Patent EP0198681A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0198681A2
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Alcohols production by hydrogenation of carboxylic acids
Assignee: BP Chemicals Ltd
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Filing: 1986-04-11
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2006-04-11
Abstract
Abstract Ethanol is produced from acetic acid or propanol is produced from propionic acid by contacting either acetic acid or propionic acid in the vapour phase with hydrogen at elevated temperature and a pressure in the range from 1 to 150 bar in the presence of a catalyst comprising as essential components (i) a noble metal of Group VIII of the Periodic Table of the Elements, and (ii) rhenium, optionally on a support, for example a high surface area graphitised carbon.
Inventors
- 👤 Melanie Kitson
- 👤 Peter Sefton Williams
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 15:50
CPC Classifications
C; C07; C07C; C07C29/00; C07C29/132; C07C29/136; C07C29/147; C07C29/149; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S502/00; Y10S502/525
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
74 words
1 A process for the production of either ethanol from acetic acid or propanol from propionic acid which process comprises contacting either acetic acid or propionic acid in the vapour phase with hydrogen at elevated temperature and a pressure in the range from 1 to 150 bar in the presence of a catalyst comprising as essential components (i) a noble metal of Group VIII of the Periodic Table of the Elements, and (ii) rhenium.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
74 words
1 A process for the production of either ethanol from acetic acid or propanol from propionic acid which process comprises contacting either acetic acid or propionic acid in the vapour phase with hydrogen at elevated temperature and a pressure in the range from 1 to 150 bar in the presence of a catalyst comprising as essential components (i) a noble metal of Group VIII of the Periodic Table of the Elements, and (ii) rhenium.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
2 A process according to claim 1 wherein the noble metal of Group VIII is palladium.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
3 A process according to claim 1 wherein the noble metal of Group VIII is ruthenium.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
4 A process according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the catalyst is supported.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
5 A process according to claim 4 wherein the support is a high surface area graphitised carbon.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
13 words
6 A process according to claim 4 wherein the support is a silica.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
7 A process according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the catalyst is modified by incorporation of a metal of Group IA of the Periodic Table of the Elements.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
8 A process according to claim 7 wherein the modifying metal is potassium.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
96 words
9 A process for the production of a catalyst for use in the process of claims 1 to 8 which process comprises the steps of (A) impregnating a support with a solution of a soluble Group VIII noble metal compound thermally decomposable/reducible to the Group VIII noble metal and subsequently removing the solvent therefrom, and (B) impregnating the Group VIII metal impregnated support with a solution, in a solvent in which the Group VIII metal is substantially insoluble, of a soluble rhenium compound thermally decomposable/reducible to rhenium metal and/or oxide and thereafter removing the solvent therefrom.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
119 words
10 A process according to claim 9 wherein the solvent employed in step (A) is water and the solvent employed in step (B) is ethanol. 11 A process for the production of a catalyst for use in the process of claims 1 to 8 which process comprises the steps of: (A') impregnating a support with a solution of a soluble Group VIII noble metal compound thermally decomposable/reducible to the Group VIII metal and subsequently removing the solvent therefrom, (B I ) heating the Group VIII noble metal on the support, and (C') impregnating the Group VIII noble metal impregnated support with a solution of a soluble rhenium compound thermally decomposable/reducible to rhenium metal and thereafter removing the solvent therefrom.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
36 words
12 A process according to claim 11 wherein the Group VIII noble metal on the support is heated in the presence of an inert gas at an elevated temperature in the range from 150 to 350°C.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
13 A process according to claim 11 wherein the Group VIII noble metal on the support is heated in the presence of a reducing gas at a temperature in the range from 100 to 350°C.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
53 words
14 A process according to claim 11 wherein the Group VIII noble metal on the support is heated in the presence of an oxygen-containing gas at a temperature in the range from 100 to 300°C, provided that when the support is a high surface area graphitised carbon the upper temperature limit is 200°C.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
50 words
15 A process according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the catalyst is activated before use by contact at elevated temperature with either hydrogen or a hydrogen/inert gas mixture at a temperature in the range from 200 to 350°C for a period of from 1 to 20 hours.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
28 words
16 A process according to any one of claims 1 to 14 wherein the catalyst is activated by heating to the reaction temperature in the presence of reactants.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
38 words
17 A catalyst for use in the process of claim 1 comprising palladium and rhenium supported on a high surface area graphitised carbon wherein the average palladium crystallite size is in the range from 30 to 99.9 Angstroms.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
42 words
18 A modification of the process of claims 1 to 10 wherein the corresponding ester is co-produced and the proportion of co-produced ester is increased either by operating at low conversions per pass or by introducing an acidic component into the catalyst.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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