Experimental investigation of ethylene hydroformylation to propanal on Rh and Co based catalysts

• Published in: Applied catalysis. A, General Vol. 469; pp. 357 - 366
• Main Authors: NAVIDI, N, THYBAUT, J. W, MARIN, G. B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier 2014
• Subjects: Aluminum oxide; Carbon monoxide; Catalysis; Catalysts; Chemistry; Conversion; Ethylene; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Hydrogenation; Reaction kinetics; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; Heterogeneous catalysis; Rhodium; Hydroformylation; Ethylene; Transition metal; Aldehyde; Cobalt; Hydrogenation; Platinoid; Propanal; Catalyst
• ISSN: 0926-860X; 1873-3875
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apcata.2013.10.019

Intrinsic hydroformylation kinetics have been measured in a high-throughput kinetic test setup at temperatures varying from 448 to 498 K, with the total pressure ranging from 1 to 3 MPa. A gaseous feed containing CO, C2H4 and H2 was used with space times varying from 2.7 kgcat s/molC2H4,in2.7 kgcat s/molC2 H4,in to 149 kgcat s/molC2H4,in149 kgcat s/molC2 H4,in. Three catalysts have been investigated, i.e., 5%Rh on Al2O3, 1%Co on Al2O3 and 0.5%Co-0.5%Rh on Al2O3. The main products observed were ethane, propanal and propanol. The Rh catalyst showed the highest hydroformylation and hydrogenation site time conversions in the investigated range of operating conditions. Moreover it was found on all investigated catalysts that the hydrogenation activation energy was about 15-20 kJ mol-1 higher than that for hydroformylation. On the Rh catalyst, higher ethylene feed concentrations have a more pronounced effect on CO conversion and production of propanal and propanol compared with an increase in the inlet concentration of the other reactants.