| abstract |
The present invention relates to a method for obtaining glycolic acid by direct deammoniation of ammonium glycolate. More specifically, water is removed from an aqueous solution of ammonium glycolate to produce the substantially anhydrous salt. Thermal salt cracking is then used to remove ammonia from the salt, producing a deammoniated product that is comprised of glycolic acid, oligomers of glycolic acid, ammonium salts of oligomers of glycolic acid, glycolamide, and unreacted ammonium glycolate. The deammoniated product can be further hydrolyzed to convert oligomers of glycolic acid to additional quantities of glycolic acid. |