Preparation of quaternary ammonium hydroxides by electrodialysis

Claim 1

AN ELECTROLYTIC PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A QUATERNARY AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE FROM A BIS-QUATERNARY AMMONIUM SULFATE SALT IN AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL CONTAINING THREE CHAMBERS WHEREIN SAID CHAMBERS INCLUDE AN ANOLYTE CHAMBER CONTAINGING AN ANODE, A CATHOLYTE CHAMBER CONTAINING A CATHODE, AND A CHAMBER CONTAINING BIS-QUATERNARY AMMONIUM SULFATE SALT POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID ANOLYTE AND CATHOLYTE CHAMBERS, SAID SALT CHAMBER BEING SEPARATED FROM SAID ANOLYTE CHAMBER BY A STRONGLY BASIC ANION EXCHANGE RESIN MEMBRANE AND BEING SEPARATED FROM SAID CATHOLYTE CHAMBER BY A STRONGLY ACIDIC CATION EXCHANGE RESIN MEMBRANE, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID BIS-QUATERNARY AMMONIUM SULFATE SALT THROUGH SAID SALT CHAMBER, AN AQUEOUS SULFURIC ACID SOLUTION THROUGH SAID ANOLYTE CHAMBER, AND AN AQUEOUS QUATERNARY AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE SOLUTION THROUGH SAID CATHOLYTE CHAMBER; (B) ESTABLISHING AN ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL BETWEEN SAID ANODE AND CATHODE SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE A FLOW ACROSS SAID CELL OF UNIDIRECTIONAL ELECTRICAL CURRENT HAVING A DENSITY FROM 0.05 TO 1.00 AMPERE PER SQUARE CENTIMETER OF EFFECTIVE CATHODE AREA THEREBY CAUSING SULFATE IONS TO MIGRATE THROUGH SAID STRONGLY BASIC ANION EXCHANGE RESIN MEMBRANE INTO SAID ANOLYTE CHAMBER AND CAUSING QUATERNARY AMMONIUM IONS TO MIGRATE THROUGH SAID STRONGLY ACIDIC CATION EXCHANGE RESIN MEMBRANE INTO SAID CATHOLYTE CHAMBER; (C) MAINTAINING THE SULFURIC ACID CONCENTRATIN IN SAID AQUEOUS SULFURIC ACID SOLUTION BETWEEN 0.05 AND 3.0 N; (D) MAINTAINING THE QUATERNARY AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE CONCENTRATIN IN SAID AQUEOUS QUATERNARY AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE SOLUTION BETWEEN 0.1 AND 1.0N; AND (E) WITHDRAWING AS PROCESS PRODUCT A PORTION OF SAID AQUEOUS QUATERNARY AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE SOLUTION.