PROCESS FOR PREPARING GAMMA-BUTYROLACTONE, BUTANE-1,4-DIOL AND TETRAHYDROFURAN

• Main Authors: TUCK, MICHAEL WILLIAM MARSHALL, HILES, ANDREW GEORGE, WOOD, MICHAEL ANTHONY
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 20.11.1997
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; APPARATUS THEREFOR; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; GENERAL METHODS OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

A process is described for the production of at least one C4 compound selected from butane-1,4-diol, -butyrolactone and tetrahydrofuran, which includes the step of hydrogenation in the vapour phase of maleic anhydride in the presence of a heterogeneous hydrogenation catalyst, which process comprises: (a) contacting a vaporous stream containing maleic anhydride vapour, water vapour, and carbon oxides in an absorption zone with a high boiling organic solvent having a boiling point at atmospheric pressure which is at least about 30 ~C higher than that of maleic anhydride thereby to form a solution of maleic anhydride in the high boiling organic solvent; (b) recovering from the absorption zone a waste gas stream; (c) contacting the solution of maleic anhydride in the high boiling solvent with a gaseous stream containing hydrogen thereby to strip maleic anhydride therefrom and to form a vaporous stream comprising hydrogen and maleic anhydride; (d) contacting material of the vaporous stream of step (e) in a hydrogenation zone under hydrogenation conditions in the presence of a heterogeneous hydrogenation catalyst thereby to convert maleic anhydride to at least one C4 compound selected from butane1,4-diol, -butyrolactone and tetrahydrofuran; and (e) recovering from the hydrogenation zone a product stream containing said at least one C4 compound.