Process for separating surfactants used in the manufacture of concentrated fluoropolymer dispersions

Claim 1

A process for separating the ammonium or alkali metal salt of a fluoroalkanoic acid having the general formula X--R.sub.f --COOH wherein X is a member of the class consisting of hydrogen fluorine or chlorine and R f is a saturated, perfluorinated linear or methyl branched alkylene group containing 5 to 10 carbon atoms, from a hydrocarbyl oxyethoxylated polyether having the general formula R--O--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --.sub.y OH where R is a primary or secondary alkyl group of 11-18 carbon atoms or is ##STR2## where R' is a primary, secondary or tertiary alkyl group containing 8 to 12 carbon atoms, and y is a cardinal number of from 8 to 14, where both are present in an aqueous mixture, which comprise: A. extracting the fluoroalkanoate salt (in the form of its corresponding acid) and the ethoxylated compound from an acidified aqueous mixture containing both by agitating the aqueous mixture with a chlorinated hydrocarbon organic liquid selected from dichloromethane or trichloromethane and separating the organic liquid layer, B. (1) contacting said organic liquid layer with activated alumina whereby the fluoroalkanoic acid is adsorbed onto the alumina, and separating the organic liquid and the alumina, B. (2) contacting the alumina with ammonium hydroxide to remove the fluoroalkanoic acid from the alumina, C. boiling off the organic liquid obtained in step B.(1) until the ethoxylated compound remains, D. (1) acidifying the ammonium hydroxide solution obtained in step B.(2) until the pH of the solution is 1 or less and isolating the denser organic phase from the lighter aqueous phase formed, D. (2) steam distilling the organic phase after acidifying it with a mineral acid until the weight ratio of mineral acid to water is at least 1:1, and collecting the organic portion, D. (3) steam distilling said organic portion in the combined presence of a mineral acid, present in a weight ratio of mineral acid to water of at least 1:1 and a non-volatile oxidizing agent, and collecting the fluoroalkanoic acid distilled.