Badische Anilin Soda-Fabrik process

An even more explicit statement of reaction conditions is shown below for the BASF (Badische Anilin Soda-Fabrik) process for the synthesis of methanol from CO and H2. This reaction occurs at 350 °C, under a total gas pressure that is 340 times as great as the normal pressure of the atmosphere, and on the surface of a mixture of ZnO and Cr203 acting as a catalyst. As we will learn later in the text, a catalyst is a substance that enters into a reaction in such a way that it speeds up the reaction without itself being consumed or changed by the reaction. 

It was noted in the previous chapter (Section 1.4.2.1.) that the polymerization of isobutene could be accomplished only with cationic initiators. Aluminium chloride and boron trifluoride are the preferred initiators for commercial processes the separate addition of a co-catalyst is not generally necessary and adventitious substances possibly fulfil this role. At ordinary temperatures polymerization is extremely rapid and leads to low molecular weight polymers which are viscous oils or sticky solids. However, at low temperature (—80 to — 100°C) high molecular weight material is produced. Even at these low temperatures the reaction is complete in a few seconds and it is necessary to have particularly efficient means of dissipating the heat evolved. Conventional batch processes are unsuitable and continuous processes are used in which only small quantities of reactants are involved at any one moment. In one process (Badische Anilin- Soda-Fabrik A. G.), solutions of isobutene and boron trifluoride in liquid ethylene are mixed on a moving belt so that the polymerizing system is in the form of a thin film and heat is removed by the vaporization of the solvent. The polymer is then mixed with an alkali or ethanol to deactivate the initiator and treated with steam to remove water-soluble contaminants. Another process for polyisobutene (Standard Oil Co. (N.J.) (U.S.A.)) follows closely the procedure outlined in Section 2.10.2. for the manufacture of butyl rubber. 

Bacteriological sulfur, 23 577-578 Bacteriophages, 3 135 12 474 in fermentation, 11 46 Bacteriorhodopsin, 20 826, 840 photochromic material, 6 603 Bacteriosins, 12 76. See also Bacteriocins Bacteriostatic water, 18 714 Bacterium lactis, 11 7 Baculovirus expression system, 5 346 Baddeleyite, 21 489 26 623-624 colorants for ceramics, 7 346t Badische Anilin und Soda Fabrik (BASF) terpenoid manufacture process, 24 481 Baeyer-Villiger oxidation reactions, 14 592 chiral recognition by enzymes, 3 675 microbial, 16 401 Baffled shellside flow, 13 262 Baffles, in stirred tank geometries,... 

Karl Bosch (1874-1940) and Alwin Mittasch (1869-1953) of Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik eliminated the nitrate shortage that occurred after the British sea blockade effectively cut off the nitrate supply from Chile. By May of 1915, they had successfully developed at their Oppau Plant an industrial-scale process for oxidizing ammonia. Their process converted the large quantities of synthetic ammonia produced by the Haber process to nitric acid and other nitrates that were essential for fertilizers and explosives. (10)... 

In 1875, a paper by Winkler awakened interest in the contact process, first patented in 1831. Winkler claimed that successful conversion of SOn to S03 could only be achieved with stoichiometric, undiluted ratios of S02 and 02. Although erroneous, this belief was widely accepted for more than 20 years and was employed by a number of firms. Meanwhile, other German firms expended a tremendous amount of time and money on research. This culminated in 1901 with Knietsch s lecture before the German Chemical Society (3) revealing some of the investigations carried out by the Badische Anilin-und-Soda-Fabrik. This revealed the abandonment of Winkler s theory and further described principles necessary for successfiil application of the contact process. 

In the eady 1920s Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik announced the specific catalytic conversion of carbon monoxide and hydrogen at 20—30 MPa (200—300 atm) and 300—400°C to methanol (12,13), a process subsequently widely industrialized. At the same time Fischer and Tropsch announced the Synthine process (14,15), in which an iron catalyst effects the reaction of carbon monoxide and hydrogen to produce a mixture of alcohols, aldehydes (qv), ketones (qv), and fatty acids at atmospheric pressure. 

Ethylene oxide has been produced commercially by two basic routes the ethylene chlorohydrin and direct oxidation processes. The chlorohydrin process was first introduced during World War I in Germany by Badische Anilin-nnd Soda-Fabrik (BASF) and others (95). The process involves the reaction of ethylene with hypochlorous acid followed by dehydrochlorination of the resulting chlorohydrin with lime to produce ethylene oxide and calcium chloride. Union Carbide Corp. was the first to commercialize this process in the United States in 1925. The chlorohydrin process is not economically competitive, and was quickly replaced by the direct oxidation process as the dominant technology. At the present time, all the ethylene oxide production in the world is achieved by the direct oxidation process. 

The foremost licensors of these processes and of palladium catalysts are Amoco American Oil Co. BASF Badische Anilin itnd Soda Fabrik Bayer-lurgi, Engelhard (HPN), IFP, Lummus (DPG Hydrotreating), Mitsubishi, UOP Universal Oil Products etc. The industrial unit scheme is substant ly the same as for selective hydrogenation in the presence of nickel. However, the technology selected by Bayer differs in so far as the fee tock is cooled and the temperature maintained at the desired level by meaas of a refrigerant fluid or water. 

The Badische Anilin und Soda Fabrik have now erected works at Oppan, near Ludwigshafen, for the large scale preparation of synthetic ammonia by this process. 

In July 1908, Haber convinced representatives of the BASF Badische Anilin cl Soda Fabrik), namely, Carl Bosch and Alwin Mittasch (see box), by a successfid demonstration in his laboratory to support his work. During this performance, a production rate of 80g-NH3h was reached with an osmium catalyst. In an unprecedented achievement, Bosch and his team succeeded in developing a commercial process, and the first plant started in 1913, with a capacity of 1.251 of NH3 per hour, that is, within five years a scale-up factor of 15 000 was reached. 

The process was developed further by other groups, such as Badische Anilin und Soda Fabrik (BASF) of Germany, later in collaboration with Haber. It was... 

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