Patent GB-820271-A (GB)
Title: Separation of non-hydrocarbon organic materials from liquid hydrocarbons
Inventor: MUNDAY WILLIAM ALEXANDER
IPC: F02B3/06
Filed: 1958-02-21
Abstract: Acidic or neutral non-hydrocarbon organic materials are separated from a liquid hydrocarbon in which they are dissolved by contacting the solution with an anion-exchange resin impregnated with an auxiliary organic liquid which is an organic liquid, a mixture of organic liquids or a mixture of an organic liquid and water which is immiscible with the hydrocarbon or sufficiently strongly adsorbed by the resin not to be removed by the hydrocarbon and is chemically stable under the conditions of use (forming salts or tautomerizing under the conditions of use does not exclude); the neutral nonhydrocarbon organic material may be a heterocyclic compound containing a nuclear -NH-group, a ketone, a quinone, a sulphoxide, a sulphone or a mercaptan. The liquid hydrocarbon is then separated freed from the non-hydrocarbon materials.  Specified liquid hydrocarbons are crude petroleum oils; residual petroleum oils such as residual lubricating oils and fuel oils; distillates such as gasolines, kerosenes, diesel fuels, gas oils, aviation turbine fuels, jet fuels, naphthas and lubricating oils; coal tar, synthetic benzene, toluene or xylene; and hexane, heptane, octane and their homologues.  Specified types of acidic non-hydrocarbons which may be removed are naphthenic acids, sulphonic acids, phenols, alkylated phenols, naphthasulphonic acids, thiophenols, alkylthiophenols and fatty acids.  Non-basic nitrogencontaining compounds include phenothiazine and porphyrins.  A number of types of anionexchange resin are referred to.  The resin is preferably desiccated before impregnation.  The auxiliary organic liquid may be an alcohol preferably of less than 5 carbon atoms including glycols and glycerol, nitroparaffins such as nitromethane, nitrates such as the monoethyl ether of diethylene glycol mononitrate, and aminoalcohols such as mono-, di- and triethanolamines.  They may be mixed with other compounds which are themselves unsuitable alone such as ketones, cyclohexanol, aliphaticnitriles, -amides, -esters and -ethers, cyclic ethers, amines and heterocyclic compounds.  A small amount of water in the auxiliary liquid enhances the process.  The physically adsorbed non-hydrocarbons may be recovered by washing with an auxiliary organic liquid which may be the same as that used for impregnation and the ion-exchanged compounds may be recovered by washing with a regenerating liquid such as a solution of sodium or ammonium hydroxide or carbonate or other alkali metal base, e.g. as described in Specification 820,272.  Where two compounds in a solution are adsorbed on the resin to markedly different extents the two compounds may be separated.  Specifications 679,850, 679,851, 679,852, 714,366 and 730,757, [all in Group IV (a)], also are referred to.ALSO:Acidic or neutral non-hydrocarbon organic materials are separated from a liquid hydrocarbon in which they are dissolved by contacting the solution with an anion-exchange resin p impregnated with an auxiliary organic liquid which is an organic liquid, a mixture of organic liquids or a mixture of an organic liquid and water which is immiscible with the hydrocarbon or sufficiently strongly adsorbed by the resin not to be removed by the hydrocarbon and is chemically stable under the conditions of use (forming salts or tautomerizing under the conditions of use (forming salts or tautomerizing under the conditions of use does not exclude); the neutral non-hydrocarbon organic material may be a heterocyclic compound containing a nuclear -NH- group, a ketone, a quinone, a sulphoxide, a sulphone or a mercaptan.  The liquid hydrocarbon is then separated freed from the non-hydrocarbon materials.  Specified liquid hydrocarbons are crude petroleum oils; residual petroleuem oils such as residual lubricating oils and fuel oils; distillates such as gasolines, kerosines, diesel fuels, gas oils, aviation turbine fuels, jet fuels, naphthas and lubricating oils; coal tar, synthetic benzene, toluene or xylene; and hexane, heptane, octane and their homologues.  Specified types of acidic non-hydrocarbons which may be removed are naphthenic acids, sulphonic acids, phenols, alkylated phenols, naphthasulphonic acids, thiophenols, alkylthiophenols and fatty acids.  Non-basic nitrogen-containing compounds include phenothiazine and porphyrins.  A number of types of anion-exchange resin are referred to.  The resin is preferably desiccated before impregnation.  The auxiliary organic liquid may be an alcohol preferably of less than 5 carbon atoms including glycols and glycerol, nitroparaffins such as nitromethane, nitrates such as the monoethyl ether of diethylene glycol mononitrate, and aminoalcohols such as mono-, di- and triethanolamines.  They may be mixed with other compounds which are themselves unsuitable alone such as ketones, cyclohexanol, aliphatic-nitriles, -amides, -esters and -ethers, cyclic ethers, amines and heterocyclic compounds.  A small amount of water in the auxiliary liquid enhances the process.  The physically adsorbed non-hydrocarbons may be recovered by washing with an auxiliary organic liquid which may be the same as that used for impregnation and the ion-exchanged compounds may be recovered by washing with a regenerating liquid such as a solution of sodium or ammonium hydroxide or carbonate or other alkali metal base, e.g. as described in Specification 820,272.  Where two compounds in a solution are adsorbed on the resin to markedly different extents the two compounds may be separated.  Specifications 679,850, 679,851, 679,852, 714,366 and 730,757, [all in Group IV (a)], also are referred to.