There is disclosed a process for producing taurine in a molar yield of at least 80% from alkali isethionate, alkali ditaurinate, or alkali tritaurinate by adding excess ammonia and at least of equal molar amount of an alkali hydroxide to a solution comprised of alkali ditaurinate, alkali tritaurinate, or their mixture and subjecting the solution to an ammonolysis to yield a solution comprised of alkali taurinate.

A system for preparing high-purity taurine and salt. The system can be used in an ethylene oxide process for producing taurine. The system includes an addition reaction device, an ammonolysis reaction device, an evaporation device, and a taurine salt concentrated solution collection device. The ammonolysis reaction device is provided with a metal salt inlet, the taurine salt concentrated solution collection device is connected with an ion exchange system for ion exchange, the ion exchange system is provided with an acid inlet, an adsorption solution outlet and an eluate outlet, the adsorption solution outlet of the ion exchange system is connected with a taurine extraction device, the eluate outlet of the ion exchange system is connected with a salt extraction device, and the ion exchange system is provided with a purified water inlet, an adsorption unit cleaning water outlet and an elution unit cleaning water outlet.

A system for preparing high-purity taurine and salt. The system can be used in an ethylene oxide process for producing taurine. The system includes an addition reaction device, an ammonolysis reaction device, an evaporation device, and a taurine salt concentrated solution collection device. The ammonolysis reaction device is provided with a metal salt inlet, the taurine salt concentrated solution collection device is connected with an ion exchange system for ion exchange, the ion exchange system is provided with an acid inlet, an adsorption solution outlet and an eluate outlet, the adsorption solution outlet of the ion exchange system is connected with a taurine extraction device, the eluate outlet of the ion exchange system is connected with a salt extraction device, and the ion exchange system is provided with a purified water inlet, an adsorption unit cleaning water outlet and an elution unit cleaning water outlet.

Provided herein are processes of preparing sulfonated estolide compounds, and the removal of sulfonate residues from those compounds to provide desulfonated estolide base oils. Exemplary sulfonated estolide compounds include those selected from the formula: ##STR00001##
wherein z is an integer selected from 0 to 15; q is an integer selected from 0 to 15; x is, independently for each occurrence, an integer selected from 0 to 20; y is, independently for each occurrence, an integer selected 0 to 20; n is equal to or greater than 0; R.sub.6 is selected from —OH, optionally substituted alkyl, and optionally substituted aryl; and R.sub.2 is selected from hydrogen and optionally substituted alkyl that is saturated or unsaturated, and branched or unbranched, wherein each fatty acid chain residue of said compounds is independently optionally substituted.

Provided herein are processes of preparing sulfonated estolide compounds, and the removal of sulfonate residues from those compounds to provide desulfonated estolide base oils. Exemplary sulfonated estolide compounds include those selected from the formula: ##STR00001##
wherein z is an integer selected from 0 to 15; q is an integer selected from 0 to 15; x is, independently for each occurrence, an integer selected from 0 to 20; y is, independently for each occurrence, an integer selected 0 to 20; n is equal to or greater than 0; R.sub.6 is selected from —OH, optionally substituted alkyl, and optionally substituted aryl; and R.sub.2 is selected from hydrogen and optionally substituted alkyl that is saturated or unsaturated, and branched or unbranched, wherein each fatty acid chain residue of said compounds is independently optionally substituted.

The filter medium is a filter medium which uses a liquid containing oil and water as a separation target, and has a channel for the liquid. The filter medium includes a base constituting the channel, and one or more of nitrogen-containing fluorine compounds which are provided on at least a portion of a surface of the channel. The nitrogen-containing fluorine compound includes an oil-repellency imparting group and any one hydrophilicity imparting group selected from a group consisting of an anion type, a cation type, and an amphoteric type, in a molecule.

There is disclosed a process for producing taurine from ammonium isethionate by the ammonolysis of alkali isethionate in the presence of alkali ditaurinate or alkali tritaurinate, or their mixture, to inhibit the formation of byproducts and to continuously convert the byproducts of the ammonolysis reaction to alkali taurinate. Alkali taurinate is reacted with ammonium isethionate to obtain taurine and to regenerate alkali isethionate. The production yield is increased to from 90% to nearly quantitative. The ammonolysis reaction is catalyzed by alkali salts of hydroxide, sulfate, sulfite, phosphate, or carbonate.

There is disclosed a process for producing taurine from ammonium isethionate by the ammonolysis of alkali isethionate in the presence of alkali ditaurinate or alkali tritaurinate, or their mixture, to inhibit the formation of byproducts and to continuously convert the byproducts of the ammonolysis reaction to alkali taurinate. Alkali taurinate is reacted with ammonium isethionate to obtain taurine and to regenerate alkali isethionate. The production yield is increased to from 90% to nearly quantitative. The ammonolysis reaction is catalyzed by alkali salts of hydroxide, sulfate, sulfite, phosphate, or carbonate.

There is disclosed a process for producing taurine from ammonium isethionate by the ammonolysis of alkali isethionate in the presence of alkali ditaurinate or alkali tritaurinate, or their mixture, to inhibit the formation of byproducts and to continuously convert the byproducts of the ammonolysis reaction to alkali taurinate. Alkali taurinate is reacted with ammonium isethionate to obtain taurine and to regenerate alkali isethionate. The production yield is increased to from 90% to nearly quantitative. The ammonolysis reaction is catalyzed by alkali salts of hydroxide, sulfate, sulfite, phosphate, or carbonate.

There is disclosed a cyclic process for producing taurine from monoethanolamine comprising the steps of: (a) recovering monoethanolamine sulfate from an aqueous mother liquor solution; (b) reacting the monoethanolamine sulfate with sulfuric acid to form an aqueous solution comprised of monoethanolamine bisulfate; (c) heating the aqueous solution comprised of the monoethanolamine sulfate and optionally added monoethanolamine sulfate to yield 2-aminoethyl hydrogen sulfate ester; (d) reacting the ester with ammonium sulfite or an alkali sulfite to yield taurine and ammonium or alkali sulfate; (e) separating taurine and ammonium or alkali sulfate to give an aqueous mother liquor solution; and (f) recovering the monoethanolamine sulfate from the aqueous mother liquor solution and recycling to the monoethanolamine sulfate to step (b).