Carbonylation catalyst stability

Exposure of the reaction mixture to reduced carbon monoxide pressure in the flash-tank has implications for catalyst stability. Since the metal catalyst exists principally as iodocarbonyl complexes (e.g. [Rh(CO)2l2] and [Rh(CO)2l4]" for the Rh system), loss of CO ligands and precipitation of insoluble metal species (e.g. Rhl3) can be problematic. It is found that catalyst solubility is enhanced at high water concentrations but this results in a more costly separation process to dry the product. The presence of water also results in occurrence of the water gas shift (WGS) reaction (Eq. 6), which can be catalysed by Rh and Ir iodocarbonyls, in competition with the desired carbonylation process, resulting in a lower utilisation of CO ... 

From a commercial viewpoint potential benefits can accrue from operating the methanol carbonylation process at low water concentration, provided that catalyst stability can be maintained. Strategies to achieve this include (i) addition of iodide salts to stabilise the Rh catalyst, (ii) heterogenisation of the Rh catalyst on a polymer support to restrict the catalyst to the reactor and (iii) replacement of Rh by a more robust Ir catalyst. These strategies, along with others for improving catalyst activity, will be discussed in the following sections. 

One approach which enables lower water concentrations to be used for rhodium-catalysed methanol carbonylation is the addition of iodide salts, especially lithium iodide, as exemplified by the Hoechst-Celanese Acid Optimisation (AO) technology [30]. Iodide salt promoters allow carbonylation rates to be achieved at low (< 4 M) [H2O] that are comparable with those in the conventional Monsanto process (where [H20] > 10 M) while maintaining catalyst stability. In the absence of an iodide salt promoter, lowering the water concentration would result in a decrease in the proportion of Rh existing as [Rh(CO)2l2] . However, in the iodide-promoted process, a higher concentration of methyl acetate is also employed, which reacts with the other components as shown in Eqs. 3, 7 and 8 ... 

In 1986, BP Chemicals became the owners of the Monsanto technology. They subsequently also developed their own Cativa process, aimounced in 1996, carbonylation of MeOH to AcOH catalysed by Ir and Mel and promoted with specific metal iodides [8]. As with the improvements in the original Monsanto Rh process, Cativa had benefits such as improved catalyst stability and more favorable operating conditions [9]. 

The process is operated at higher reactor [MeOAc] than the original Monsanto MeOH carbonylation and there are no issues of catalyst stability. Reaction rate tends to increase with reactor [Rh], [Mel], [MeOAc], [CO] partial pressure and promoter [I"[. Indeed the reaction shows a classical shift between two limiting cases of kinetic behavior [19]. At high [MeOAc] the rate is independent of [MeOAc] and tends to first order in [Rh] and [Mel[. At high [Rh], the reaction tends to first order in [MeOAc]. 

The carbonylation of MeOH catalysed by Ir and Mel can also be operated at lower reactor ]H20] and higher ]MeOAc] than the original Monsanto process and without issues of catalyst stability. Commercially acceptable rates can be achieved at lower ]MeI] concentrations by using promoters such as carbonyl iodide complexes of Ru and Os or covalent iodides such as Inij or Znl2 ]9]. Ionic iodide salts are potent poisons for the Ir catalysed reaction ]11]. In contrast with the Rh catalysed systems, CH4 and not H2 is co-produced as a gaseous by-product (Eq. (8)). 

The effect of tin compounds, especially tetra-alkyl and tetra-aryl tin compounds, is similar to that of phosphine, though lower temperature and pressure are required for the catalyst s optimum activity. Tin can promote the activity of the nickel catalyst to a level that matches that of rhodium under mild conditions of system pressure and temperature e.g. 400 psig at 160 C. The tin-nickel complex is less stable than the phosphine containing catalyst. In the absence of carbon monoxide and at high temperature, as in carbonyl-ation effluent processing, the tin catalyst did not demonstrate the high stability of the phosphine complex. As in the case of phosphine, addition of tin in amounts larger than required to maintain catalyst stability has no effect on reaction activity. 

In anhydrous mixtures, the rhodium catalyzed carbonylation is enhanced by the presence of hydrogen. Introduction of hydrogen to a rhodium catalyzed carbonylation of methyl acetate increases the reaction rate and maintains catalyst stability (26) when the hydrogen partial pressure is rather low. It leads to reduced products formation, e.g. acetaldehyde and ethylidene diacetat with higher hydrogen partial pressure, in excess of 50 psi (27, 28). This is a clear indication that hydrogen is added to the coordination sphere of the rhodium catalyst. However, in the case of methanol carbonylation, the presence of hydrogen does not enhance the reaction rate or lead... 

Fig. 4. Stability of cobalt carbonyl catalyst [Co2(CO)8 and HCo(CO)4] as a function of CO partial pressure and reaction temperature (57, 58). (Reproduced with permission of Ernest Benn Ltd. and Springer-Verlag.)...

A patent (230) to Atlantic Richfield Co. claims that hydride platinum group metal carbonyl complexes such as ClRh(PPh3)3 supported on zeolites, for example, NaY, are suitable catalysts for the hydroformylation of low molecular weight olefins. However, since the bulky metal complex cannot diffuse into the inner pores of the zeolite it must simply be adsorbed on the external surface of the support. This is consistent with the rather poor catalyst stability which was attributed to leaching of the active species from the support. 

The basic organometallic reaction cycle for the Rh/I catalyzed carbonylation of methyl acetate is the same as for methanol carbonylation. However some differences arise due to the absence of water in the anhydrous process. As described in Section 4.2.4, the Monsanto acetic acid process employs quite high water concentrations to maintain catalyst stability and activity, since at low water levels the catalyst tends to convert into an inactive Rh(III) form. An alternative strategy, employed in anhydrous methyl acetate carbonylation, is to use iodide salts as promoters/stabilizers. The Eastman process uses a substantial concentration of lithium iodide, whereas a quaternary ammonium iodide is used by BP in their combined acetic acid/anhydride process. The iodide salt is thought to aid catalysis by acting as an alternative source of iodide (in addition to HI) for activation of the methyl acetate substrate (Equation 17) ... 

The Cativa process is based on a promoted iridium catalyst, and offers a considerable improvement over the rhodium-based system as a result of increased catalyst stability at lower water concentrations, decreased by-product formation, higher rates of carbonylation, high selectivity (>99% based upon methanol), and improved yields on carbon monoxide. This is a more cost-effective process for methanol carbonylation owing to lower energy consumption and fewer purification requirements. Implementation of this new process has now been achieved in four plants worldwide. 

Acetic acid is made by carbonylation of methanol. U.S. 5,001,259 (to Hoechst Celanese) describes changes to the reaction medium that improve catalyst stability and productivity. U.S. 3,769,329 (to Monsanto) describes the conventional process. Is it economically attractive to implement the changes proposed by the Hoechst patent in a new world-scale plant ... 

In the Monsanto process a substantial quantity of water in the reaction system is required to maintain catalyst activity, to achieve economically acceptable carbonylation rates, and to maintain good catalyst stability [23, 25]. Because of the high water concentration in the reactor, the separation of water from acetic acid is a major energy cost and unit capacity limitation in this process. A considerable saving in operating cost and a low cost expansion potential can be realized by operating at a low reaction water concentration if a way can be found to compensate for the decrease in the reaction rate and catalyst stability. 

Low-water operation can be accomplished with modifications to the process which include significant changes in the catalyst system [23]. The main catalytic cycle for high-water methanol carbonylation is still operative in the low-water process (see Section 2.1.2.1.1), but at low water concentration two other catalytic cycles influence the carbonylation rate. The incorporation of an inorganic or organic iodide as a catalyst co-promoter and stabilizer allows operation at optimum methyl acetate and water concentrations in the reactor. Carbonylation rates comparable with those realized previously at high water concentration (ca. 10 molar) are demonstrated at low reaction water concentrations (less than ca. 4 molar) in laboratory, pilot plant, and commercial units, with beneficial catalyst stability and product selectivity [23]. With this proprietary AO technology, the methanol carbonylation unit capacity at the Celanese Clear Lake (TX) facility has increased from 270 X 10 metric tons per year since start-up in 1978 to 1200 X 10 metric tons acetic acid per year in 2001 with very low capital investment [33]. This unit capacity includes a methanol-carbonylation acetic acid expansion of 200 X 10 metric tons per year in 2000 [33]. 

In the low-water AO technology [23], the major function of the iodide salts is to stabilize the rhodium carbonyl catalyst complexes from precipitation as insoluble rhodium triiodide (RhD [5c]. Lithium iodide (Lil) is the preferred salt. The iodide salts also promote catalyst activity (see below). However, the key factor that con-... 

In the 1990s, BP re-examined the iridium-catalyzed methanol carbonylation chemistry first discovered by Paulik and Roth and later defined in more detail by Forster [20]. The thrust of this research was to identify an improved methanol carbonylation process using Ir as an alternative to Rh. This re-examination by BP led to the development of a low-water iridium-catalyzed process called Cativa [20]. Several advantages were identified in this process over the Rh-catalyzed high-water Monsanto technology. In particular, the Ir catalyst provides high carbonylation rates at low water concentrations with excellent catalyst stability (less prone to precipitation). The catalyst system does not require high levels of iodide salts to stabilize the catalyst. Fewer by-products are formed, such as propionic acid and acetaldehyde condensation products which can lead to low levels of unsaturated aldehydes and heavy alkyl iodides. Also, CO efficiency is improved. 

The anion has been also functionalized, and ILs based on metal carbonyls, alkylselenites and functionalized borates have been synthesized.Some of these ILs, bearing relatively simple functional groups, have been used as solvents in selected metal-catalyzed reactions,evidencing that task-specific ILs can favor the activation of the catalyst, generate new catalytic species, and improve the catalyst stability. Moreover, they are able to optimize immobilization and recyclability, facilitate product isolation, and infiuence the selectivity of the reaction. 

A process for the coproduction of acetic anhydride and acetic acid, which has been operated by BP Chemicals since 1988, uses a quaternary ammonium iodide salt in a role similar to that of Lil [8]. Beneficial effects on rhodium-complex-catalyzed methanol carbonylation have also been found for other additives. For example, phosphine oxides such as Ph3PO enable high catalyst rates at low water concentrations without compromising catalyst stability [40—42]. Similarly, iodocarbonyl complexes of ruthenium and osmium (as used to promote iridium systems, Section 3) are found to enhance the activity of a rhodium catalyst at low water concentrations [43,44]. Other compounds reported to have beneficial effects include phosphate salts [45], transition metal halide salts [46], and oxoacids and heteropolyacids and their salts [47]. 

Further development of iridium-complex catalysts was initiated by BP Chemicals in the 1990s, with the hope of identifying reaction conditions under which high activity and selectivity could be achieved. An additional aim was to develop a catalyst that is more robust in the presence of low water concentrations than the rhodium complex catalyst thus, some similarity to the Celanese lithium-iodide stabilized rhodium catalyst was sought. A series of patents provide detail of the discovery by BP of promoters that enhance the activity of an iridium/iodide carbonylation catalyst and, crucially, attain optimum rate at relatively low water concentrations, as illustrated in Figure 2 [116-119]. 

Carbonylation of methanol catalyzed by soluble Group IX transition metal complexes remains the dominant method for the commercial production of acetic acid. The Monsanto process stands as one of the major success stories of homogeneous catalysis, and for three decades it was the preferred technology because of the excellent activity and selectivity of the catalyst. It has been demonstrated by workers at Celanese, however, that addition of iodide salts can significantly benefit the process by improving the catalytic reaction rate and catalyst stability at low water concentrations. Many attempts have been made to enhance the activity of... 

The effect of iodide and acetate on the activity and stability of rhodium catalysts for the conversion of methanol into acetic acid have been studied. Iodide salts at low water concentrations (<2 M) promote the carbonylation of methanol and stabilize the catalyst. Alkali metal iodides react with methylacetate to give methyl iodide and metal acetate the acetate may coordinate to Rh and act as an activator by forming soluble rhodium complexes and by preventing the precipitation of Rhl3. A water-gas shift process may help to increase the steady-state concentration of Rh(I). The labile phosphine oxide complex (57) is in equilibrium with the very active methanol carbonylation catalyst (58) see equation (56). 

---