Green process for adipic acid synthesis: oxidation by hydrogen peroxide in water micromelusions using Benzalkonium Chloride C12-14 surfactant

Geoffroy Lesage (1) , Isariebel Quesada-Peñate (1) , Patrick Cognet (1) , Martine Poux (1)

1 LGC - Laboratoire de Génie Chimique

Adipic acid was synthesized by the oxidation of cyclohexene using 30% hydrogen peroxide in a microemulsion in the presence of sodium tungstate as catalyst. The proposed green process is environmentally friendly since catalyst and surfactant are recycled and pure adipic acid is produced in high yield (70% to 79%). Microemulsions are used as a "green solvent" and give a better contact between the phases. Alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (C12-C14) was used as a surfactant for the generation of the microemulsion since it enables the use of harmful organic solvents and phase-transfer catalysts to be avoided. Optimised operating conditions (temperature, reaction time, separation process) have been defined and applied to evaluate the industrial practicability. The main interest of the present work is the easy recovery of pure adipic acid and the reuse of the reaction media (surfactant and catalyst). This shows promise for developing a future green industrial process that will enable greenhouse gas emissions (N2O), among others, to be reduced.

Mots clés: Adipic acid; Hydrogen peroxide; Microemulsion; Green oxidation; Sustainable chemistry

Domaines: Génie chimique

Geoffroy Lesage, Isariebel Quesada-Peñate, Patrick Cognet, Martine Poux. Green process for adipic acid synthesis: oxidation by hydrogen peroxide in water micromelusions using Benzalkonium Chloride C12-14 surfactant. International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering, 2012, vol. 10, pp. 1-18. ⟨10.1515/1542-6580.2955⟩. ⟨hal-00903610⟩