WO2014056005A1

WO2014056005A1 - Method for producing lactic acid

Info

Publication number: WO2014056005A1
Application number: PCT/AT2012/000260
Authority: WO
Inventors: Amitava Kundu
Original assignee: Amitava Kundu
Priority date: 2011-10-11
Filing date: 2012-10-11
Publication date: 2014-04-17
Also published as: AT511965A4; AT511965B1; AR089170A1; UY34386A

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing lactic acid from glycerol, a catalyst selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, palladium and cobalt and/or mixtures thereof being used and the method being carried out in an aqueous alkaline medium.

Description

Process for the preparation of lactic acid

The present invention relates to a novel process for the production of lactic acid.

Lactic acid is an alkanoic acid which has both a carboxy group and a hydroxy group and is also referred to as 2-hydroxypropionic acid or 2-hydroxypropanoic acid, their salts and esters are called lactates. Due to their different optical activity, D - (-) - lactic acid ((R) -lactic acid) is also referred to as levorotatory lactic acid and L - (+) - lactic acid ((S) -lactic acid) as dextrorotatory lactic acid. Racemic lactic acid is a 1: 1 mixture of (R) - and (S) -lactic acid. In 2010, about 250,000 tons of lactic acid were produced worldwide, which are mainly used in the food industry and for the production of polylactides (PLA).

The production of lactic acid can be carried out both biotechnologically via a fermentation of carbohydrates (sugar, starch) as well as synthetically. Currently, nearly 95% of global lactic acid production is made available through relatively expensive and expensive fermentation of starch and glucose-containing agricultural products such as corn, wheat and sugar. In the fermentative production of a direct distillation to purify the resulting lactic acid by the also present sugar, protein and other impurities (acids, alcohols, esters, ...), however, considerably more difficult, the usual isolation based on the esterification to the corresponding methyl lactate , Distillation of the ester and subsequent hydrolysis. Synthetically, the production of lactic acid takes place by hydration of hydrogen cyanide (hydrocyanic acid, HCN). On the industrial scale, only the synthesis of lactic acid from acetaldehyde with hydrogen cyanide via lactonitrile plays a certain role. The latter is hydrolyzed by the use of hydrochloric acid, wherein in addition to the lactic acid ammonium chloride is formed.

In recent years, the demand for lactic acid has been steadily increasing, and it will become an important commodity chemical because of its versatility. The benefits of lactic acid include complete biodegradability, C0 ₂ neutrality and, in the case of lactic acid polymers, the same processing capabilities as conventional ones Fossil-based plastics. In addition to the established use of lactic acid products in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical and food industries, the polymerized form PLA (polylactic acid) as a biodegradable plastic is one of the reasons for the increasing demand for lactic acid. The use of environmentally friendly, lactic acid-based organic solvents for the chemical industry is also growing rapidly.

In the bio-diesel and fatty acid production, on the other hand, a glycerin-containing by-product is obtained, which is generally referred to as glycerol phase. The glycerol phase is usually a non-explosive, viscous, methanol-containing, dark liquid. In general, an attempt has been made for some time to provide the glycerol phase for recovery. Some studies have shown that the glycerine phase is good for the environment and can be used as a renewable energy source in the form of a supplementary, energizing fuel in biomass plants for the heat but also for electricity generation of local, regional and national households, commercial enterprises and industry. Due to the world-wide growing biodiesel and fatty acid production, the glycerol phase or glycerol separated from the glycerol phase is currently available in excess, which also accompanies a corresponding decline in the price of glycerol phase or glycerol.

The prior art already has various documents relating to lactic acid and its preparation from glycerine. Thus, CN 101695657 A (Haichao Liu, Yihong Shen) describes a process for producing lactic acid using glycerine and specific catalysts. According to the description, the patented method proceeds under unspecified "mild conditions" using a platinum-based catalyst, also not described.

US 2010/047140 relates to the conversion of glycerol to lactic acid under high temperature (340 ° C) and correspondingly high saturation vapor pressure (about 146 bar), optionally using calcium hydroxide as the catalyst. According to the examples, the glycerol concentration in the reaction solution is 0.33 M, and a relatively high yield was achieved with 80% as the best result. The method of CN 101225041 allows the production of lactic acid at high pressure (up to 15 bar), temperatures up to 140 ° C and a reaction time up to 48 h the conversion of glycerol to lactic acid is only 12% to 70% at a selectivity of 33% up to 81%, also the obtained lactic acid yield is very low at 9.7% to 32%.

CN 101255451, US 2009/104675 and JP 2009050251 all describe a fermentation process using glycerol.

The chemical conversion of glycerol to lactic acid is also described in publications and textbooks, for example in Yuksel, A .; Koga, H .; Sasaki, M .; Goto, M. Electrolysis of glycerol in subchtical water. J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 2009, 1, 033112. The method described is based on a hydrothermal electrolysis at a glycerol concentration of 0.1 M and a temperature of 280 ° C, with a lactic acid yield of 34.7% was achieved.

Kishida, H .; Jin, F .; Zhou, Z .; Moriya, T .; Enomoto, H. Conversion of glycerol into lactic acid by alkaline hydrothermal reaction. Chem. Lett. 2005, 34, 1560-1561 and Shen, Z .; Jin, F .; Zhang, Y .; Wu, B .; Kishita, A .; Kishida, H. Effect of alkaline catalysts on hydrothermal conversion of glycerol into lactic acid. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2009, 48, 8920-8925, however, report a yield of up to 90%, but the reaction conditions at 300 ° C and a required reaction pressure of 90 bar are very energy-intensive and thus the associated operating costs obviously higher than that of aforementioned method. Also, the disclosed glycerol concentration of 0.33 M is generally uneconomical for industrial applications due to the associated low productivity and the required energy consumption.

Ramirez-Lopez, CA; Ochoa-Gomez, JR; Femandez-Santos, M .; Gomez-Jimenez-Aberaturi, O .; Alonso-Vicario, A .; Torrecilla-Soria, J. Synthesis of Lactic Acid by Alkaline Hydrothermal Conversion of Glycerol at High Glycerol Concentration. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2010, 49, 6270-6278, describes a process which builds on the two aforementioned, but the glycerol concentration in the reaction solution with 2.5 M is considerably higher. The described yield of 84.5 However,% is also achieved under very high temperatures (280 ° C) and high pressure.

The object of the present invention is now to provide a process whereby glycerol can be converted under the simplest possible conditions into lactic acid with a high yield. This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by the use of a catalyst selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, palladium and cobalt and / or mixtures thereof in an aqueous-basic medium. Preferably, the catalyst (s) are / is used in the form of its oxide, hydroxide or metal, most preferably the hydroxide and the elemental metal are supported. The catalyst (s) may optionally be provided on one or more suitable supports, which supports are preferably selected from the group consisting of carbon, activated carbon, Al ₂ O ₃ , Fe ₃ O ₄ , Fe ₂ O ₃ , TiO ₂ , hydroxyapatite and / or mixtures thereof. The process according to the invention was developed especially for use in biodiesel plants and can also be subsequently integrated into already existing production plants, thereby making it possible for biodiesel producers to process any residues themselves to lactic acid. The main reaction product in the process according to the invention is sodium lactate. Sodium formate and propylene glycol occur, inter alia, as by-products (depending on the catalyst used, ruthenium catalysts contain larger amounts of formate than in the reaction with palladium catalysts, where formate is only present in trace amounts)

Particularly preferred, when the catalyst is selected from the group comprising Ru (OH) _x / Fe ₃ O ₄₎ Ru (OH) _x / Fe ₂ O ₃ , Ru (OH) _x / TiO ₂ , Ru (OH) _x / Al ₂ O ₃ , Ru (OH) _x / HAp (RuHAp: ruthenium hydroxyapatite), Ru / activated carbon, RuCl ₃ * _n H ₂ O, Pd / C, Pd / activated carbon, Pd (OH) ₂ / activated carbon, Pd ( OH) _x / Fe ₃ O ₄ , Pd / Fe ₃ O ₄ , PdCl _2> co-silicide (CoSi ₂ ), Ru (OH) _x -Pd (OH) _x / Fe ₃ O ₄ , Ru-Pd / Fe ₃ O ₄ , Ru (OH) _x -Co / Fe ₃ O ₄ , Co-Pd (OH) _x Fe ₃ O ₄ , and mixtures of Ru / activated carbon and Pd / activated carbon or Ru / activated carbon and Pd (OH) ₂ / activated carbon. The most stable catalysts on charcoal carriers have been found. These could be recovered quantitatively and used several times without loss of activity. The best yield was achieved with Pd / Ru mixed catalysts. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the catalyst (s) is / are used in a concentration of 1.25% -5% (based on the active catalyst metal), more preferably a concentration of 2.5%.

Preferably, in the method according to the invention, a glycerol concentration of more than 4 M is provided, ie a much higher concentration than described in the literature or other patents. The more concentrated the reaction volume the smaller the reactor size (low volume) and the lower the reaction and processing costs, since less energy must be applied to heat the reaction and then distilling off the water. Of course, lower glycerol concentrations are also suitable. In the currently conventional fermentative production of lactic acid, the reaction is carried out in comparatively high dilutions, which requires large reactors and a high energy expenditure in the isolation of the product, since a great deal of water has to be removed. The low reaction volume makes it possible to implement the necessary reactors directly in biodiesel plants. The inventive method further allows due to fewer by-products, a direct and thus cost-effective distillation of lactic acid in vacuo.

It is also advantageous if crude glycerol is used directly in the process according to the invention, which eliminates purification steps, which contributes to the economy of the method. For example, the glycerol phase from a biodiesel or fatty acid preparation can be used as crude glycerol.

It is particularly preferred if the aqueous-basic medium comprises 1, 7-2 eq base. At a glycerol concentration of 5 M, for example, this is a 13.4 M solution, with NaOH preferably being used as the base. More NaOH causes higher reaction costs; less NaOH delays the full turnover. Instead of NaOH, other bases are also suitable, e.g. KOH.

The following examples serve to explain the process according to the invention in more detail, but without limiting it. In general, the editorial procedure in the experiments for the method according to the invention was carried out such that the catalyst is placed in a flask and glycerol (including crude glycerol) and the basic solution (NaOH, KOH) are added. Subsequently, the reaction suspension is stirred for about 1 h by means of a magnetic stirrer and the evolution of hydrogen is awaited. Thereafter, the suspension is heated by means of oil bath to 100 ° - 110 ° C and stirred for 10 - 14 h under slight reflux, which condenses from submitted basic solution and water formed during the reaction at the reflux condenser. During this time further H ₂ escapes. After the reaction time, the reaction suspension is cooled to room temperature and the conversion determined by NMR. The main reaction product is sodium lactate, sodium formate and propylene glycol occur as by-products, depending on the catalyst used.

For workup, the heterogeneous catalyst is separated by filtration or centrifugation (in the case of magnetic catalysts also with magnetic separation). The pH of the remaining solution is adjusted from strongly basic to about pH 2 by means of acid (HCl, H ₂ S0 ₄ ). The sodium lactate (and the formate) formed in the reaction is hydrolyzed and free lactic acid is present. Optionally, precipitated salts can be filtered off. The use of HCl provides a good method to acidify the reaction solution. In the subsequent distillation, the hydrochloric acid is completely removed and no longer disturbs the process of isolation of lactic acid. The use of sulfuric acid is also suitable, but involves the risk of the formation of lactic acid oligomers, since after the removal of water still acid is present and thus a lactic acid esterification is promoted. The lactic acid is then isolated from the acidified solution by means of vacuum distillation: water, formic acid and propylene glycol evaporate at 2 mbar even at low temperature (these substances may optionally be fractionally distilled even at lower vacuum). At 88 ° - 90 ° C, lactic acid is distilled. A stronger vacuum (eg 1 mbar or less) allows distillation at correspondingly lower temperatures (at 1 mbar approx. 80 ° C). Lactic acid still remaining in the distillation residue can be soluble in the lactic acid but not in the resulting salt by a suitable extractant (eg isopropanol, butanol, methyl tert-butyl ether, diethyl ether and the like), extracted and then isolated by redistillation. The sodium chloride produced by the neutralization remains behind. Alternatively, the lactic acid liberated by acidification can be removed immediately with the aid of an extractant. Following this, after removal of the extractant, the product is then isolated by vacuum distillation.

Besides the direct distillation of the free lactic acid, isolation by means of esterification with alcohol (e.g., methanol, ethanol and the like) is also possible. For this purpose, after the acidification of the reaction suspension, the lactic acid is esterified and distilled off. Subsequent hydrolysis releases the lactic acid, by stripping off the alcohol, the remaining lactic acid is isolated.

Example: Example 1

0.34 g of Pd (OH) _x- Ru (OH) _x / Fe ₃ O 4 catalyst (1 mmol / g loading, 0.34 mmol) are introduced into a one-necked flask and 1 ml (1.26 g, 13, 68 mmol) of glycerol and 1.74 ml of an aqueous solution of 0.93 g of NaOH (13.36 M 23.25 mmol) are added. Subsequently, the reaction suspension is stirred for about 1 h (magnetic stirrer) and the evolution of hydrogen is awaited. Thereafter, the suspension is heated by means of oil bath to 100 ° - 110 ° C and stirred for 10 - 14 h with slight reflux, during this time escapes further H ₂ . After the reaction time, the reaction suspension is cooled to room temperature and the conversion determined by NMR, it was 77%.

Example 2

0.347 g of RuOH _x / Fe ₃ 04 catalyst (loading: 1 mmol / g, 0.347 mmol) are placed in a one-necked flask and 1 ml (1.26 g, 13.68 mmol) of glycerol and 1.74 ml of an aqueous solution of 1.307 g KOH (13.39 M, 23.29 mmol) are added. Subsequently, the reaction suspension is stirred for about 1 h (magnetic stirrer) and the evolution of hydrogen is awaited. Thereafter, the suspension is heated by means of oil bath to 100 ° - 10 ° C and stirred for 10 - 14 h with gentle reflux, during this time escapes further H ₂ . After expiration of Reaction time, the reaction suspension is cooled to room temperature and the conversion determined by NMR, it was 60%.

Example 3

A mixture of 0.35 g of Ru / activated carbon (5% loading, 0.171 mmol) and 0.24 g of Pd (OH) ₂ / activated carbon (20% loading, 50% H ₂ O, 0.171 mmol) are placed in a one-necked flask and 1 ml of crude glycerol (glycerol content: 80%, 10.94 mmol, from a glycerol phase, provided by an Austrian biodiesel producer) and 1.74 ml of an aqueous solution of 0.93 g of NaOH (13.37 M, 23.26 mmol ) are added. Subsequently, the reaction suspension is stirred for about 1 h (magnetic stirrer) and the evolution of hydrogen is awaited. Thereafter, the suspension is heated by means of oil bath to 100 ° - 110 ° C and stirred for 10 - 14 h with slight reflux, during this time escapes further H ₂ . After the reaction time, the reaction suspension is cooled to room temperature and the conversion determined by NMR, it was 79%.

Example 4

For workup, the heterogeneous catalyst from the reaction solution of Example 1 is separated by filtration, with H ₂ Odest. washed and adjusted the pH of the remaining slightly diluted solution by means of HCl (12 M) to about pH 2. The lactic acid is separated by vacuum distillation (Kugelrohr) at 2 mbar and 88-90 ° C, the yield was 0.643 g (52%). A further yield of lactic acid was obtained by extraction 4 times ( ⁷ ml each, stirred for about 1 h) by means of isopropanol from the distillation residue and, after isolation by redistillation, gave a further 0.256 g (21%).

Example 5

For workup, the heterogeneous catalyst is separated from the reaction solution of Example 3 by filtration, with H ₂ Odest. washed and the water removed by rotary evaporator. Thereafter, the residue was dissolved in 6 ml MeOH, adjusted with H ₂ SO ₄ (9 M), the pH of the solution to about pH 2 and esterified for 4 h under reflux (the methanol). The resulting methyl lactate was purified by fractional distillation of the remaining components (including methanol, water) at 30 mbar and about 55 ° - 60 ° C isolated. Subsequent hydrolysis of the methyl lactate using 4 ml H20 of _the t. and heating at 70 ° C for 9 hours released the lactic acid. Methanol and water were removed at 40 ° C under reduced pressure. The yield of lactic acid was 0.620 g (63%).

Used chemicals

RuCl ₃ nH ₂ O (n "3): Johnson Matthey, Switzerland

Fe ₂ O ₃ (99%; <5 micron): Sigma-Aldrich, Germany

Fe ₃ 0 ₄ (98%; <5 micron): Sigma-Aldrich, Germany

Al ₂ O ₃ (Al ₂ O ₃ 90, particle size 0.063 - 0.2 mm): Merck Germany

Ti0 ₂ (1/8 "pellets, 1% S) Alfa Aesar, Germany

Co silicide (99%): Alfa Aesar, Germany

Co (OH) ₂ (99.9%): Alfa Aesar, Germany

Pd (OH) ₂ / C (20%; 50% H ₂ O): Aldrich, Germany

Pd / C (10%): Aldrich, Germany

Pd / activated carbon (10%): Aldrich, Germany

NaOH (at least 99%): Sigma-Aldrich, Germany

C0CI ₂ (97%): Aldrich, Germany

NaBH ₄ (12 wt% in 14M NaOH): Aldrich, Germany

Pd (OAc) ₂ (98%): Aldrich, Germany

Hydroxyapatite (reagent grade ä 7%): Aldrich, Germany

KOH (90%): Sigma-Aldrich, Germany

PdCl ₂ (99%): Aldrich, Germany

Propan-2-ol (99.5%) Fischer Scientific, UK

Claims

P atent claims:

1. Process for the production of lactic acid starting from glycerol, characterized in that a catalyst selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, palladium and cobalt and / or mixtures thereof is used and the process is carried out at atmospheric pressure in an aqueous-basic medium.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the catalyst(s) is/are used in the form of their oxide, hydroxide or as a metal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the catalyst(s) is/are used in the form of their hydroxide.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the catalyst(s) is/are used in metallic form.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the catalyst(s) is/are provided on one or more suitable supports.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the supports are selected from the group comprising carbon, activated carbon, Al ₂ O ₃ , Fe ₃ O, Fe ₂ O ₃ , TiO ₂ , hydroxyapatite and/or mixtures thereof.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the catalyst(s) is/are provided on activated carbon

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the catalyst(s) is/are selected from the group comprising Ru(OH) _x /Fe ₃ O ₄ , Ru(OH) _x /Fe ₂ O3, _Ru ₍ _OH ₎ _{_} _{_} _{_} _{_} _{_} , Pd/activated carbon, Pd(OH) ₂ /activated carbon, Pd(OH) _x /Fe ₃ O ₄ , Pd/Fe ₃ O ₄ , PdCI ₂ , Co-silicide (CoSi ₂ ), Ru(OH) _x - Pd( _OH ₎ _{_} _{_} _{_} _{_} _{_} _{_} and Pd(OH) ₂ /activated carbon.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the catalyst(s) is/are used in a concentration of 1.25% - 5% based on the active catalyst metal.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the catalyst(s) is/are used in a concentration of 2.5% based on the active catalyst metal.

1 . Method according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a glycerol-containing solution with a glycerol concentration of more than 4 M is provided as the starting material.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that crude glycerin, optionally in the form of a solution, is provided as the starting material.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the glycerol phase from biodiesel or fatty acid production is provided as the starting material.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the aqueous-basic medium comprises 1.7 - 2 eq of base.