PROCESS AND SYSTEM FOR REMOVING LACTIDE FROM A LACTIDE-CONTAINING GAS STREAM

The invention pertains to a process for removing lactide from a vapour stream comprising lactide and water, comprising the steps of * subjecting a vapour stream comprising lactide and water to a condensation-reaction step in a condensation-reaction apparatus, wherein the vapour stream comprising lactide and water is contacted with a reaction liquid comprising lactic acid, the condensation reaction step being carried out under such conditions that at least 80% of the lactide present in the vapour stream provided to the condensation-reaction step is absorbed in the reaction liquid and at most 40% of the water present in the vapour stream provided to the condensation-reaction step is absorbed in the reaction liquid, wherein the residence time in the condensation step is at least 2 hours, the residence time being defined as the total mass of reaction liquid divided by the mass of the product condensing from the vapor stream containing lactide and water per hour, * withdrawing a liquid effluent from the condensation-reaction step, which liquid effluent comprises less than 15 wt.% lactide and less than 30 wt.% of water, the effluent having a total acid content of at least 72 wt.%. * withdrawing a steam effluent from the condensation-reaction step, and providing the steam effluent to a further condensation reaction in a further condensation apparatus to form a condensate comprising water. The present invention provides a robust and efficient process and system for removing lactide from a lactide-containing gas stream and recovering said lactide in a processable form. The process of the invention is able to handle feedstock with varying compositions andhas a limited demand on energy and apparatus. L'invention concerne un procédé d'élimination de lactide d'un flux de vapeur comprenant du lactide et de l'eau, comprenant les étapes consistant à * soumettre un flux de vapeur comprenant du lactide et de l'eau à une étape de réaction de condensation dans un appareil de réaction de condensation, le flux de vapeur comprenant du lactide et de l'eau étant mis en contact avec un liquide de réaction comprenant de l'acide lactique, l'étape de réaction de condensation étant effectuée dans des conditions telles qu'au moins 80 % du lactide présent dans le flux de vapeur fourni à l'étape de réaction de condensation sont absorbés dans le liquide de réaction et au plus 40 % de l'eau présente dans le flux de vapeur fourni à l'étape de réaction de condensation sont absorbés dans le li