Production System/Production Process for Acrylic Acid and Precursors Thereof

Abstract

Provided herein are systems, and methods of using such systems, for producing acrylic acid from ethylene oxide and carbon monoxide on an industrial scale. The production system/production process has various unit operations, including, for example, a β-propiolactone production system/production process configured to produce β-propiolactone from ethylene oxide and carbon monoxide; a polypropiolactone production system/production process configured to produce polypropiolactone from β-propiolactone; and a glacial acrylic acid production system/production process configured to produce acrylic acid with a high purity by thermolysis of polypropiolactone.

1 - 45 . (canceled) 
     
     
         46 . A composition comprising:
 polypropiolactone and   a catalyst that causes the polypropiolactone to undergo thermolysis.   
     
     
         47 . The composition of  claim 46 , wherein the polypropiolactone produced glacial acrylic acid after the polypropiolactone undergoes thermolysis. 
     
     
         48 . The composition of  claim 46 , comprising an inhibitor. 
     
     
         49 . The composition of  claim 48 , wherein the inhibitor is phenothiazine (PTZ), 4-methoxphenol (MEHQ), or butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). 
     
     
         50 . The composition of  claim 46 , wherein the catalyst is a residual catalyst from a first reaction including compounds produced by degradation of the catalyst, compounds used to produce the catalyst, metals or metal ions which were part of the catalyst, any organic compounds which were part of the catalyst, or metal carbonyls or metal complexes which were part of the catalyst. 
     
     
         51 . The composition of  claim 50 , wherein additional catalyst is added from a catalyst source. 
     
     
         52 . The composition of  claim 46 , wherein the catalyst is an alkali metal salt of acrylic acid. 
     
     
         53 . The composition of  claim 46 , wherein the catalyst is tetrabutylammonium acrylate, sodium acrylate, potassium acrylate, iron chloride, tetrabutylammonium acetate, trimethylphenylammonium acrylate, trimethylphenylammonium acetate, or tetraphenyl phosphonium acrylate. 
     
     
         54 . The composition of  claim 46 , wherein the polypropiolactone has a number average molecular weight between 800 g/mol and 100,000 g/mol. 
     
     
         55 . The composition of  claim 46 , wherein the composition includes at least 95 wt % of polypropiolactone. 
     
     
         56 . A composition comprising:
 polypropiolactone having a concentration of greater than 90 wt %;   an inhibitor; and   a catalyst that causes the polypropiolactone to undergo thermolysis.   
     
     
         57 . The composition of  claim 56 , wherein the polypropiolactone produced glacial acrylic acid after the polypropiolactone undergoes thermolysis and the inhibitor is phenothiazine (PTZ), 4-methoxphenol (MEHQ), or butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). 
     
     
         58 . The composition of  claim 56 , wherein the catalyst is a residual catalyst from a first reaction. 
     
     
         59 . The composition of  claim 58 , wherein additional catalyst is added from a catalyst source, and the catalyst is an alkali metal salt of acrylic acid. 
     
     
         60 . The composition of  claim 58 , wherein the catalyst is tetrabutylammonium acrylate, sodium acrylate, potassium acrylate, iron chloride, tetrabutylammonium acetate, trimethylphenylammonium acrylate, trimethylphenylammonium acetate, or tetraphenyl phosphonium acrylate. 
     
     
         61 . The composition of  claim 56 , wherein the polypropiolactone has a number average molecular weight between 800 g/mol and 100,000 g/mol. 
     
     
         62 . The composition of  claim 56  wherein at least 90% of polymer chains in the polypropiolactone have an acrylate end group. 
     
     
         63 . A composition comprising:
 polypropiolactone having a concentration of greater than 95 wt %;   an inhibitor that is an inhibitor of radical polymerization of acrylic acid; and   a catalyst that causes the polypropiolactone to undergo thermolysis, the catalyst being an alkali metal salt of acrylic acid; and   wherein some of the catalyst is residual catalyst from a first reaction.   
     
     
         64 . The composition of  claim 63 , wherein additional amounts of the catalyst is added from a catalyst source and the catalyst is tetrabutylammonium acrylate, sodium acrylate, potassium acrylate, iron chloride, tetrabutylammonium acetate, trimethylphenylammonium acrylate, trimethylphenylammonium acetate, or tetraphenyl phosphonium acrylate. 
     
     
         65 . The composition of  claim 64 , wherein the polypropiolactone has a number average molecular weight between 800 g/mol and 100,000 g/mol, and at least 90% of polymer chains in the polypropiolactone have an acrylate end group.