Process for separating fatty acids from rosin acids

Claim 2

A process for separating a fatty acid from a feed mixture comprising a fatty acid and a rosin acid, said process comprising contacting said feed mixture at separation conditions with a molecular sieve comprising silicalite, thereby selectively retaining said fatty acid, removing rosin acid from the fatty acid containing molecular sieve and recovering said

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 wherein said fatty acid is recovered from said molecular sieve by displacement with a displacement fluid at displacement

Claim 4

The process of claim 2 wherein said displacement fluid comprises an

Claim 5

The process of claim 3 wherein said process is cyclical and said molecular sieve is flushed with a diluent at flushing conditions prior to

Claim 6

The process of claim 4 wherein said separation, flushing and displacement conditions include a temperature within the range of from about 20° C. to about 200° C. and a pressure sufficient to

Claim 7

The process of claim 3 wherein said displacement fluid comprises a solution of organic acid and diluent, said diluent being soluble in said

Claim 8

The process of claim 6 wherein said organic acid comprises a compound having from 2 to 5 carbon atoms per molecule and said diluent comprises

Claim 9

The process of claim 3 wherein said separation and displacement conditions include a temperature within the range of from about 20° C. to about 200° C. and a pressure sufficient to maintain liquid

Claim 10

A process for separating a fatty acid from a mixture comprising a fatty acid and a rosin acid, which process employs a molecular sieve comprising silicalite, which process comprises the steps of: (a) maintaining net liquid flow through a column of said molecular sieve in a single direction, which column contains at least three zones having separate operational functions occurring therein and being serially interconnected with the terminal zones of said column connected to provide a continuous connection of said zones; (b) maintaining a retention zone in said column, said zone defined by the molecular sieve located between a feed inlet stream at an upstream boundary of said zone and a raffinate outlet stream at a downstream boundary of said zone; (c) maintaining a purification zone immediately upstream from said retention zone, said purification zone defined by the molecular sieve located between an extract outlet stream at an upstream boundary of said purification zone and said feed inlet stream at a downstream boundary of said purification zone; (d) maintaining a displacement zone immediately upstream from said purification zone, said displacement zone defined by the molecular sieve located between a displacement fluid inlet stream at an upstream boundary of said zone and said extract outlet stream at a downstream boundary of said zone; (e) passing said feed stream into said retention zone at separation conditions to effect the selective retention of fatty acid by said molecular sieve in said retention zone and withdrawing a raffinate outlet stream from said retention zone; (f) passing a displacement fluid into said displacement zone at displacement conditions to effect the displacement of said fatty acid from the adsorbent in said displacement zone; (g) withdrawing an extract stream comprising said fatty acid and displacement fluid from said displacement zone; (h) periodically advancing through said column of molecular sieve in a downstream direction with respect to fluid flow in said retention zone, the feed inlet stream, raffinate outlet stream, displacement fluid inlet

Claim 11

A process for separating a fatty acid from a mixture comprising a fatty acid and a rosin acid, which process employs a molecular sieve comprising silicalite, which process comprises the steps of: (a) maintaining net liquid flow through a column of said molecular sieve in a single direction, which column contains at least three zones having separate operational functions occurring therein and being serially interconnected with the terminal zones of said column connected to provide a continuous connection of said zones; (b) maintaining a retention zone in said column, said zone defined by the molecular sieve located between a feed inlet stream at an upstream boundary of said zone and a raffinate outlet stream at a downstream boundary of said zone; (c) maintaining a purification zone immediately upstream from said retention zone, said purification zone defined by the molecular sieve located between an extract outlet stream at an upstream boundary of said purification zone and said feed inlet stream at a downstream boundary of said purification zone; (d) maintaining a displacement zone immediately upstream from said purification zone, said displacement zone defined by the molecular sieve located between a displacement fluid inlet stream at an upstream boundary of said zone and said extract outlet stream at a downstream boundary of said zone; (e) passing said feed stream into said retention zone at separation conditions to effect the selective retention of fatty acid by said molecular sieve in said retention zone and withdrawing a raffinate outlet stream from said retention zone; (f) passing a displacement fluid into said displacement zone at displacement conditions to effect the displacement of said fatty acid from the adsorbent in said displacement zone; (g) withdrawing an extract stream comprising said fatty acid and displacement fluid from said displacement zone; (h) periodically advancing through said column of molecular sieve in a downstream direction with respect to fluid flow in said retention zone, the feed inlet stream, raffinate outlet stream, displacement fluid inlet

Claim 12

The process of claim 9 wherein said displacment fluid comprises an

Claim 13

The process of claim 10 wherein a diluent inlet stream is passed into said retention zone downstream of said feed inlet stream to effect the flushing of said molecular sieve in said retention zone, said diluent inlet stream being advanced with the other process streams as in step (h).

Claim 14

The process of claim 11 wherein said separation, flushing and displacement conditions include a temperature within the range of from about 20° C. to about 200° C. and a pressure sufficient to

Claim 15

The process of claim 10 wherein said displacement fluid comprises a solution of organic acid and diluent, said diluent being soluble in said

Claim 16

The process of claim 13 wherein said organic acid comprises a compound having from 2 to 5 carbon atoms per molecule and said diluent comprises

Claim 17

The process of claim 9 further characterized in that it includes the step of maintaining a buffer zone immediately upstream from said displacement zone, said buffer zone defined as the molecular sieve located between the displacement fluid input stream at a downstream boundary of said buffer zone and a raffinate output stream at an upstream boundary of

Claim 18

The process of claim 15 wherein said displacement fluid comprises an

Claim 19

The process of claim 16 wherein a diluent inlet stream is passed into said buffer zone at the upstream boundary of said zone to effect the flushing of molecular sieve in said buffer zone, said diluent inlet stream being advanced with the other process streams as in step (h).