acid or succinic anhydride using a homogeneous ruthenium complex catalyst.

  The post-reaction solution of the gamma-butyrolactone production process contains high-boiling compounds that are by-produced by hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. In the present invention, “high-boiling compounds produced as a by-product in the production of gamma-butyrolactone” Examples include high-boiling compounds produced. In the present invention, the “aqueous solution of the high-boiling compound” includes an aqueous solution containing the by-product high-boiling compound. Specifically, the aqueous solution added with water after the reaction, or gamma-butyrolactone from the reaction solution, In addition, in the case of a liquid phase reaction, a compound obtained by removing water from a reaction solvent can be used, and the latter is preferable.

  Examples of the high-boiling compounds by-produced by the hydrogenation, dehydrogenation reaction, and the like include ester oligomers formed by dehydration condensation of 1,4-butanediol, succinic acid, and 4-hydroxybutyric acid. The ester oligomer is composed of structural units derived from 1,4-butanediol, succinic acid, and 4-hydroxybutyric acid, and ester oligomers composed of 2 or more and 20 or less structural units are preferred. If there is only one of these structural units, that is, monomers such as 1,4-butanediol, succinic acid, and 4-hydroxybutyric acid, there is no need to decompose, and if it is too much, the reaction conditions for decomposition become severe, resulting in high temperature reaction. The process is inferior in economic efficiency due to the generation of various minor by-products by decomposition of the structural unit, the lengthening of the reactor, and the lengthening of the reaction time. In addition, it is considered that a high boiling point compound having a structural unit of 20 or more is not generated in a normal hydrogenation reaction or dehydrogenation reaction. The structural unit which comprises an ester oligomer is 2 or more types, and is 2-4 types normally.

  In the present invention, “the ester oligomer contains two kinds of succinic acid and 1,4-butanediol as the structural unit” or “the ester oligomer containing succinic acid as the structural unit and 1,4 as the structural unit. -A mixture of ester oligomers containing butanediol. "Ester oligomer containing succinic acid and 1,4-butanediol as constituent units", "Ester oligomer containing succinic acid as constituent unit" and "1,4-butanediol as constituent unit" Each of the “ester oligomers containing” may have other structural units.

  In the present invention, these ester oligomers can be applied to one kind or a mixture of various kinds of oligomers. Further, the present invention can be applied to an aqueous solution containing only one type of ester oligomer or an aqueous solution containing various ester oligomers. In the present invention, it is preferable to use an aqueous solution containing a by-product high boiling point compound. In the aqueous solution, the high-boiling compound is an aqueous solution containing 10% to 90% by weight, particularly preferably 30% to 80% by weight. If the content of the high-boiling compound is too small, the efficiency of hydrolysis is lowered, which is industrially disadvantageous. If the content is too high, the high-boiling compound is not completely dissolved in the alkaline aqueous solution and becomes a solid-liquid mixed solution, which causes clogging. A malfunction will occur.

Moreover, it is preferable to contain 10 weight% or more of water, More preferably, the water composition in aqueous solution is 20 weight%-70 weight%. If the water content is too low, the hydrolysis rate will decrease, and defects such as clogging will occur in the process due to precipitation of high boiling point compounds. If it is too high, the production of hydrolysis products per unit volume of the reactor will decrease. End up.
Further, even when other components other than the by-product high-boiling compound are contained, hydrolysis with the aqueous alkaline solution of the present invention proceeds without any problem, and in particular, succinic acid, succinic anhydride, 1,4-butanediol, 4-hydroxybutyric acid, It is also possible to use an aqueous solution of the high boiling point compound containing gamma butyrolactone. The liquid components of the high boiling point compound after the alkaline aqueous solution treatment include organic acid salts such as sodium succinate and potassium succinate produced by decomposition of the high boiling point compound, the above organic acid salts such as 1,4-butanediol, and alcohols. Is included. In the present invention, there may be cases where esters containing alcohols and acids that are by-produced in a small amount in the gamma-butyrolactone production process are mixed. For example, alcohols and acids that are by-produced in a small amount in the gamma-butyrolactone production reaction are alcohols and acids having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, preferably 1-octanol, 2-octanol, 1-hexanol, 2-hexanol, 1- Examples include butanol, 2-butanol, ethanol, methanol, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol monomethyl ether, triethylene glycol, formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and the like. Particularly preferred are diethylene glycol monomethyl ether and triethylene glycol monomethyl ether, and these by-product alcohols and acids may be contained in an amount of 10 wt ppm to 5 wt%. These are by-produced in small amounts from the reaction solvent, catalyst components, and the like. These acids and alcohols may be present in an aqueous solution of a high boiling point compound treated with an alkaline aqueous solution.

  The aqueous alkali solution used in the present invention (the aqueous alkali solution added to the aqueous solution of the high-boiling compound) is preferably an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, particularly preferably an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. The concentration of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide is preferably 1% by weight or more and not more than a saturated concentration, more preferably 5% by weight or more and 50% by weight or less. If the concentration of the aqueous alkaline solution is too low, the decomposition of the high boiling point compound and the phase transfer to the aqueous phase will be insufficient and the efficiency of hydrolysis will decrease, and if it is too high, sodium carboxylic acid produced by the decomposition of the high boiling point compound in the aqueous phase Salts and potassium salts may precipitate and cause process troubles such as clogging.

  The addition amount of the alkaline aqueous solution is preferably in the range of 1% by weight to 1000% by weight, particularly preferably 10% by weight to 400% by weight, with respect to the aqueous solution of the high boiling point compound. If the amount of the alkaline aqueous solution added is too small, the decomposition of the high boiling point compound is insufficient and the yield of the organic acid salt decreases, and if it is too large, the water and alkali to be removed during the purification of the organic acid salt become excessive, which is economical. Is a disadvantageous process.

  In the present invention, an alkali aqueous solution is added to an aqueous solution of a high-boiling compound by-produced in the production of gamma-butyrolactone, and then the high-boiling compound is decomposed into an organic acid salt and 1,4-butanediol by heating and stirring. The temperature for heating and stirring is preferably 40 ° C. or higher and 200 ° C. or lower, more preferably 60 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower. If the temperature at this time is too low, the decomposition of the high boiling point compound becomes insufficient, and if the temperature is too high, it is an aqueous solution, which increases the pressure and makes the reactor for hydrolysis expensive, which is a disadvantageous process It becomes. The reaction time (stirring time) for heating and stirring is preferably in the range of 10 minutes to 24 hours, more preferably 20 minutes to 12 hours, and particularly preferably 30 minutes to 5 hours. If the time is too short, the hydrolysis will be insufficient, and if the time is too long, the productivity will be reduced or the reactor will be enlarged, and the competitiveness of the process will be reduced.

  In addition, when these are heated and stirred, the amount of alkali water added can be determined by pH in order to keep the decomposition rate of the high boiling point compound high. The pH in the aqueous phase is preferably 6 or more and 15 or less, and more preferably the amount of alkaline water added can be determined in the range of pH 8 or more and 12 or less. In the present invention, the decomposition of the high boiling point compound is not the reaction time but can be controlled by this pH, and the process can be terminated when the pH reaches 8 or more and 12 or less. It is also possible to add separate dilution water to suppress the precipitation of the hydrolyzate of the high boiling point compound, for example, the sodium salt of succinic acid. The heating and stirring in the invention can be carried out without any problem either continuously or batchwise.

Stirring in this heating and stirring step may be performed by mixing the high boiling point compound or an aqueous solution thereof and the added aqueous alkali solution, and is more preferably stirred uniformly. Examples of the stirring method include a method of stirring with a stirring blade, a method of causing convection by heating and mixing, and a reaction tube using a tray for continuous mixing. When stirring using a stirring blade, the stirring speed is, for example, 100 rpm to 2000 rpm. If it is lower than 10 rpm, the required stirring efficiency cannot be obtained and hydrolysis of the high-boiling compound produced as a by-product does not proceed rapidly. If the stirring speed is too high, a high-speed rotating device is required, which is economical. It causes sexual deterioration. A baffle plate for increasing the stirring efficiency may be used in the tank used in this step.
In the present invention, a water-soluble organic compound is added to the organic acid salt obtained by the heating and stirring step of the high-boiling compound by-produced as described above and the alkaline aqueous solution and the alkaline aqueous solution containing 1,4-butanediol. Is mandatory. The charge ratio of the water-soluble organic compound is preferably 50 to 1000 wt%, more preferably 80 to 300 wt%, still more preferably 100 of the total amount of the aqueous alkali solution (the amount of solution after adding the water-soluble organic compound to the aqueous alkali solution). ~ 200 wt%. If the amount of the water-soluble organic compound added is too small, the precipitation of the organic acid salts will be insufficient, and if it is too large, the removal of the water-soluble organic compound in the subsequent purification step will be expensive. As the water-soluble organic compound used in the present invention, ketones and ethers are preferable, and specific examples include acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane and the like. From the viewpoint of the cost of the water-soluble organic compound itself used, acetone is particularly preferable.

  The “high-boiling compound by-produced” used in the present invention is preferably contained in a reaction solution obtained by hydrogenating succinic anhydride or succinic acid with a ruthenium complex catalyst. As the raw material of the ruthenium complex catalyst, both metal ruthenium and ruthenium compounds can be used. As the ruthenium compound, oxides, hydroxides, inorganic acid salts, organic acid salts or complex compounds are used. Specifically, ruthenium dioxide, ruthenium tetroxide, ruthenium dihydroxide, ruthenium chloride, ruthenium bromide, ruthenium iodide, ruthenium nitrate, ruthenium acetate, tris (acetylacetonato) ruthenium, sodium hexachlororuthenate, tetracarbonylruthenate Dipotassium, pentacarbonylruthenium, cyclopentadienyldicarbonylruthenium, dibromotricarbonylruthenium, chlorotris (triphenylphosphine) hydridoruthenium, tetra (triphenylphosphine) dihydrodorenium, tetra (trimethylphosphine) dihydrodorenium, bis (tri -N-butylphosphine) tricarbonylruthenium, tetrahydridodecarbonyltetraruthenium, dodecacarbonyltriruthenium, Kuta dec carbonyl hexa ruthenate Jiseshiumu, undecalactone carbonyl hydride tri ruthenate tetraphenyl phosphonium, and the like, preferably ruthenium chloride, tris (acetylacetonato) ruthenium, ruthenium acetate.

  The ruthenium complex catalyst used in the present invention preferably contains a phosphorus ligand. As the phosphorus ligand to be used, a phosphorus ligand containing at least one aryl group such as triphenylphosphine, diphenylmethylphosphine and dimethylphenylphosphine can be used, but preferably a trialkylphosphine, more preferably These are trialkylphosphines composed of primary alkyl groups and their decomposition products. For example tridecanylphosphine, trinonylphosphine, trioctylphosphine, triheptylphosphine, trihexylphosphine, tripentylphosphine, tributylphosphine, tripropylphosphine, triethylphosphine, trimethylphosphine, dimethyloctylphosphine, dioctylmethylphosphine, dimethylheptylphosphine , Diheptylmethylphosphine, dimethylhexylphosphine, dihexylmethylphosphine, dimethylheptylphosphine, diheptylmethylphosphine, dimethylhexylphosphine, dihexylmethylphosphine, dimethylbutylphosphine, dibutylmethylphosphine, tripentylphosphine, tricyclohexylphosphine, triheptylphosphine , Tribenzylphosph , Dimethylcyclohexylphosphine, dicyclohexylmethylphosphine, 1,1,2,2-dimethylphosphinoethane, 1,1,2,2-dimethylphosphinopropane, 1,1,2,2-dimethylphosphinobutane, 1,1,2,2-dioctylphosphinoethane, 1,1,2,2-dioctylphosphinopropane, 1,1,2,2-dioctylphosphinopropane, 1,1,2,2-dioctylphosphinobutane 1,1,2,2-dihexylphosphinoethane, 1,1,2,2-dihexylphosphinopropane, 1,1,2,2-dihexylphosphinobutane, 1,1,2,2-dibutylphos Phinoethane, 1,1,2,2-dibutylphosphinopropane, 1,1,2,2-dibutylphosphinobutane, 1,1-diphosphinan 1,4-dimethyl-1,4-diphosphinophane, 1,3-dimethylphosphorinane, 1,4-dimethylphosphorinane, 8-methyl-8-phosphinobicyclooctane, 4-methyl-4- Examples include monodentate, multidentate, cyclic, and alkylphosphines having substituents on the alkyl group, such as phosphotetracyclooctane, 1-methylphosphorane, and 1-methylphosphonan, and use optically active trialkyl phosphorus By doing so, synthesis of optically active lactones can also be expected. The alkyl group of the trialkyl phosphorus used in this reaction may be a normal form, an iso form, or a mixture thereof.

  In addition to organic phosphines having trialkyl phosphorus or aromatic substituents, coordination organic compounds containing other phosphorus atoms can also be used as ligands, such as phosphites, phosphinates, phosphines. Oxides, aminophosphines, phosphinic acids and the like can also be used. The usage-amount of these phosphorus ligands is 0.1-1000 mol with respect to 1 mol of ruthenium metals, Preferably it is the range of 1-100 mol.

In addition, the ruthenium complex catalyst of the present invention can be used for the reaction in the form of a cationic complex using a conjugate base of an acid having a pKa of less than 2, and in several points such as improvement of activity and stabilization of the catalyst. The use of a conjugated base is effective.
As the conjugate base of an acid having a pKa of less than 2, it is sufficient if it forms such a conjugate base during catalyst preparation or in the reaction system, and the supply form thereof is Bronsted acid or various salts thereof having a pKa of less than 2. Etc. are used. Specifically, inorganic acids such as nitric acid, perchloric acid, borohydrofluoric acid, hexafluorophosphoric acid, fluorosulfonic acid, trichloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, dodecylsulfonic acid, octadecylsulfonic acid, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid Bronsted acids such as benzene sulfonic acid, paratoluene sulfonic acid, tetra (pentafluorophenyl) boronic acid, organic acid such as sulfonated styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer, alkali metal salts of these acids, alkaline earth metals Examples thereof include salts, ammonium salts, and silver salts.

Further, the above acid conjugate base may be added in the form of an acid derivative that is considered to be produced in the reaction system. For example, the same effect can be expected even if it is added to the reaction system in the form of acid halide, acid anhydride, ester, acid amide or the like.
The amount of these acids or salts thereof used is in the range of 0 to 1000 mol, preferably 0 to 100 mol, relative to the ruthenium metal. Most preferably, it is 0-10 mol.

  The production of gamma-butyrolactone in the present invention is preferably carried out without the presence of a solvent, that is, using organic acids as reaction raw materials, preferably succinic anhydride, and esters as products, preferably gamma-butyrolactone itself. However, a solvent other than the reaction raw material can also be used. For example, diethyl ether, anisole, tetrahydrofuran, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, dioxane ether, methanol, ethanol, n-butanol, benzyl alcohol, phenol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol and other alcohols, formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, toluic acid, etc. Carboxylic acids, esters such as methyl acetate, butyl acetate and benzyl benzoate, aromatic carbons such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and tetralin, aliphatic hydrocarbons such as n-hexane, n-octane and cyclohexane, dichloromethane and trichloroethane , Halogenated hydrocarbons such as chlorobenzene, nitro compounds such as nitromethane and nitrobenzene, N, N-dimethylformamide, N, N-dimethylacetamide, N Carboxylic acid amides such as methylpyrrolidone, hexamethylphosphoric acid triamide and other amides, ureas such as N, N-dimethylimidazolidinone, sulfones such as dimethyl sulfone, sulfoxides such as dimethyl sulfoxide, gamma butyrolactone, Lactones such as caprolactone, polyethers such as tetraglyme and triglyme, carbonates such as dimethyl carbonate and ethylene carbonate, etc., preferably ethers, polyethers, reaction raw materials, and product gamma butyrolactone .

The reaction temperature is usually 20 to 350 ° C, preferably 100 to 250 ° C, more preferably 150 to 220 ° C. This reaction can be carried out either batchwise or continuously.
In the present invention, a catalyst solution obtained by removing gamma-butyrolactone and the reaction solvent from a reaction solution containing a high-boiling compound produced as a by-product in gamma-butyrolactone as a by-product in the production of gamma-butyrolactone. , Extraction using a nonpolar solvent such as heptane, and a polar solvent such as water (preferably water) to separate into a nonpolar solvent phase rich in ruthenium catalyst and a polar solvent phase rich in by-product esters, It is possible to use the polar solvent phase obtained. In addition, “a catalyst solution obtained by removing gamma-butyrolactone and the reaction solvent is extracted using a nonpolar solvent such as heptane and a polar solvent such as water (preferably water), and a nonpolar solvent phase, an aqueous phase, It is also possible to use an aqueous phase obtained by separating the organic phase into an oil phase insoluble in water and an organic solvent, such as an aliphatic hydrocarbon compound and an alicyclic ring. These non-polar solvents may have a substituent, such as pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, nonane, and the like. , Decane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, benzene, toluene, xylene, diethylbenzene, isopropylbenzene, etc., especially pentane, Aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds having 5 to 8 carbon atoms such as xane, heptane, and octane are preferable, and examples of the polar solvent include alcohols, ketones, esters, water, etc. These polar solvents include substituents. Specific examples include methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, 1-pentanol, 2-pentanol, and 3-pentanol. 1-hexanol, 2-hexanol, 3-hexanol, 1-heptanol, 2-heptanol, 3-heptanol, 4-heptanol, 1-octanol, 2-octanol, 3-octanol, 4-octanol, 1-nonanol, 2 -Nonanol, 3-nonanol, 4-nonanol, 5-nonanol, 1-decano 2-decanol, 3-decanol, 4-decanol, 5-decanol, cyclopentanol, cyclohexanol, cycloheptanol, 1-phenethyl alcohol, 2-phenethyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, 1, Examples include 4-butanediol, 1,5-hexanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, 2-pentanone, 3-pentanone, cyclohexanone, and ethyl acetate, but alcohols are preferable from the viewpoint of economy and safety. More preferably, diol and water, particularly 1,4-butanediol and water are preferred.

  The weight ratio of the catalyst solution, the polar solvent, and the nonpolar solvent in the extraction process is used within a range of 1 / 0.2 to 10 / 0.2 to 10. Preferably it is the range of 1 / 1-3 / 0.2-1. Further, the weight ratio of the polar solvent to the nonpolar solvent is preferably 1 to 15 (polar solvent weight / nonpolar solvent weight), particularly preferably 2 to 10. If this value is too small, the high-boiling substances are not sufficiently dissolved in the polar solvent phase, resulting in incomplete phase separation by the extraction process, and if this value is too large, the process equipment for the extraction process and the weight reduction process will be It becomes unnecessarily huge and causes economic deterioration.

  The extraction treatment temperature is usually 20 to 150 ° C, preferably 40 ° C to 100 ° C. If this temperature is too high, the energy cost for maintaining the high temperature will be high, and if it is too low, the time required for the extraction process will become long, which will be uneconomical. The extraction time is in the range of 10 minutes to 5 hours, preferably 30 minutes to 3 hours. If the time is too long, it becomes uneconomical, and if it is too short, the extraction process does not proceed completely.

  The extraction process can be performed in either continuous or batch mode. The nonpolar solvent phase generated after the extraction is phase-separated at the interface with the other phase, and the catalyst species contained in the nonpolar solvent phase is recycled to the production process of the esters which are the target products. At that time, the nonpolar solvent may be separated from the catalyst by distillation or the like. In addition, liquid components other than the nonpolar solvent phase phase-separated after extraction form one phase containing a by-product high boiling point compound, or two phases, a polar solvent phase and an oil phase insoluble in the polar solvent and the nonpolar solvent. Form. At this time, the by-product high boiling point substance is contained in both the polar solvent phase and the oil phase. After precipitation of the organic acid salt by adding the water-soluble organic compound, the aqueous solution containing the alcohol, the organic acid salt, and the high boiling point compound, and the alkaline water treatment liquid of the hydrogenation reaction liquid of the organic acid using the ruthenium complex catalyst, Solid-liquid separation is possible by filtration or centrifugation. Further, the obtained organic acid salt is regenerated into an organic acid by acids such as a solid acid and can be reused for the production of gamma-butyrolactone.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention further in detail, unless it exceeds the summary of this invention, it is not limited to a following example. In the following examples, 1,4-butanediol was analyzed by internal standard gas chromatography (Shimadzu GC-14A), and succinic acid was analyzed by liquid chromatography (Shimadzu column CA-10S, Detector SPD-10A) and moisture analysis were performed by the Karl Fischer method (Mitsubishi Moisture: CA-20 manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation).

Reference example 1
A hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride using a ruthenium trioctylphosphine-paratoluenesulfonic acid catalyst was carried out as follows. The reaction was carried out using a circulator equipped with a gas-liquid separator (1) and a distillation column (2) shown in FIG. 0.056% by weight of tris (acetylacetone) ruthenium, 0.51% by weight of trioctylphosphine and 0.22% by weight of paratoluenesulfonic acid are dissolved in triglyme (triethylene glycol dimethyl ether) in the catalyst container (3). The mixture was heat-treated at 200 ° C. for 2 hours under a nitrogen atmosphere, and placed in a new catalyst container (5) to obtain a center feed catalyst solution. This catalyst solution was supplied to the autoclave (8) at a flow rate of 3500 mL / h, and after gas-liquid separation, the catalyst solution was recovered and recycled as a guard for the distillation tower.

On the other hand, 7.9 Nm ³ / h hydrogen gas was sent from the hydrogen compressor (6) to the autoclave and adjusted to 20 atm. The autoclave was heated to 200 ° C., and a raw material liquid consisting of 80% by weight of succinic anhydride and 20% by weight of gamma butyrolactone was continuously supplied at a flow rate of 375 g / h. The reaction liquid is cooled to 60 ° C., and after gas-liquid separation at normal pressure, the product water, gamma butyrolactone and the catalyst liquid are separated in a distillation column, and the catalyst liquid is returned to (3) in the catalyst vessel. From 7 days after the start of the reaction, as part of the flow, the catalyst solution was extracted at a flow rate of 29 g / h and stored in the catalyst container (4).

  A new catalyst was replenished to the autoclave from the new catalyst solution (5) at a flow rate of 29 g / h corresponding to the amount extracted. The reaction was continued for 30 days, but stable results were obtained from the 7th day. The composition of the extracted catalyst solution was as follows.

Reference example 2
The extracted catalyst solution obtained in Reference Example 1 was concentrated as follows. The extracted catalyst solution 878.1 g was put into a jacketed reactor equipped with a vacuum distillation apparatus, and triglyme as a solvent was distilled off by vacuum distillation. At this time, the degree of vacuum was controlled in the range of 70 mmHg to 5 mmHg so as to keep the liquid temperature at 160 ° C. or lower. After the solvent was distilled off, 295.75 g of concentrated catalyst solution was obtained. The composition of the obtained concentrated catalyst solution was as follows.

Reference example 3
90.3 g of water and 28.0 g of heptane were added to 39.8 g of the concentrated catalyst solution obtained in Reference Example 2, and the mixture was stirred at 80 ° C. for 1 hour. When allowed to stand at 80 ° C., it was insoluble in any of the heptane phase containing the catalyst, the aqueous phase, the heptane phase and the aqueous phase, and separated into three oil phases containing waste ruthenium. The three phases were separated to obtain 110 g of an aqueous phase. The composition of this aqueous phase was as follows. Examples were carried out using this aqueous phase.

Reference example 4
60.6 g of water and 35.0 g of heptane were added to 50.0 g of the concentrated catalyst solution obtained in Reference Example 2, and the mixture was stirred at 80 ° C. for 1 hour. When allowed to stand at 80 ° C., it was separated from the top into two phases, a heptane phase and an aqueous phase containing waste ruthenium. The two phases were separated to obtain 106.7 g of an aqueous phase. The composition of this aqueous phase was as follows. Examples were carried out using this aqueous phase.

Example 1
40 g of the aqueous phase obtained in Reference Example 3 and 20 g of a 48% by weight aqueous sodium hydroxide solution were charged into a 100 mL glass flask equipped with a stirring blade and stirred at 90 ° C. for 30 minutes. The composition of this reaction solution was as follows.

Sodium succinate: 32.0 wt%, moisture: 60.5 wt%, 1,4-butanediol: 5.0 wt%, high boiling point compound: 7 wt%
10.05 g of acetone was added to 5.01 g of the reaction solution obtained here, and when left at room temperature for 1 hour, white crystals were precipitated. This solid-liquid mixture was separated by filtration to obtain 1.51 g of a white solid and 13.55 g of a mother liquid. The obtained solid (white crystals) was dried and analyzed by liquid chromatography. As a result, it was found to be sodium succinate. This succinic acid indicates that 98% of the succinic acid skeleton of the high boiling point compound in the aqueous phase obtained in Reference Example 3 was recovered as sodium succinate. As a result of analyzing an aqueous solution obtained by dissolving the white solid in water by gas chromatography, 1,4-butanediol was not detected. As a result of analysis of the mother liquor, sodium succinate was not detected, and it was revealed that 1.8% by weight of 1,4-butanediol was contained. According to this example, it was found that high boiling point compounds by-produced in the production of gamma-butyrolactone can be decomposed by alkali, and organic acid salts can be efficiently precipitated by adding a water-soluble organic compound to the alkaline liquid component.

Example 2
40 g of the aqueous phase obtained in Reference Example 4 and 20 g of a 48 wt% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution were charged into a glass 100 mL flask equipped with a stirring blade and stirred at 90 ° C. for 30 minutes. The composition of this reaction solution was as follows.
Sodium succinate: 34% by weight, moisture: 44.5% by weight, 1,4-butanediol: 5.5% by weight, high boiling point compound: 6% by weight
75.8 g of acetone was added to 50.1 g of the reaction solution obtained here, and the mixture was stirred at 30 ° C. for 30 minutes and allowed to stand for 30 minutes, whereby white crystals were precipitated. This solid-liquid mixture was separated by a centrifuge to obtain 33.8 g of white solid and 86.9 g of liquid. As a result of analyzing the obtained solid (white crystals) by liquid chromatography, it was found to be 47.8% by weight of sodium succinate. This succinic acid indicates that 95% of the succinic acid skeleton of the high boiling point compound in the aqueous phase obtained in Reference Example 3 was recovered as sodium succinate. As a result of analyzing an aqueous solution obtained by dissolving the white solid in water by gas chromatography, 1,4-butanediol was not detected. As a result of analysis of the mother liquor, sodium succinate was not detected, and it was revealed that 2.3% by weight of 1,4-butanediol was contained. According to this example, it was found that the separation of sodium succinate and 1,4-butanediol proceeded efficiently by solid-liquid separation.

Example 3
40 g of the aqueous phase obtained in Reference Example 4 and 20 g of a 48 wt% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution were charged into a glass 100 mL flask equipped with a stirring blade and stirred at 90 ° C. for 30 minutes. The composition of this reaction solution was as follows.
Sodium succinate: 34% by weight, moisture: 44.5% by weight, 1,4-butanediol: 5.5% by weight, high boiling point compound: 6% by weight
To 50.0 g of the reaction solution obtained here, 75.1 g of acetone was added in a flask with a 200 mL glass stirring blade, stirred at 30 ° C. for 1 hour, and allowed to stand for 30 minutes to precipitate white crystals. This solid-liquid mixture was separated by filtration to obtain 91.4 g of a filtrate. Further, 50.3 g of water was added to the white solid remaining in the flask, and the mixture was extracted after dissolution. White solid aqueous solution 79.0g was obtained (white solid 28.6g). As a result of analyzing the obtained white solid solution by liquid chromatography, it was found that the white solid was 46.8% by weight of sodium succinate. This succinic acid indicates that 95% of the succinic acid skeleton of the high boiling point compound in the aqueous phase obtained in Reference Example 3 was recovered as sodium succinate. As a result of analyzing the white solid aqueous solution by gas chromatography, 1,4-butanediol was not detected. On the other hand, as a result of analyzing the filtrate by liquid chromatography and gas chromatography, sodium succinate was not detected, and it was revealed that 2.2% by weight of 1,4-butanediol was contained. According to this example, it was found that the separation of sodium succinate and 1,4-butanediol proceeded efficiently by solid-liquid separation.

Comparative Example 1
Without adding an aqueous alkali solution to 50 g of the aqueous phase obtained in Reference Example 4, 75.8 g of acetone was added, stirred for 30 minutes at 30 ° C., and allowed to stand for 30 minutes. It did not precipitate.

It is a figure which shows the apparatus which performed "the hydrogenation reaction of the succinic anhydride using the ruthenium trioctyl phosphine-paratoluenesulfonic acid type catalyst" of a reference example.

Claims (7)

  A method for treating a high-boiling compound by-produced in the production of gamma-butyrolactone, wherein an alkaline aqueous solution is added to an aqueous solution of the high-boiling compound and heated and stirred to convert the high-boiling compound into an organic acid salt and 1,4-butanediol. A method in which a water-soluble organic compound is added to an alkaline aqueous solution containing the resulting organic acid salt and 1,4-butanediol, and the organic acid salt is precipitated.   2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the production of gamma butyrolactone is production of gamma butyrolactone by hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride or succinic acid.   In the production of gamma-butyrolactone by hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride or succinic acid, by-product high-boiling compounds obtained by removing gamma-butyrolactone and reaction solvent from the reaction solution obtained by hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride or succinic acid Extract and separate water and a nonpolar solvent from the catalyst solution, separate and remove only the nonpolar organic solvent phase from the separated phases, add an aqueous alkali solution to the remaining phase, and stir with heating. Thereafter, a water-soluble organic compound is added to the obtained alkaline liquid phase to precipitate organic acid salts.   The production of gamma butyrolactone is a hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride or succinic acid using a ruthenium complex catalyst, the nonpolar solvent is a hydrocarbon having 5 to 20 carbon atoms, and the alkaline aqueous solution is sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method is an aqueous solution, and the organic acid salt is a sodium salt or potassium salt of succinic acid.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the precipitated organic acid salt is subjected to solid-liquid separation by filtration.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the precipitated organic acid salt is subjected to solid-liquid separation by centrifugation.   A method for producing gamma-butyrolactone by hydrogenation reaction of succinic anhydride or succinic acid, comprising removing the gamma-butyrolactone and the reaction solvent from the reaction solution obtained by the hydrogenation reaction, and containing the resulting by-product high-boiling compound After adding water and a nonpolar solvent to the catalyst solution for extraction and separation, after separating and removing only the nonpolar organic solvent phase from the separated phases, an aqueous alkali solution is added to the remaining phase and heated and stirred. Then, a water-soluble organic compound is added to the obtained alkaline liquid phase to precipitate succinates, and the succinates are solid-liquid separated, and then the succinates are converted to succinic acid with acids, and the succinic acid is converted into succinic acid. A method for producing gamma-butyrolactone, which is used as a raw material succinic acid for a hydrogenation reaction.

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