Patent ID: 9598360
Date: 2017-03-21
CPC Classifications: C07C

Claim:
1. A cyclic process for the production of taurine from alkali vinyl sulfonate comprising: (a) adding an excess of ammonia to a solution of alkali vinyl sulfonate and subjecting the solution to ammonolysis reaction in the presence of one or more catalysts to yield a mixture of alkali taurinate, alkali ditaurinate, and alkali tritaurinate; (b) recovering the excess ammonia from (a) and neutralizing the solution with sulfuric acid to obtain a crystalline suspension of taurine in a solution of alkali sulfate, alkali ditaurinate, and alkali tritaurinate; (c) separating taurine from (b) to provide a mother liquor; (d) adjusting the pH of the mother liquor to basic to convert taurine present in the mother liquor to alkali taurinate and prevent the crystallization of taurine and removing alkali sulfate from the mother liquor by performing evaporative crystallization and cooling crystallization through solid-liquid separation; and (e) returning the mother liquor of (d) to (a) for further ammonolysis of alkali ditaurinate and alkali tritaurinate.