| abstract |
A process and apparatus for recovering dichlorohydrins from a mixture comprising dichlorohydrins, one or more compounds selected from esters of dichlorohydrins, monochlorohydrins and/or esters thereof, and multihydroxylated-aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds and/or esters thereof, and optionally one or more substances comprising water, chlorinating agents, catalysts and/or esters of catalysts is disclosed. The mixture is stripped to recover dichlorohydrin(s) while distilling or fractionating the mixture to separate a lower boiling fraction comprising dichlorohydrin(s) from the mixture in one step. Advantages include more efficient recovery of dichlorohydrins for a given distillation column, less waste due to avoiding the conditions conducive to the formation of heavy byproducts, and reduced capital investment in recovery equipment. |