Regeneration of a phosphorus-containing sorbent

Abstract

A process for regenerating a non-combustible sorbents comprising combustible impurities comprising phosphorus, the process comprising exposing the sorbent to regeneration conditions comprising an oxygen containing atmosphere.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A process for regenerating non-combustible sorbents comprising one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus, said process comprising: 
 providing one or more spent non-combustible sorbents comprising a content of said one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus;    exposing said one or more non-combustible sorbents to regeneration conditions effective to remove said combustible impurities comprising phosphorus and to produce a regenerated sorbent effective to sorb 80 wt. % or more of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.    
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said combustible impurities comprising phosphorus comprise basic combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 2  wherein said regenerated sorbent is effective to sorb 90 wt. % or more of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 2  wherein said regenerated sorbent is effective to sorb 95 wt. % or more of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 2  wherein said regenerated sorbent is effective to sorb substantially all of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 5  wherein said regeneration conditions consist essentially of a quantity of oxygen and a temperature from about 200° C. to about 700° C.  
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 5  wherein said regeneration conditions consist essentially of a quantity of oxygen and a temperature from about 450° C. to about 600° C.  
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 6  wherein said quantity of oxygen comprises an oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 7  wherein said quantity of oxygen comprises an oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 8  wherein said oxygen containing atmosphere is selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen gas, and a combination of oxygen gas with nitrogen gas.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8  wherein said quantity of oxygen is about 0.001% or more of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8  wherein said quantity of oxygen is from about 0.5 to about 21% of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said quantity of oxygen is about 0.001% or more of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said quantity of oxygen is from about 0.5 to about 21% of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 9  wherein said oxygen containing atmosphere comprise 1 s nitrogen and about 0.5 to about 1% oxygen.  
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 15  further comprising a pressure from about 0.01 MPa to about 50 MPa.  
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 15  further comprising a pressure from about 0.1 MPa to about 10 MPa.  
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 16  wherein 
 said oxygen containing atmosphere is supplied at a flow rate of from about 0.001 to about 50 liters/hour per gram catalyst;  
 said temperature is maintained from about 0.5 hour to about 200 hours; and, said spent sorbent is cooled to at least about 100° C.  
 
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 17  wherein 
 said oxygen containing atmosphere is supplied at a flow rate of from about 0.001 to about 50 liters/hour per gram catalyst;  
 said temperature is maintained from about 0.5 hour to about 200 hours; and, said spent sorbent is cooled to at least about 100° C.  
 
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 17  wherein 
 said oxygen containing atmosphere is supplied at a flow rate of from about 0.001 to about 50 liters/hour per gram catalyst;  
 said temperature is maintained from  
 about 0.5 hour to about 200 hours; and,  
 said spent sorbent is cooled to at least about 25° C. or less.  
 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising: 
 providing an olefin feed comprising a content of phosphorus-containing impurities;  
 contacting said olefin feed with said one or more sorbents under sorbing conditions and for a time effective to produce a purified olefin feed and said one or more spent sorbents.  
 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising contacting said purified olefin feed with a skeletal isomerization catalyst under conditions effective to yield skeletally isomerized olefins.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  further comprising converting said skeletally isomerized olefins into a primary alcohol composition.  
     
     
         24 . The process of  claim 23  wherein said converting comprises hydroformylating said skeletally isomerized olefin.  
     
     
         25 . The process of  claim 21  wherein said purified olefin feed consists of about 1 ppm or less of said phosphorus-containing impurities.  
     
     
         26 . The process of  claim 21  wherein said purified olefin feed consists of about 0.5 ppm or less of said phosphorus-containing impurities.  
     
     
         27 . A process for regenerating non-combustible sorbents comprising one or more impurities comprising phosphorus, said process comprising: 
 providing one or more spent non-combustible sorbents comprising a content of said one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus, said one or more sorbents comprising a non-combustible support comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of Sc, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Zr, Nb, Mn, Ag and combinations thereof; and    exposing said one or more non-combustible sorbents to regeneration conditions effective to remove combustible impurities comprising phosphorus and to produce a regenerated sorbent effective to sorb 80 wt. % or more of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.    
     
     
         28 . The process of  claim 27  wherein said combustible impurities comprising phosphorus comprise basic combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         29 . The process of  claim 28  wherein said regenerated sorbent is effective to sorb 90 wt. % or more of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         30 . The process of  claim 28  wherein said regenerated sorbent is effective to sorb 95 wt. % or more of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         31 . The process of  claim 28  wherein said regenerated sorbent is effective to sorb substantially all of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         32 . The process of  claim 31  wherein said regeneration conditions consist essentially of a quantity of oxygen and a temperature from about 200° C. to about 700° C.  
     
     
         33 . The process of  claim 31  wherein said regeneration conditions consist essentially of a quantity of oxygen and a temperature from about 450° C. to about 600° C.  
     
     
         34 . The process of  claim 32  wherein said quantity of oxygen comprises an oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         35 . The process of  claim 33  wherein said quantity of oxygen comprises an oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         36 . The process of  claim 34  wherein said oxygen containing atmosphere is selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen gas, and a combination of oxygen gas with nitrogen gas.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 34  wherein said quantity of oxygen is about 0.001% or more of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 34  wherein said quantity of oxygen is from about 0.5 to about 21% of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 35  wherein said quantity of oxygen is about 0.001% or more of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 35  wherein said quantity of oxygen is from about 0.5 to about 21% of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         41 . The process of  claim 35  wherein said oxygen containing atmosphere comprises nitrogen and from about 0.5% to about 1% oxygen.  
     
     
         42 . The process of  claim 38  further comprising a pressure from about 0.01 MPa to about 50 MPa.  
     
     
         43 . The process of  claim 41  further comprising a pressure from about 0.1 MPa to about 10 MPa.  
     
     
         44 . The process of  claim 42  wherein 
 said oxygen containing atmosphere is supplied at a flow rate of from about 0.001 to about 50 liters/hour per gram catalyst;  
 said temperature is maintained from about 0.5 hour to about 200 hours; and,  
 said spent sorbent is cooled to at least about 100° C.  
 
     
     
         45 . The process of  claim 43  wherein 
 said oxygen containing atmosphere is supplied at a flow rate of from about 0.001 to about 50 liters/hour per gram catalyst;  
 said temperature is maintained from about 0.5 hour to about 200 hours; and,  
 said spent sorbent is cooled to at least about 100° C.  
 
     
     
         46 . The process of  claim 42  wherein 
 said oxygen containing atmosphere is supplied at a flow rate of from about 0.001 to about 50 liters/hour per gram catalyst;  
 said temperature is maintained from  
 about 0.5 hour to about 200 hours; and,  
 said spent sorbent is cooled to at least about 25° C. or less.  
 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 28  wherein said non-combustible support is selected from the group consisting of acidic zeolite, acidic alumina, and neutral alumina.  
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 46  wherein said non-combustible support is selected from the group consisting of acidic zeolite, acidic alumina, and neutral alumina.  
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 31  further comprising: 
 providing an olefin feed comprising a content of said combustible impurities comprising phosphorus;  
 contacting said olefin feed with said one or more sorbents under sorbing conditions and for a time effective to produce a purified olefin feed and said one or more spent sorbents.  
 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 42  further comprising contacting said purified olefin feed with a skeletal isomerization catalyst under conditions effective to yield skeletally isomerized olefins.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 49  further comprising converting said skeletally isomerized olefins into a primary alcohol composition.  
     
     
         52 . The process of  claim 50  wherein said converting comprises hydroformylating said skeletally isomerized olefin.  
     
     
         53 . The process of  claim 51  wherein said purified olefin feed consists of about 1 ppm or less of said phosphorus-containing impurities.  
     
     
         54 . The process of  claim 51  wherein said purified olefin feed consists of about 0.5 ppm or less of said phosphorus-containing impurities.  
     
     
         55 . A process for regenerating non-combustible sorbents comprising one or more impurities comprising phosphorus, said process comprising: 
 providing one or more spent non-combustible sorbents comprising a content of said one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus, comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag and combinations thereof, and comprising a support selected from the group consisting of acidic zeolite, acidic alumina, and neutral alumina; and    exposing said one or more non-combustible sorbents to regeneration conditions effective to produce a regenerated sorbent effective to sorb a l l majority of said content of said one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus or more.    
     
     
         56 . The process of  claim 55  wherein said combustible impurities comprising phosphorus comprise basic combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         57 . The process of  claim 56  wherein said regenerated sorbent is effective to sorb 90 wt. % or more of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         58 . The process of  claim 56  wherein said regenerated sorbent is effective to sorb 95 wt. % or more of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         59 . The process of  claim 56  wherein said regenerated sorbent is effective to sorb substantially all of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         60 . The process of  claim 59  wherein said regeneration conditions consist essentially of a quantity of oxygen and a temperature from about 200° C. to about 700° C.  
     
     
         61 . The process of  claim 59  wherein said regeneration conditions consist essentially of a quantity of oxygen and a temperature from about 450° C. to about 600° C.  
     
     
         62 . The process of  claim 60  wherein said quantity of oxygen comprises an oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         63 . The process of  claim 61  wherein said quantity of oxygen comprises an oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         64 . The process of  claim 62  wherein said oxygen containing atmosphere is selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen gas, and a combination of oxygen gas with nitrogen gas.  
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 62  wherein said quantity of oxygen is about 0.001% or more of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 62  wherein said quantity of oxygen is from about 0.5 to about 21% of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 63  wherein said quantity of oxygen is about 0.001% or more of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 63  wherein said quantity of oxygen is from about 0.5 to about 21% of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         69 . The process of  claim 63  wherein said oxygen containing atmosphere comprises nitrogen and from about 0.5% to about 1% oxygen.  
     
     
         70 . The process of  claim 68  further comprising a pressure from about 0.01 MPa to about 50 MPa.  
     
     
         71 . The process of  claim 69  further comprising a pressure from about 0.1 MPa to about 10 MHa.  
     
     
         72 . The process of  claim 70  wherein 
 said oxygen containing atmosphere is supplied at a flow rate of from about 0.001 to about 50 liters/hour per gram catalyst;  
 said temperature is maintained from about 0.5 hour to about 200 hours; and,  
 said spent sorbent is cooled to at least about 100° C.  
 
     
     
         73 . The process of  claim 71  wherein 
 said oxygen containing atmosphere is supplied at a flow rate of from about 0.001 to about 50 liters/hour per gram catalyst;  
 said temperature is maintained from about 0.5 hour to about 200 hours; and,  
 said spent sorbent is cooled to at least about 100° C.  
 
     
     
         74 . The process of  claim 70  wherein 
 said oxygen containing atmosphere is supplied at a flow rate of from about 0.001 to about 50 liters/hour per gram catalyst;  
 said temperature is maintained from  
 5 about 0.5 hour to about 200 hours; and,  
 said spent sorbent is cooled to at least about 25° C. or less.  
 
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 69  further comprising: 
 providing an olefin feed comprising a content of said combustible impurities comprising phosphorus;  
 contacting said olefin feed with said one or more sorbents under sorbing conditions and for a time effective to produce a purified olefin feed and said one or more spent sorbents.  
 
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 75  further comprising contacting said purified olefin feed with a skeletal isomerization catalyst under conditions effective to yield skeletally isomerized olefins.  
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 76  further comprising converting said skeletally isomerized olefins into a primary alcohol composition.  
     
     
         78 . The process of  claim 77  wherein said converting comprises hydroformylating said skeletally isomerized olefin.  
     
     
         79 . The process of  claim 78  wherein said purified olefin feed consists of about 1 ppm or less of said phosphorus-containing impurities.  
     
     
         80 . The process of  claim 78  wherein said purified olefin feed consists of about 0.5 ppm or less of said phosphorus-containing impurities.  
     
     
         81 . A process for regenerating non-combustible sorbents comprising one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus, said process comprising: 
 providing one or more spent, non-combustible sorbents comprising one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus, said spent, non-combustible sorbents comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag and combinations thereof, and comprising a support comprising acidic alumina; and,    exposing said spent sorbents to regeneration conditions consisting essentially of a quantity of a gas comprising from about 0.5 to about 21% oxygen with the remainder being nitrogen a temperature of from about 450° C. to about 600° C. and a pressure of from about 0.1 MPa to about 10 MPa, at a flow rate and for a time effective to produce a regenerated sorbent effective to sorb a majority of said content of combustible impurities comprising phosphorus or more.    
     
     
         82 . The process of  claim 81  wherein said combustible impurities comprising phosphorus comprise basic combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         83 . The process of  claim 82  wherein said regenerated sorbent is effective to sorb 90 wt. % or more of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         84 . The process of  claim 82  wherein said regenerated sorbent is effective to sorb 95 wt. % or more of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         85 . The process of  claim 82  wherein said regenerated sorbent is effective to sorb substantially all of said content of one or more combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         86 . The process of  claim 82  wherein said regeneration conditions consist essentially of a quantity of oxygen and a temperature from about 200° C. to about 700° C.  
     
     
         87 . The process of  claim 82  wherein said regeneration conditions consist essentially of a quantity of oxygen and a temperature from about 450° C. to about 600° C.  
     
     
         88 . The process of  claim 86  wherein said quantity of oxygen comprises an oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         89 . The process of  claim 87  wherein said quantity of oxygen comprises an oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         90 . The process of  claim 88  wherein said oxygen containing atmosphere is selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen gas, and a combination of oxygen gas with nitrogen gas.  
     
     
         91 . The method of  claim 88  wherein said quantity of oxygen is about 0.001% or more of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         92 . The method of  claim 88  wherein said quantity of oxygen is from about 0.5 to about 21% of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         93 . The method of  claim 89  wherein said quantity of oxygen is about 0.001% or more of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         94 . The method of  claim 89  wherein said quantity of oxygen is from about 0.5 to about 21% of said oxygen containing atmosphere.  
     
     
         95 . The process of  claim 89  wherein said oxygen containing atmosphere comprises nitrogen and from about 0.5% to about 1% oxygen.  
     
     
         96 . The process of  claim 92  further comprising a pressure from about 0.01 MPa to about 50 MPa.  
     
     
         97 . The process of  claim 95  further comprising a pressure from about 0.1 MPa to about 10 MPa.  
     
     
         98 . The process of  claim 96  wherein 
 said flow rate is from 0.001 to about 50 liters/hour per gram catalyst;  
 said temperature is maintained from about 0.5 hour to about 200 hours; and,  
 said spent sorbent is cooled to at least about 100° C.  
 
     
     
         99 . The process of  claim 97  wherein 
 said flow rate is from 0.001 to about 50 liters/hour per gram catalyst;  
 said temperature is maintained from about 0.5 hour to about 200 hours; and,  
 said spent sorbent is cooled to at least about 100° C.  
 
     
     
         100 . The process of  claim 97  wherein 
 said flow rate is from 0.001 to about 50 liters/hour per gram catalyst;  
 said temperature is maintained from  
 about 0.5 hour to about 200 hours; and,  
 said spent sorbent is cooled to at least about 25° C. or less.  
 
     
     
         101 . The method of  claim 85  further comprising: 
 providing an olefin feed comprising a content of said combustible impurities comprising phosphorus;  
 contacting said olefin feed with said one or more sorbents under sorbing conditions and for a time effective to produce a purified olefin feed and said one or more spent sorbents.  
 
     
     
         102 . The method of  claim 101  further comprising contacting said purified olefin feed with a skeletal isomerization catalyst under conditions effective to yield skeletally isomerized olefins.  
     
     
         103 . The method of  claim 102  further comprising converting said skeletally isomerized olefins into a primary alcohol composition.  
     
     
         104 . The process of  claim 103  wherein said converting comprises hydroformylating said skeletally isomerized olefin.  
     
     
         105 . The process of  claim 104  wherein said purified olefin feed consists of about 1 ppm or less of said phosphorus-containing impurities.  
     
     
         106 . The process of  claim 105  wherein said purified olefin feed consists of about 0.5 ppm or less of said phosphorus-containing impurities.  
     
     
         107 . A process for regenerating non-combustible sorbents comprising combustible impurities comprising phosphorus, said process comprising: 
 providing one or more spent, non-combustible sorbents selected from the group consisting of acidic zeolite, acidic alumina, and neutral alumina, said one or more spent, non-combustible sorbents comprising at least one combustible impurity comprising phosphorus; and    exposing said one or more spent, non-combustible sorbents to regeneration conditions consisting essentially of a quantity of a gas comprising from about 0.5 to about 21% oxygen with the remainder being nitrogen a temperature from about 450° C. to about 600° C., a pressure from about 0.1 MPa to about 10 MPa at a flow rate and for a time effective to produce a regenerated sorbent effective to sorb at least 95 wt. % of said content of combustible impurities comprising phosphorus or more.    
     
     
         108 . The method of  claim 107  further comprising: 
 providing an olefin feed comprising a content of said combustible impurities comprising phosphorus;  
 contacting said olefin feed with said one or more sorbents under sorbing conditions and for a time effective to produce a purified olefin feed and said one or more spent sorbents.  
 
     
     
         109 . The method of  claim 108  further comprising contacting said purified olefin feed with a skeletal isomerization catalyst under conditions effective to yield skeletally isomerized olefins.  
     
     
         110 . The method of  claim 109  further comprising converting said skeletally isomerized olefins into a primary alcohol composition.  
     
     
         111 . The process of  claim 110  wherein said converting comprises hydroformylating said skeletally isomerized olefin.  
     
     
         112 . The process of  claim 111  wherein said purified olefin feed consists of about 1 ppm or less of said phosphorus-containing impurities.  
     
     
         113 . The process of  claim 111  wherein said purified olefin feed consists of about 0.5 ppm or less of said phosphorus-containing impurities.  
     
     
         114 . A process for regenerating acidic alumina comprising at least one combustible impurity comprising phosphorus, said process comprising: 
 providing a spent sorbent consisting essentially of acidic alumina comprising a content of at least one combustible impurity comprising phosphorus; and    exposing said spent sorbent to regeneration conditions consisting essentially of a quantity of a gas comprising from about 0.5 to about 21% oxygen with the remainder being nitrogen, a temperature from about 450° C. to about 600° C., a pressure from about 0.1 MPa to about 10 MPa, at a flow rate and for a time effective to produce a regenerated sorbent effective to sorb a majority of said content of said combustible impurities comprising phosphorus or more.    
     
     
         115 . The process of  claim 114  wherein said combustible impurities comprising phosphorus comprise basic combustible impurities comprising phosphorus.  
     
     
         116 . The method of  claim 115  further comprising: 
 providing an olefin feed comprising a content of said combustible impurities comprising phosphorus;  
 contacting said olefin feed with said one or more sorbents under sorbing conditions and for a time effective to produce a purified olefin feed and said one or more spent sorbents.  
 
     
     
         117 . The method of  claim 116  further comprising contacting said purified olefin feed with a skeletal isomerization catalyst under conditions effective to yield skeletally isomerized olefins.  
     
     
         118 . The method of  claim 117  further comprising converting said skeletally isomerized olefins into a primary alcohol composition.  
     
     
         119 . The process of  claim 118  wherein said converting comprises hydroformylating said skeletally isomerized olefin.  
     
     
         120 . The process of  claim 119  wherein said purified olefin feed consists of about 1 ppm or less of said phosphorus-containing impurities.  
     
     
         121 . The process of  claim 120  wherein said purified olefin feed consists of about 0.5 ppm or less of said phosphorus-containing impurities.