A method of and apparatus for recovering an alcohol solvent from a liquid mixture of the solvent and plant oil and decarboxylating the plant oil may include, pressurizing the liquid mixture to a super-atmospheric pressure, recirculating the pressurized liquid mixture a plurality of times through at least one membrane separator to separate some of the solvent from the mixture to provide a concentrated mixture of the plant oil with less solvent, reducing the pressure of the liquid concentrated mixture to less than 15 psig, heating it at a pressure of less than 15 psig to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the solvent in the concentrated mixture, removing sufficient heat from the vaporized solvent to condense it to a liquid solvent at atmospheric pressure and temperature conditions, and heating the plant oil to a temperature desirably of at least 215° F. to decarboxylate the plant oil.

This disclosure relates to improved methods for alkali metal cyanide production, particularly to improved methods for sodium cyanide production. The improved method of producing sodium cyanide involves the step of contacting hydrogen cyanide with an aqueous solution of sodium carbonate or of a mixture of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate to produce a sodium cyanide solution.

Disclosed are a method and system for propylene polymerization utilizing a loop slurry reactor. The method can include polymerizing propylene in a loop slurry reactor under bulk polymerization conditions to produce polypropylene. The propylene polymerization system can include i) a loop slurry reactor and a heat exchange system that is configured to cool the legs of the loop slurry reactor and/or ii) an inlet manifold that is configured to connect flashline heaters to a separator.

A process for performing a continuous gas/liquid biphasic high-pressure reaction, wherein a gas and a liquid are introduced into a backmixed zone of a reactor and in the backmixed zone the gas is dispersed in the liquid by stirring, injection of gas and/or a liquid jet, a reaction mixture consecutively traverses the backmixed zone and a zone of limited backmixing, and a liquid reaction product is withdrawn at a reaction product outlet of the zone of limited backmixing, wherein the reactor comprises: an interior formed by a cylindrical vertically oriented elongate shell, a bottom and a cap, wherein the interior is divided by means of internals into the backmixed zone, the zone of limited backmixing and a cavity, a first cylindrical internal element which in the interior extends in the longitudinal direction of the reactor and which delimits the zone of limited backmixing from the backmixed zone, backmixing-preventing second internal elements in the form of random packings, structured packings or liquid-permeable trays arranged in the zone of limited backmixing and a third internal element which in the interior extends in the longitudinal direction of the reactor and is open at the bottom, wherein the third internal element forms the cavity in which gas bubbles collect and do not escape upwards, thus preventing the volume of the cavity from being occupied by liquid and reducing the reaction volume. The reaction volume of the reactor used in the process can be reversibly reduced in simple fashion. The invention further relates to a process for adapting the reaction volume of a reactor suitable for performing a gas/liquid biphasic high-pressure reaction having an outlet for a liquid reaction product in which an internal element is arranged so as to form a cavity open at the bottom in which gas bubbles collect and do not escape upwards, thus preventing the volume of the cavity from being occupied by liquid and reducing the reaction volume.

A C3 hydrocarbon fractionation system includes: a) a unit for providing a feed containing mainly propane and propylene, b) a C3 fractionation column for separating the feed to provide a top product richer in propylene than the feed and a bottom product leaner in propylene than the feed, wherein the bottom product comprises at least 50 wt % of propylene and c) a cumene production unit comprising an alkylation reactor for producing cumene from a propylene feed and a benzene feed, wherein the propylene feed comprises the bottom product of the C3 fractionation column.

Disclosed is a reactor for solution polymerization process using a metallocene catalyst for preparing polyolefin. The reactor includes: a reaction vessel for mixing a hydrocarbon-based solvent and an olefin monomer to produce polyolefin; a feed inlet installed at a lower portion of the reaction vessel to feed a feed including an unreacted monomer, a solvent, and a catalyst into the reaction vessel; a guide pipe having a cylinder shape being open at respective ends, installed along a central axis of the reaction vessel, and dividing an internal space of the reaction vessel into an up-flow region where a reaction mixture flows upward and a down-flow region where the reaction mixture flows downward; a swirling flow-inducing blade attached to the exterior surface of the guide pipe, causing the reaction mixture in the reaction vessel to rise along the exterior surface of the guide pipe while forming a swirling flow.

The present invention relates to an oligomerization process implemented in a gas/liquid reactor comprising a headspace recycle loop. The process more particularly relates to the oligomerization of ethylene to linear alpha-olefins such as 1-butene, 1-hexene, 1-octene or a mixture of linear alpha-olefins.

The present disclosure relates to methods by which lead from spent lead-acid batteries may be extracted, purified, and used in the construction of new lead-acid batteries. A method includes: (A) forming a mixture including a carboxylate source and a lead-bearing material; (B) generating a first lead salt precipitate in the mixture as the carboxylate source reacts with the lead-bearing material; (C) increasing the pH of the mixture to dissolve the first lead salt precipitate; (D) isolating a liquid component of the mixture from one or more insoluble components of the mixture; (E) decreasing the pH of the liquid component of the mixture to generate a second lead salt precipitate; and (F) isolating the second lead salt precipitate from the liquid component of the mixture. Thereafter, the isolated lead salt precipitate may be converted to leady oxide for use in the manufacture of new lead-acid batteries.

Methods for cracking a hydrocarbon feed stream include contacting a hydrocarbon feed stream with a catalyst system in a catalytic cracking unit having a flowing gas stream to obtain a cracking product containing light olefins. The catalyst system includes at least a base catalyst. The base catalyst includes a pentasil zeolite. The pentasil zeolite includes from 0.01% to 5% by mass lithium atoms, as calculated on an oxide basis, based on the total mass of the pentasil zeolite. The flowing gas stream comprises hydrogen and, optionally, at least one additional carrier gas.

The present invention relates to an oligomerization process implemented in a sequence of at least two gas/liquid reactors, placed in series, comprising at least one gas headspace recycle loop. The process more particularly relates to the oligomerization of ethylene to linear alpha-olefins such as 1-butene, 1-hexene, 1-octene or a mixture of linear alpha-olefins.