US 12,459,887 B2
Acetonitrile separation process
Kyle Kissell, Houston, TX (US); and Basil Michaels, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to Ascend Performance Materials Operations LLC, Houston, TX (US)
Filed by Ascend Performance Materials Operations LLC, Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Feb. 10, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/668,830.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/148,361, filed on Feb. 11, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0251030 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
Int. Cl. C07C 253/34 (2006.01); B01D 3/10 (2006.01)
CPC C07C 253/34 (2013.01) [B01D 3/10 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
 
1. A process for producing acetonitrile, the process comprising:
distilling a feedstock stream in a dehydration distillation column to yield a dehydration distillate stream and a dehydration bottoms stream, wherein the feedstock stream comprises acetonitrile, acrylonitrile, allyl alcohol, and water and the dehydration distillate stream is collected as the top stream from the dehydration distillation column;
extracting the dehydration distillate stream with a caustic to hydrolyze acrylonitrile and yield an extract stream comprising water and from 0.01 wt % to 5.0 wt % of hydroxypropionitrile and a raffinate stream comprising allyl alcohol and less than 1 wt % water;
reacting allyl alcohol in the raffinate stream with a strong acid in a reactor to yield a reactor output stream;
distilling the reactor output stream in a lights removal distillation column to yield a lights removal distillate stream and a lights removal bottoms stream; and
distilling the lights removal bottoms stream in a heavies removal distillation column to yield a product acetonitrile stream containing more than 98 wt % acetonitrile.