Process for extracting paraffins from their mixtures with paraffinsulphonic acids

Abstract From the Canadian patent

Mixtures of C12-C18 n-paraffins with paraffinsulphonic acids having the same number of carbon atoms water and sulphuric, acid, and obtained by sulphoxidation of said paraffins with SO2 and O2 in the presence of water and UV radiation are stripped of their excess SO2 and decanted to separate most of the paraffins, and obtain a residual mixture. The residual mixture is fed with sulphuric acid until a twophase system forms or at least until the mixture becomes turbid, and the turbid mixture or that floating on the heavy water-sulphuric acid phase is extracted with supercritical CO2, which removes with it the paraffins which can be, reused in the sulphoxidation process.