PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A POLYESTER PRODUCT FROM ALKYLENE OXIDE AND CARBOXYLIC ACID
European Patent EP1720929
Inventors:
White, Alan Wayne (228 Montsweag Court, Kingsport, TN 37664, US)
Ekart, Michael Paul (1025 Hanover Court, Kingsport, TN 37660, US)
Windes, Larry Cates (1212 Jerry Lane, Kingsport, TN 37664, US)
BONNER, Richard, Gillc/o Eastman Chemical Co. (100 North Eastman Road, Kingsport, TN 37660, US)
Wonders, Alan George (1005 Winchester Lane, Kingsport, TN 37660, US)
Application Number:
Publication Date:
10/05/2011
Filing Date:
03/01/2005
Export Citation:
Grupo Petrotemex V, de S. A. C. (Ricardo Margain No. 444 Torre sur, Piso 16 Col. Valle del Campestre, 66265 San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon, MX)
International Classes:
C08G63/81; C08G63/42; C08G63/78; C08G63/87
View Patent Images:
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Domestic Patent References:
Foreign References:
GB777128AGB1230840A37141255880251Polyester synthesis using catalysts having low decomposition temperatures
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Wibbelmann, Jobst (Wuesthoff & Wuesthoff Patent- und Rechtsanw?lte Schweigerstrasse 2, 81541 München, DE)
1. A process to produce a partially esterified terephthalic acid product said process comprising contacting in a reactor zone terephthalic acid with ethylene oxide in the presence of toluene as solvent and 0.5 to 5% by weight triethylamine based on the weight of the terephthalic acid as catalyst to produce said partially esterified terephthalic acid product
wherein said ethylene oxide is present in a molar ratio of 0.5:1 to less than 1:1 ethylene oxide to terephthalic acid, wherein said reactor is operated at a temperature of 180°C to 280°C.
2. The process according to claim 1 wherein said ethylene oxide is present in a molar ratio of 0.8:1 to less than 1:1 ethylene oxide to terephthalic acid.
3. The process according to claim 2 wherein said reactor zone comprises at least one reactor operated at a pressure such that a substantial portion of the ethylene oxide is in liquid phase.
4. The process according to claim 1 wherein said partially esterified carboxylic acid product is subsequently used to produce a polyester product.
5. A process to produce polyethylene terephthalate, said process comprising:
(a) a process to produce a partially esterified terephthalic acid product according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4 and
(b) further reacting said partially esterified terephthalic acid product with a diol to produce polyethylene terephthalate.
6. The process according to claim 5 wherein said reacting occurs in a pipe reactor.
7. The process according to claim 5 wherein said diol is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol(EG), diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,4-cyclohexane-dimethanol, propane-1,3-diol, butane-1,4-diol, pentane-1,5-diol, hexane-1,6-diol, neopentylglycol, 3-methylpentanediol-(2,4), 2-methylpentanediol-(1,4), 2,2,4-trimethylpentane-diol-(1,3), 2-ethylhexanediol-(1,3), 2,2-diethylpropane-diol-(1,3), hexanediol-(1,3), 1,4-di-(hydroxyethyoxy)-benzene, 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxycyclohexyl)-propane, 2,4-dihydroxy-1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-cyclobutane, 2,2,4,4-tetramethylcyclobutanediol, 2,2-bis-(3-hydroxethoxyphenyl)-propane, 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxypropoxyphenyl)-propane, isosorbide, hydroquinone, BDS-(2,2-(sulfonylbis)4,1-phenyleneoxy))bis(ethanol), and mixture thereof.
8. The process according to claim 5 wherein said diol comprises ethylene glycol(EG).
Description:
FIELD OF INVENTIONThis invention relates to a process to produce polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from ethylene oxide and terephthalic acid (TPA). More specifically, this process relates to a process to produce PET by reacting terephthalic acid and ethylene oxide in the presence of a catalyst and a solvent to form a partially esterified terephthalic acid product. The partially esterified terephthalic acid product is further reacted with a minimal amount of ethylene glycol to produce PET. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:Thermoplastic polyesters are step growth polymers that are useful when made at high molecular weights. The first step in a common method of producing a polyester or copolyester, such as polyethylene terephthalate, is an esterification or ester-exchange stage where a diacid, typically terephthalic acid, or a diester, typically dimethylterephthalate, reacts with an appropriate diol, typically ethylene glycol, to give a bis(hydroxyalkyl)ester and some oligomers. Water or alcohol is evolved at this stage and is usually removed by fractional distillation. Pursuant to the goal of making polyethylene terephthalate and other polyesters, a great deal of patent literature is dedicated to describing processes for preparing terephthalic acid/ethylene glycol mixtures suitable as starting materials. In general, these inventions describe specific mixing schemes with a purified terephthalic acid solid and liquid ethylene glycol as starting materials. Additionally, there is a substantial body of literature devoted to producing a purified terephthalic acid in the powder form that is suitable for use in producing PET. In the present invention, as set forth in greater detail in the claims a process to produce polyethylene terephthalate from ethylene oxide and terephthalic acid is provided. Terephthalic acid and ethylene oxide are reacted to form a partially esterified terephthalic acid product. The partially esterified terephthalic acid product for example is subsequently reacted with ethylene glycol in a conventional polyethylene terephthalic process or through the use of a pipe reactor to produce polyethylene terephthalate. The use of ethylene oxide can be a preferred method over using ethylene glycol. In addition, less heat input can be required during esterification using ethylene oxide versus using ethylene glycol. The polycondensation step can be conducted in one or more stages and can be completed with ethylene glycol addition, if needed, in order to increase the rate and to control the mole ratio. Suitable catalysts and additives can be added prior to or during polycondensation. Possible catalysts include compounds based on Sb, Ge, Ti, Al, Sn and Zr or combinations thereof. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of this invention to provide a process for producing a partially esterified terephthalic acid product by contacting in a reactor zone terephthalic acid and ethylene oxide in the presence of at least one solvent and at least one basic catalyst. It is another object of this invention to provide a process to produce polyethylene terephthalate by contacting in a reactor zone terephthalic acid with ethylene oxide in the presence of a solvent and a basic catalyst to produce a partially esterified
and then reacting said partially esterified terephthalic acid product with ethylene glycol to produce polyethylene terephthalate. In one embodiment of this invention as defined in claim 1, a process to produce a partially esterified terephthalic acid product is provided. The process comprises contacting in a reactor zone terephthalic acid with ethylene oxide in the presence of toluene and triethylamine to produce said partially esterified terep wherein said ethylene oxide is present in a molar ratio of 0.5:1 to less than 1:1 ethylene oxide
wherein said reactor is operated at a temperature of about 180°C to about 280°C. In another embodiment of this invention, a process to produce a partially esterified terephthalic acid product is provided. The process comprises contacting in a reactor zone terephthalic acid with ethylene oxide in the presence of toluene and triethylamine to produce said partially esterified terep wherein said ethylene oxide is present in a molar ratio of 0.8:1 to less than 1:1 ethylene oxide
wherein said reactor zone comprises at least one reactor operated at a pressure such that a substantial portion of the ethylene oxide i and wherein said reactor is operated at a temperature of about 180°C to about 280°C. These objects, and other objects, will become more apparent to others with ordinary skill in the art after reading this disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONThe terephthalic acid, ethylene oxide, toluene and triethylamine can be charged to the reactor zone separately or mixed in any combination. Preferably, the basic catalyst and ethylene oxide are added in the presence of the carboxylic acid. For the reactor zone, there are no special limitations in the form of construction thereof. However, the reactor zone is subject to an arrangement that allows contact of the ethylene oxide, terephthalic acid, toluene and triethylamine at the given process conditions. Generally the reactor zone comprises at least one reactor. The reactor zone comprises a plug flow reactor where the ending temperature is 180°C to 280°C in order to obtain high reaction rates and near complete conversion of ethylene oxide. Side products such as diethylene glycol(DEG), may be controlled by addition of small amounts of water, and water may be used to insure complete reaction of the ethylene oxide. Generally, the reaction is conducted at a pressure of about 689 kPa (100 psi) to about 10.3 MPa (1500 psi). Preferably, the reaction is conducted at a pressure of about 2.07 MPa (300 psi) to about 10.3 MPa (1500 psi). Most preferably the reaction is conducted at a pressure of about 3.45 MPa (500 psi) to about 8.27 MPa (1200 psi). In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the reactor zone comprises at least one reactor operated at a pressure such that a substantial portion of the alkylene oxide is in liquid phase. Substantial portion is defined as 90 wt%. The triethylamine is present in a concentration of 1 to 5 percent by weight. Most preferably, the triethylamine is present in a concentration of 1 to 3 percent by weight. In this embodiment the partially esterified carboxylic acid product is known as a partially esterified terephthalic acid product. The conversion of terephthalic acid to a partially terephthalic acid product is defined as the percent conversion of the acid groups in the terephthalic acid to ester groups. Typically, the conversion is between about 8% to about 60%. Preferably, the conversion is about 30% to about 50%. Most preferably, the conversion is about 40% to about 50%. The partially esterified carboxylic acid product can be subsequently used to produce a polyester product. This can be accomplished by transferring the partially esterified carboxylic acid product to a conventional type polyester process where esterification and oligomerization can be continued. As used herein, "conventional" process or apparatus with respect to polyester processing refers to a non-pipe reactor or process, including, but not limited to, a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) process or apparatus, a reactive distillation, stripper, or rectification column process or apparatus, or tank with internals, screw, or kneader process or apparatus. The partially esterified carboxylic acid product can also be routed to a non-conventional pipe reactor process as described in U.S. application serial # 10/013,318 filed December 7, 2001 with a publication # . The polyester ester product comprises at least one polyester. Examples of polyesters include, but are not limited to, homopolymer and copolymers of polyethylene terephthalate (PET); homopolymer and copolymers of poly homopolymer and copolymers of polye homopolymer and copolymers of po homopolymer and copolymers of polyethylene adipate and homopolyesters and copolyesters that are usually derived from 1,2-propanediol and 1,2-butanediol and mixtures thereof. In another embodiment of this invention, a process to produce a partially esterified terephthalic acid product is provided as set forth in claim 5. Step (a) in this process of claim 6 has been previously discussed in this disclosure. Step (b) can be accomplished by transferring the partially esterified terephthalic acid product to a conventional type PET process where esterification and oligomerization can be continued. As used herein, "conventional process or apparatus with respect to polyester processing refers to a non-pipe reactor or process, including, but not limited to, a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) process or apparatus, a reactive distillation, stripper, or rectification column process or apparatus, or tank with internals, screw, or kneader process or apparatus. Suitable diols for producing copolyesters comprise cycloaliphatic diols, preferably having about 6 to about 20 carbon atoms, or aliphatic diols, preferably having about 3 to about 20 carbon atoms. Examples of such diols include, but are not limited to ethylene glycol(EG), diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,4 -cyclohexanedimethanol, propane-1,3-diol, butane-1,4-diol, pentane-1,5-diol, hexane-1,6-diol, neopentylglycol, 3-methylpentanediol-(2,4), 2-methylpentanediol-(1,4), 2,2,4-trimethylpentane-diol-(1,3), 2-ethylhexanediol-(1,3), 2,2-diethylpropane-diol-(1,3), hexanediol-(1,3), 1,4-di-(hydroxyethoxy)-benzene, 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxycyclohexyl)-propane, 2,4-dihydroxy-1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-cyclobutane, 2,2,4,4 tetramethylcyclobutanediol, 2,2-bis-(3-hydroxyethoxyphenyl)-propane, 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxypropoxyphenyl)-propane, isosorbide, hydroquinone, BDS-(2,2-(sulfonylbis)4-,1-phenyleneoxy))bis(ethanol), and the like, and mixtures thereof. Polyesters may be prepared from one or more of the above type diols. Diacids other than terephthalic acid can be included in the process, such as, but not limited to, isophthalic acid, phthalic acid (or anhydride), 2,6- or 2,7-naphthalenedicarboxylic acids, biphenyldicarboxylic acid and stilbenedicarboxylic acid. These acids can be added at any time during the process. Low levels of other additives can also be included in the process, such as ultraviolet absorbers, colorants, reheat agents, antisticking/antiblocking agents, branching agents, processing aids, antioxidants, acetaldehyde and oxygen scavengers, fillers, and the like. Branching agents are compounds containing more than two carboxylic acids, more than two alcohol functions or a combination of both alcohol and carboxylic that totals more than two.
Some examples of PET processes are described in U.S patents 4,110,316, 4,235,844, and 4,230,818. In an alterative embodiment of this invention, the partially esterified terephthalic acid product is transferred to a pipe reactor where the esterification and oligomerization can continue. The pipe reactor process is described in U.S. application serial # 10/013,318 filed December 7, 2001 with a publication # . Step (b) can be conducted in one of more stages and can be completed with ethylene glycol added. Suitable catalysts and additives can also be added prior to or during polycondensation. Typical catalysts are compounds containing antimony(III) or titanium (IV). The ethylene glycol that is not reacted into the polyester product can be recycled to an earlier part of the process. EXAMPLESThis invention can be further illustrated by the following examples of preferred embodiments thereof, although it will be understood that these examples are included merely for purposes of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention unless otherwise specifically indicated. Example 1: (reference example): Use of Different Basic Catalyst:Toluene (400g), terephthalic acid (40 g) and a basic catalyst were added to a one liter Hastelloy autoclave. The autoclave was purged and pressurized to 689 kPa (100 psi) with nitrogen. The autoclave was heated to 260°C, and the pressure was then adjusted to 10.3 MPa (500 psi) with nitrogen. Ethylene oxide (11.5 g) was added at one time to the autoclave from another pressure vessel which was maintained at 4.83 MPa (700 psi) of nitrogen. The temperature of the reaction was maintained at 260°C for 30 minutes to produce the partially esterified terephthalic acid product. Then the partially esterified TPA product was cooled to ambient temperature. The resulting partially esterified product was filtered and the solid esterified TPA was weighed. The conversions for each of the examples are given in the Table 1 and were measured by 1H NMR. A 50% conversion of terephthalic acid would mean approximately a 100% yield based on ethylene oxide.
TABLE 1Example
#Basic CatalystWt. of CatalystYield of Solid Esterified TPA%
Conversionb*Mole % DEG1.1Triethylamine1.2 g38.5 g18.02.182.61.2Triphenylamine2.9 g39.4 g1.41.180.01.3Triethanolamine1.8 g38.9 g17.511.2 710.81.4Diisopropylethylamine1.5 g37.3 g2.31.778.41.5Trimethylamine0.7 g41.8 g39.214.0 57.01.6Benzylamine1.2 g41.2 g12.48.589.71.7Diisopropylamine1.2 g35.8 g5.22.273.51.8Benzyltrimethyl ammonium hydroxide2.0 g40.8 g38.16.326.91.9Benzyltrimethyl ammonium hydroxide1.0 g40.4 g18.62.263.91.10Benzyltrimethyl ammonium hydroxide0.2 g40.4 g2.42.267.11.11Tributylamine2.2 g41.1 g10.1NA1.51.12Dimethyldodecylamine3.2 g35.824.35.65.2 The choice of basic catalyst has a significant effect on the conversion of the TPA. The best catalyst for this process would be the one that gives the best conversion while providing a product with low DEG and low b*. The b* is one of the three-color attributes measured on a spectroscopic reflectance-based instrument. A Hunter Ultrascan XE instrument is typically the measuring device. Positive readings signify the degree of yellowness (or absorbance of blue light), while negative readings signify the degree of blueness. In general, the tertiary amines (triethylamine, triphenylamine, triethanolamine, diisopropyethyleamine, trimethylamine, tributylamine, and dimethyldodecylamine) in the examples above under these conditions give the best results. However, within these, there are clear differences. Trimethylamine, the least hindered amine gives the highest conversion, but also gives high color and DEG. Diisopropylethylamine, the most hindered amine in the group, gives very low conversion and high DEG. Triethanolamine, a hydroxyl-containing amine, also gives high color and DEG. The weakest base of this group, triphenylamine, gives almost no conversion. The moderately hindered aliphatic tertiary amines, triethylamine, tributylamine and dimethyldodecylamine, gave the best results with triethylamine being the best overall catalyst under these conditions. The unhindered primary amine, benzylamine, gave reasonable conversion, but had very high DEG, and the hindered secondary amine, diisopropyamine, gave poor conversion. The tertiary ammonium hydroxide base, benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide, gave good conversion, but relatively high DEG. It appears that the successful catalyst here has to be moderately hindered and fairly basic to give the desired properties of high conversion, low DEG and low b*. Example 2: PET Oligomer prepared and converted to polymerTerephthalic acid (60 g), toluene (600 g) and triethylamine (1.8 g) were added to a one liter Hastelloy autoclave. The autoclave was purged and pressurized to 3.45 MPa (500 psi) with nitrogen. The autoclave was heated to 200°C, and the pressure was then adjusted to 10.3 MPa (1500 psi) with nitrogen. Ethylene oxide (15.7 g) was added at one time to the autoclave from another pressure vessel which was maintained at 11.7 MPa (1700 psi) of nitrogen. The temperature of the reaction was maintained at 200°C for 30 minutes and cooled to ambient temperature. A solid esterified TPA was recovered by filtration. Table 2 shows the yield, conversion, b* and mol %DEG of the oligomer formation.
TABLE 2Example #Yield of Solid Esterified TPA% Conversion% Yield of esterified oligomerb*Mole % DEG2.164.5 g48.496.84.700.82.268.1 g48.396.65.680.82.363.8 g46.292.44.180.72.457.7 g42.885.62.160.6 31.9 grams of the esterified oligomer from example 2.3 were then combined with a titanium tetraisopropoxide catalyst (35 ppm in the final polymer) in 3 g of EG. The mixture was heated by the following sequence:
TABLE 3StageTime (min)Temp (°C)Vacuum (mm)10.1225760252257603222576046022576052026576061028576071285200822850.89752850.8 A second example using Sb as the catalyst was completed using the same stages as shown in Table 3. Antimony oxide was dissolved in EG (3 g) and added to the oligomer. The antimony concentration in the polymer was calculated to be 250 ppm. Polyethylene terephthalate was produced having the properties shown in Table 4.
TABLE 4Examples #Inherent Viscosityb*2.5 (titanium catalyst)0.83510.72.6 (Sb catalyst)0.6398.55 Clearly, a high inherent viscosity(IV) PET can be prepared from the partially esterified TPA product produced with ethylene oxide. Example 3: Using Different Temperatures, Pressures And amounts of Et3N:Toluene (400g), terephthalic acid (40 g) and triethylamine were added to a one liter Hastelloy autoclave. The autoclave was purged and pressurized to with nitrogen. The autoclave was heated to the specified temperature and the pressure was increased to the desired level. Ethylene oxide (about 11.5 g) was added at one time to the autoclave from another pressure vessel. The reaction temperature was maintained for 30 minutes and then the autoclave cooled to ambient temperature. The resulting partially esterified TPA product stream was filtered and the solid was weighed. The conversions for each of the examples are given in the table bellow.
TABLE 5Example #Temp deg CPressure** (psi)Wt% triethylamineEsterified TPA solid%ConversionMol% DEG in oligomerb*3.12605001.039.519.12.42.773.220015001.044.430.10.64.243.323010002.043.828.90.60.923.42005003.042.047.00.96.643.520010002.043.739.20.53.273.625010002.040.618.31.72.383.723010002.044.033.11.06.973.823010002.044.132.60.71.733.926015001.040.517.32.82.673.102605003.038.518.02.92.183.112005001.045.234.10.60.853.1223010002.041.227.20.81.213.1320015003.045.854.40.96.403.14*17510002.043.128.21.04.193.1526015003.038.029.63.85.633.16*17515003.048.549.61.32.163.17*15010002.042.320.40.71.433.1826015003.039.324.12.92.95* comparative examples
** The pressure of 500, 1000 and 1500 psi correspond to pressure of 3.45, 6.89 and 10.3 MPa, respectively. Good conversions of esterified TPA were obtained in this entire range of 150-260°C, 1-3 wt% triethylamine, and 3.45-10.3 MPa (500-1500 psi). The highest conversion with this experiment were obtained in the range of 175-200°C. At higher triethylamine levels the percent conversion was relatively insensitive to pressure. The most desirable temperatures from the point of view of continuing to make polymer from the oligomer is in the range of 250 to 280°C because that is the common range for the early part of the PET production process.
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