Patent · US Expired

Process for recovery of bisphenol-A from thermoplastic polymer containing dihydric phenol units

US5675044A · kind A · utility

1Cited by
5References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 1, 1996
Grant dateOct 7, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 1, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02W30/62
  • WIPO fieldOrganic fine chemistry
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A method of recovering dihydric phenol, particularly bisphenol-A, from compositions containing the reaction residue of bisphenol-A units which method comprises: PA1 a. granulating a bisphenol-A containing polymer; PA1 b. treating the particles with an alcohol, or any other organic swelling solvent miscible with water and easily distilled off from an aqueous solution, preferably a C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alcohol for a time sufficient to swell the particles; PA1 c. contacting the swelled particles with a ammoniacal solution at a temperature of at least about 25.degree. C. depending on the swelling solvent employed in order to selectively sever the ester bonds of the bisphenol-A residue units; PA1 d. separating the liquid phase from the solid phase; PA1 e. distilling ammonia and swelling solvent from the liquid phase of d. above, thus obtaining an essentially aqueous solution with dissolved urea and partially precipitated bisphenol-A; PA1 f. adding sufficient water to the residue of e. above to precipitate bisphenol-A thereby forming a liquid and solid phase; PA1 g. recovering the solid phase of bisphenol-A; and PA1 h. drying the bisphenol-A. Since urea is soluble in water, urea goes into s…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.