Patent ID: 6018060
Filing Date: 2000-01-25
Classification: B01D,B01J,C07D,Y02C

Abstract:
A process for producing an organic product, comprising the following steps:(a) performing one or more reaction steps in a reaction zone to form the organic product, at least one of the reaction steps comprising a reaction of an organic feedstock chosen from the soup consisting of ethylene, propylene, iso-butane, toluene, cyclohexane, cumene, o-xylene and p-xylene, with oxygen,(b) withdrawing from the reaction zone a crude organic product stream comprising the organic product, the organic feedstock, and argon;(c) removing at least a portion of the organic product from the crude organic product stream to form a non-product stream;(d) providing a membrane having a feed side and a permeate side, and being selectively permeable to the organic feedstock over argon,(e) passing at least a portion of the non-product stream across the feed side under conditions in which there is a pressure drop from the feed side to the permeate side;(f) withdrawing from the feed side an argon-rich purge stream enriched in argon and depleted in the organic feedstock compared with the non-product stream;(g) withdrawing from the permeate side an organic-feedstock-rich permeate stream enriched in the organic feedstock and depleted in argon compared with the non-product stream;(h) recirculating at least a portion of the organic-feedstock-rich permeate stream to the reaction zone.