Patent ID: 6048513
Filing Date: 2000-04-11
Classification: B01J,C01B,Y02P

Abstract:
A method for forming low chlorides aqueous hypochlorous acid in a mass transfer device, wherein the method comprises:(a) feeding a stream comprising caustic solution into the device;(b) feeding a stream comprising chlorine gas into the device;(c) reacting at least some of the chlorine gas with the caustic solution to form a solution containing hypochlorous acid;(d) desorbing the hypochlorous acid from the solution and into the stream of chlorine gas;(e) removing the stream of chlorine gas and hypochlorous acid in step (d) from the device; and(f) recovering, into an aqueous solution, the hypochlorous acid from the removed stream of chlorine gas to form the low chlorides aqueous hypochlorous acid;wherein the mass transfer device comprises a porous rotor which is permeable to the streams, and is rotated about an axis such that the streams flow through the rotor and the stream of caustic solution flows radially outward from the axis, wherein the ratio of the stream comprising chlorine gas in Step (b) to caustic solution in Step (a) is between about 10 to about 200 moles of gas per liter of solution, and wherein the method is conducted under conditions in which precipitation of solids in the mass transfer device does not occur in an amount which results in plugging of the porous rotor.