Process for separating oleic acid from linoleic acid

Claim 2

A process for separating oleic acid from linoleic acid contained in a feed mixture comprising said acids, said process comprising contacting said feed mixture at separation conditions with a molecular sieve comprising silicalite, thereby selectively retaining said oleic acid, removing linoleic acid from the oleic acid containing molecular sieve, and recovering said oleic acid from said molecular sieve by displacenent at displacement conditions, including a temperature of from about 120° C. to about 150° C., with a displacement fluid comprising a diluent soluble in said feed mixture and having a polarity index of at least 3.5.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 wherein said feed mixture contains a rosin acid and said process includes first contacting said feed mixture with a first molecular sieve comprising silicalite, thereby selectively retaining said fatty acids to the exclusion of said rosin acid, reaoving said rosin acid from the fatty acids containing first molecular sieve, recovering a mixture of said fatty acids by displacement from said first molecular sieve and then contacting the fatty acid mixture with a second molecular sieve comprising the molecular sieve which effects the separation of the fatty acids from each other.

Claim 4

A process for separating oleic acid from linoleic acid contained in a feed mixture comprising said acids, 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 inlet stream into said retention zone at separation conditions to effect the selective retention of oleic acid by said molecular sieve in said retention zone and withdrawing a raffinate outlet stream from said retention zone; (f) passing a displacement fluid comprising a diluent soluble in said feed mixture and having a polarity index of at least 3.5, into said displacement zone at displacement conditions, including a temperature of from about 120° C. to about 150° C., to effect the displacement of said oleic acid from the adsorbent in said displacement zone; (g) withdrawing an extract stream comprising said oleic 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 stream, and extract outlet and raffinate outlet streams.

Claim 5

A process for separating oleic acid from linoleic acid contained in a feed mixture comprising said acids, 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 inlet stream into said retention zone at separation conditions to effect the selective retention of oleic acid by said molecular sieve in said retention zone and withdrawing a raffinate outlet stream from said retention zone; (f) passing a displacement fluid comprising a diluent soluble in said feed mixture and having a polarity index of at least 3.5, into said displacement zone at displacement conditions, including a temperature of from about 120° C. to about 150° C., to effect the displacement of said oleic acid from the adsorbent in said displacement zone; (g) withdrawing an extract stream comprising said oleic 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 stream, and extract outlet and raffinate outlet streams.

Claim 6

The process of claim 3 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 said buffer zone.

Claim 7

The process of claim 3 wherein said feed mixture contains a rosin acid and said process includes first contacting said feed mixture with a first molecular sieve comprising silicalite, thereby selectively retaining said fatty acids to the exclusion of said rosin acid, removing said rosin acid from the fatty acids containing molecular sieve, recovering a mixture of said fatty acids by displacement from said first molecular sieve and then utilizing said fatty acid mixture as the feed inlet stream of step (e).