Disclosed is a method for treating water, including the extraction of at least two ionic species, the ionic species including an anionic species and a cationic species and being present in the water to be treated, the method especially including a step of mixing a liquid hydrophobic organic phase and the water to be treated, the water to be treated being in the liquid state, in order to subsequently obtain liquid treated water and a hydrophobic liquid organic phase loaded with the ionic species, and a step of thermal regeneration of the organic phase loaded with chemical species. Also disclosed are compounds and compositions that can be used in the method.

The invention relates to a process for working up water containing 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfoxide and/or 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone as impurities, comprising: (a) mixing the water containing 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfoxide and/or 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone as impurities with an organic solvent in which 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfoxide and/or 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone have a solubility of at least 0.5 wt % based on the amount of 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfoxide and/or 4, 4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone and organic solvent at 20° C., which forms a two-phase system with water and which can be stripped from water with a stripping gas and subsequently separating the obtained mixture into an aqueous phase and an organic phase, and (b) stripping the organic solvent from the aqueous phase with a stripping gas.

The invention provides a process for the production of crystalline ammonium sulfate, wherein the process comprises performing a Beckmann rearrangement reaction, neutralizing the Beckmann rearrangement reaction mixture, separating a first aqueous ammonium sulfate phase and an aqueous ε-caprolactam phase, charging the first ammonium sulfate phase to a first evaporative type crystallization section wherein crystalline ammonium sulfate is obtained, discharging from the first evaporative type crystallization section mother liquor enriched in organic components, extracting the aqueous ε-caprolactam phase to obtain an extracted ε-caprolactam phase and a second aqueous ammonium sulfate phase, discharging the mother liquor that is discharged from the first evaporative type crystallization section and/or the second aqueous ammonium sulfate phase to a second evaporative type crystallization section wherein evaporative type crystallization is performed so that a three-phase system occurs. At least a liquid oily phase is recovered from the three-phase system. The invention further provides a plant suitable to carry out the process of the invention, crystalline ammonium sulfate and a liquid oily phase obtained by the process of the invention.

A new system in which a forward extraction part, a scrubbing part, and a backward extraction part operate together and synchronously to produce specific substances by extraction and separation in a liquid-liquid system. The aqueous phase is circulated independently only in the forward extraction part one or more times, and the organic phase is circulated from the forward extraction part through the scrubbing part and the backward extraction part to the forward extraction part again in synchronization with the liquid circulation of the aqueous phase.

A liquid-liquid extraction system includes extraction stages, a pumping system, and a controller. Each extraction stage has a chamber, a primary input, a raffinate output, and an extract output. An input liquid (e.g., either a source liquid or raffinate from a preceding extraction stage, mixed with an extraction liquid) is presented to the chamber via the primary input. The chamber enables phase separation of liquid therein, into a raffinate and a extract, where the raffinate exits the separation vessel at the raffinate output, and the extract exits the separation vessel at the extract output. A level sensor is coupled to the chamber and the controller is operatively programmed to read an output of the level sensor, compare the output of the level sensor to a target, and cause the associated chamber to receive additional liquid if the output is lower than the target.

A method for purification of a styrene-containing feedstock includes steps of introducing the styrene-containing feedstock into the middle of an extractive distillation column, and a solvent for the extractive distillation into the upper part of the column; discharging a raffinate oil from the top of the column, and a rich solvent rich in styrene from the bottom of the column. The rich solvent is then introduced into the middle of the solvent recovery column for vacuum distillation to obtain a crude styrene from the top of the solvent recovery column, and a lean solvent is discharged from the bottom of the solvent recovery column and recycled to the upper part of the extractive distillation column. A portion of the rich solvent is sent to a solvent purification zone for a liquid-liquid extraction using water to obtain a mixture of a styrene polymer and styrene.

A process for supplying deaerated water to a chemical plant that includes a distillation column for separating a reaction effluent comprising water and a product. The process includes inventorying the distillation column with aerated water (water having an oxygen content of greater than 50 ppbw, such as greater than 1 ppmw). The aerated water in the distillation column may then be distilled to produce an oxygen-containing overheads and a bottoms fraction comprising deaerated water. The deaerated water in the bottoms fraction ma be transported to an upstream or a downstream unit operation, and utilizing the deaerated water in the upstream or downstream unit operation. The reaction effluent is fed to the distillation column, transitioning the distillation column from separating oxygen from water to operations for separating the product from the water.

The present invention relates to an integrated process that allows the production of tert-butyl ethers of glycerol, used as a high boiling point solvent (HBPS) in paint formulations (water-based) and cleaning products, or a stream of isooctenes to be used as an octane in the gasoline pool, in a simple way, just directing the flow through the areas necessary for the conversion and separation of the process and using the same equipment, aiming at gains in process yield (maximization of glycerol and isobutene conversions) and minimizing investment and operating costs. In view of this, there is a unit flexibility in producing different high added value products.

The invention provides a process for the separation of MEG and 1,2-BDO from a first mixture comprising MEG and 1,2-BDO in a first solvent by the steps of: (i) combining said first mixture with a second solvent stream comprising a second solvent in a first extraction column; (ii) recovering (a) a second mixture of MEG and 1,2-BDO in the second solvent, wherein the molar ratio of MEG:1,2-BDO is lower in the second mixture than in the first mixture; and (b) a solution comprising MEG in the first solvent; (iii) combining said second mixture with a first washing stream, said first washing stream also comprising the first solvent in a second extraction column; (iv) recovering (c) a first extract stream comprising the second solvent and 1,2-BDO and (d) a third mixture comprising MEG and, optionally, 1,2-BDO in the first solvent.

A process for supplying deaerated water to a chemical plant that includes a distillation column for separating a reaction effluent comprising water and a product. The process includes inventorying the distillation column with aerated water (water having an oxygen content of greater than 50 ppbw, such as greater than 1 ppmw). The aerated water in the distillation column may then be distilled to produce an oxygen-containing overheads and a bottoms fraction comprising deaerated water. The deaerated water in the bottoms fraction ma be transported to an upstream or a downstream unit operation, and utilizing the deaerated water in the upstream or downstream unit operation. The reaction effluent is fed to the distillation column, transitioning the distillation column from separating oxygen from water to operations for separating the product from the water.