Phase Equilibrium of Reaction Mixtures for the Production of Epichlorohydrin in the Presence of Solvents

Abstract

An alternative solvent for the production of epichlorohydrin via the epoxidation of allyl chloride with an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution over a heterogeneous catalyst based on a granulated titanium-containing zeolite has been selected. The problem of replacing toxic methanol with other solvents, which provide, in particular, a simplification of the separation flowsheet, has been solved. Five water–allyl chloride–epichlorohydrin–solvent–heavily boiling fraction five-component systems have been studied (methanol, ethanol, propanol-1, propanol-2, and butanol-1). A thermodynamic topological analysis of phase equilibrium diagrams and an assessment of the possibility and feasibility of separating the mixtures via a method based on a combination of distillation and splitting have been conducted. The most promising solvent for the allyl chloride epoxidation reaction is propanol-2.