In a method for producing a cyclic ester according to an embodiment of the present invention, a mixture (I) containing an aliphatic polyester, a specific polyalkylene glycol diether, and a sulfonic acid compound as a thermal stabilizer is prepared and heated in predetermined conditions to obtain a mixture (II) in a state of solution. Furthermore, heating of the mixture (II) is continued to distill, together with the polyalkylene glycol diether, a cyclic ester formed by the depolymerization reaction, and thus a distillate (III) is obtained. The cyclic ester is recovered from the distillate (III). At this time, a specific solubilizing agent is added to at least one of the mixture (I) or (II). In this production method, the sulfonic acid compound as the thermal stabilizer is contained in the mixtures (I) and (II) and the distillate (III).
A method for producing glycolide (GL) by heating a glycolic acid oligomer (GAO) to depolymerize the GAO. The method for producing GL comprises: a step 1 of heating a mixture containing a GAO having a terminal COOH concentration of 400 eq/t or less and a polar organic solvent to a GAO depolymerization temperature under ambient pressure or reduced pressure; a step 2 of continuing the heating at the temperature for depolymerizing of the GAO and then codistilling out the produced GL and the solvent from the depolymerization reaction system to the outside the reaction system; and a step 3 of obtaining GL from the codistillation product. In the method for producing GL, the GAO is preferably prepared by a GAO production method which comprises a step of condensing glycolic acid (GA) and a dehydration step of continuing the heating together with a polar organic solvent or a depolymerization reaction solution to allow the GA condensation reaction to continue.
The object of the present invention is to provide a glycolide production method capable of sufficiently increasing the production rate of glycolide. The glycolide production method according to the present invention includes: adding metal titanium to an aqueous glycolic acid solution; subjecting glycolic acid contained in the aqueous glycolic acid solution to which the metal titanium is added, to dehydrating polycondensation to obtain a glycolic acid oligomer; and heating and depolymerizing the glycolic acid oligomer to obtain glycolide.
The object of the present invention is to provide a glycolide production method capable of further increasing the production rate of glycolide. The glycolide production method according to the present invention includes adding metal iron to an aqueous glycolic acid solution, subjecting glycolic acid contained in the aqueous glycolic acid solution to which the metal iron is added, to dehydrating polycondensation to obtain a glycolic acid oligomer, and heating and depolymerizing the glycolic acid oligomer to obtain glycolide.
In a method for producing a cyclic ester according to an embodiment of the present invention, a mixture (I) containing an aliphatic polyester, a specific polyalkylene glycol diether, and a sulfonic acid compound as a thermal stabilizer is prepared and heated in predetermined conditions to obtain a mixture (II) in a state of solution. Furthermore, heating of the mixture (II) is continued to distill, together with the polyalkylene glycol diether, a cyclic ester formed by the depolymerization reaction, and thus a distillate (III) is obtained. The cyclic ester is recovered from the distillate (III). At this time, a specific solubilizing agent is added to at least one of the mixture (I) or (II). In this production method, the sulfonic acid compound as the thermal stabilizer is contained in the mixtures (I) and (II) and the distillate (III).