Applications ammoxidation

Ammoxidation refers to a reaction in which a methyl group with allyl hydrogens is converted to a nitrile group using ammonia and oxygen in the presence of a mixed oxides-hased catalyst. A successful application of this reaction produces acrylonitrile from propylene ... 

New materials are also finding application in the area of catalysis reiated to the Chemicals industry. For example, microporous [10] materials which have titanium incorporated into the framework structure (e.g. so-calied TS-1) show selective oxidation behaviour with aqueous hydrogen peroxide as oxidizing agent (Figure 5). Two processes based on these new catalytic materials have now been developed and commercialized by ENl. These include the selective oxidation of phenol to catechol and hydroquinone and the ammoxidation of cyclohexanone to e-caproiactam. 

Another recent patent (22) and related patent application (31) cover incorporation and use of many active metals into Si-TUD-1. Some active materials were incorporated simultaneously (e.g., NiW, NiMo, and Ga/Zn/Sn). The various catalysts have been used for many organic reactions [TUD-1 variants are shown in brackets] Alkylation of naphthalene with 1-hexadecene [Al-Si] Friedel-Crafts benzylation of benzene [Fe-Si, Ga-Si, Sn-Si and Ti-Si, see apphcation 2 above] oligomerization of 1-decene [Al-Si] selective oxidation of ethylbenzene to acetophenone [Cr-Si, Mo-Si] and selective oxidation of cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone [Mo-Si], A dehydrogenation process (32) has been described using an immobilized pincer catalyst on a TUD-1 substrate. Previously these catalysts were homogeneous, which often caused problems in separation and recycle. Several other reactions were described, including acylation, hydrogenation, and ammoxidation. 

The increasing volume of chemical production, insufficient capacity and high price of olefins stimulate the rising trend in the innovation of current processes. High attention has been devoted to the direct ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile. A number of mixed oxide catalysts were investigated in propane ammoxidation [1]. However, up to now no catalytic system achieved reaction parameters suitable for commercial application. Nowadays the attention in the field of activation and conversion of paraffins is turned to catalytic systems where atomically dispersed metal ions are responsible for the activity of the catalysts. Ones of appropriate candidates are Fe-zeolites. Very recently, an activity of Fe-silicalite in the ammoxidation of propane was reported [2, 3]. This catalytic system exhibited relatively low yield (maximally 10% for propane to acrylonitrile). Despite the low performance, Fe-silicalites are one of the few zeolitic systems, which reveal some catalytic activity in propane ammoxidation, and therefore, we believe that it has a potential to be improved. Up to this day, investigation of Fe-silicalite and Fe-MFI catalysts in the propane ammoxidation were only reported in the literature. In this study, we compare the catalytic activity of Fe-silicalite and Fe-MTW zeolites in direct ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile. 

Ammoxidation can be successfully applied to methyl aromatics (e.g. toluene and xylene) as it can to propene. However, the subject has not received much attention in the literature, mainly due to the fact that there are no important applications for aromatic nitriles at present. 

Nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, members of the vitamin B group and used as additives for flour and bread enrichment, and as animal feed additive among other applications, are made to the extent of 24 million pounds (nearly 11 million kilograms) per year throughout the world. Nicotinic acid (pyridine-3-caiboxylic acid), also called niacin, has many uses. See also Niacin. Nicotinic acid is made by the oxidation of 3-picolme or 2-mcthyl-5-cthylpyridine (the isocinchomcnc acid produced is partially deearboxylated). Alternatively, quinoline (the intermediate quinolinic acid) is partially deearboxylated with sulfuric add in the presence of selenium dioxide at about 300° C or with nitric acid, or by electrochemical oxidation. Nicotinic acid also can be made from 3-picoline by catalytic ammoxidation to 3-cyanopyridine, followed by hydrolysis. 

The cycle approach for oxidation has been adopted at an industrial level for the Wacker-Chemie process for acetaldehyde production, in which ethylene is first put in contact with the oxidized catalyst solution, containing palladium chloride, and in the second step the solution containing the reduced catalyst is sent to a regeneration reactor containing cupric chloride and inside which also air is fed. The regenerated catalyst solution is returned to the first oxidation stage. Another industrial application is the Lummus process for the anaerobic ammoxidation of o-xylene to o-phthaloni-trile [68]. Du Pont has developed the oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride catalyzed by V/P/O, in a CFBR reactor, and built a demonstration unit in Spain [69] however, a few years ago the plant was shut down, due to the bad economics. 

Potential applications of superconducting cuprates in electronics and other technologies are commonly known. These cuprates also exhibit significant catalytic activity. Thus, YBa2Cu307 3 and related cuprates act as catalysts in oxidation or dehydrogenation reactions (Hansen et al. 1988 Halasz 1989 Mizuno et al. 1988). Carbon monoxide and alcohol are readily oxidized over the cuprates. NH3 is oxidized to N2 and H20 on these surfaces. Ammoxidation of toluene to benzonitrile has been found to occur on YBa2Cu307 (Hansen et al. 1990). 

The fast fluidized bed reactor can offer several considerable advantages over alternative reactors for many catalytic and non-catalytic reactions, especially for very fast exothermic/endothermic reactions. With the mushrooming of high activity catalysts and the ever increasing pressure for energy conservation, environmental controls, etc., FFB can play more and more important roles in these areas. More potential commercial applications of FFB in the near future include hydrocarbon oxidations, ammoxidation, gasoline and olefines production by concurrent downflow FFB and basic operation for organic chemical productions. 

Vanadium phosphate materials have found use as catalysts for a number of reactions beyond the widely practiced partial oxidation of butane. These applications are mainly in selective oxidation 3,73,87,90-94, 96-102,154,195,208,237,251-269), ammoxidation (88-90,270), dehydrogenation (232,271-276), and dehydration (277,278). 

Typical performance is a selectivity higher than 90% at a conversion in the 50-90% range, mainly depending on the type of substrate. Substituted pyridines yield better selectivities at high conversion than the equivalent alkylaromatics. The nature and position of the substituents in substituted alkylaromatics also play an important role in determining selectivity and activity. The commercial application of this technology is mainly hindered by the relatively small plant necessary for these products as compared to full-scale processes. The further implementation of the process of alkylaromatic catalytic ammoxidation would thus require the development of multi-purpose small-size continuous plants using small fluidized bed-reactors (to better control temperature and allow easier substitution of the catalyst). 

The Sohio process is considered one of the most successful applications of FCB. Problems in industrial application of the reaction arose from the strong exothermicity of propylene ammoxidation and from the intermediate production of acrylonitrile in the consecutive reactions (V9). It is particularly noticeable that the catalyst gives high selectivity, and the reactor design aims at better fluidization and higher contact efficiency than in the FCC process. 

Other applications of the ammoxidation include the reactions of isobutene (—> a-methacrylonitrile), a-methylstyrene (- atropanitrile), y5-picoline nicotine nitrile and nicotinamide), toluene benzonitrile), and xylenes (—> phthalo-nitrile, terephthalonitrile, and isophthalonitrile on the way to fiber- grade diamines). 

Supported metal oxides are currently being used in a large number of industrial applications. The oxidation of alkanes is a very interesting field, however, only until recently very little attention has been paid to the oxidation of ethane, the second most abundant paraffin (1). The production of ethylene or acetaldehyde from this feed stock is a challenging option. Vanadium oxide is an important element in the formulation of catalysts for selective cataljdic reactions (e. g. oxidation of o-xylene, 1-3, butadiene, methanol, CO, ammoxidation of hydrocarbons, selective catalytic reduction of NO and the partial oxidation of methane) (2-4). Many of the reactions involving vanadium oxide focus on the selective oxidation of hydrocarbons, and some studies have also examined the oxidation of ethane over vanadium oxide based catalysts (5-7) or reviewed the activity of vanadium oxide for the oxidation of lower alkanes (1). Our work focuses on determining the relevance of the specific oxide support and of the surface vanadia coverage on the nature and activity of the supported vanadia species for the oxidation of ethane. 

Fig. 24. The application of desorption techniques to an industrial catalytic process, namely propene ammoxidation on an FeSbC 4 powdered catalyst. This shows all the significant products.

Since 1980, the applications zeolites and molecular sieves in the speciality and fine chemicals increased enormously. Zeolites are being used in the various types of reactions like cyclization, amination, rearrangement, alkylation, acylations, ammoxidation, vapour and liquid phase oxidation reactions. Zeolites and molecular sieves have also been used to encapsulate catalytically active co-ordination complexes like ship-in-bottle and as a support for photocatalytic materials and chiral ligands. Redox molecular sieves have been developed as an important class of liquid and vapour phase oxidation and ammoxidation reactions. We have discussed few typical recent examples of various types of reactions. 

For further extension of the scope of the ammoxidation reaction new catalytic systems (based on detailed mechanistic knowledge) must be developed to establish more selective reactions, e. g. at lower temperature or under shape-selective conditions. For extension of application, effective protection of side-chains in the educts are also necessary. Finally, the search for more selective catalysts... 

The ammoxidation process ( eq. 8 ) displaced the more expensive acetylene-HCN-based route in the early 1960 s (eq. 20). Other obsolete processes also involve more expensive reagents (e.g. ethylene oxide, eq. 19, and acetaldehyde, eq. 21) and oxidants (e.g. NO, eq. 22). The impact of the introduction of the ammoxidation process in 1960 was an immediate drastic reduction in acrylonitrile price and greatly increased production which made possible many of today s high-volume applications of acrylonitrile (Figure 6A). The production of acrylonitrile, which accounts for 17% of the total U. S. propylene consumption, is used extensively in fibers, plastics and resins (ARS/SA) and rubber industries, with a growing number of miscellaneous applications, including the electro-hydrodimerization process for adiponitrile production (Figure 6B). 

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