Understanding the Reaction Crystallization Process of Glycidyl Trimethyl Ammonium Chloride

Abstract

Reaction crystallization to produce glycidyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (GTA) via epichlorohydrin with gas-state trimethylamine was investigated. The crystallization process of the GTA gas-liquid reaction was optimized by a seed method. The optimized technology can prepare GTA products with crystal form and purity greater than 97%. The crystallization process of GTA consists of four steps (i.e., addition of seed, dispersion of seed, growth of crystals on the seed surfaces, agglomeration and growth of crystal). Seed method and flow rate are the key factors affecting purity. The purity and particle size of GTA crystals were satisfactory as long as the operation was kept within the defined envelope. The experiments were conducted on a 1 L reactor and successfully scaled-up to 3000 L in industry.