Catalyst manufacturing process

More detailed treatments of catalyst manufacturing processes are available in the literature (19-22). 

Catalyst manufacturing processes usually make particles in a distribution of sizes, although special shapes such as Raschig rings or cylinders made by extrusion and other shapes made by stamping may be quite uniform. Size distribution is measured by sieving or elutriation. A mean diameter is a convenient quantity. The kind of mean value that is applicable when surface is the main property of interest is the volume-surface mean that is applied in P7.01.09. 

The superiority of the catalyst manufacturing processes that use a molten iron oxide stage is mainly due to the fact that above 1000 °C in air, magnetite, Fe304, is the thermodynamically stable oxide phase of iron [8], [343]. Magnetite leads to especially efficient catalysts, and its electrical conductivity allows the use of economical electrical melting processes. 

Sodium on fluid cracking catalyst, FCC, comes from the raw materials used in the catalyst manufacturing process as well as salt contamination in the feedstock. Sodium can deactivate cracking catalysts by poisoning the acid sites on the matrix and zeolite and by promoting sintering of silica-alumina (1). Sodium can act synergistically with vanadium to accelerate the destruction of zeolite (2). 

To determine precipitation temperature on a commercial scale, consideration is also given to such factors as production time, material handling, ease of subsequent processes, and production efficiency. Many catalyst manufacturing processes choose a precipitation temperature between 70°C and 80°C. 

Scale-up of catalyst manufacturing processes is a multidisciplinary teamwork where science, empirical experiments and knowledge of equipment technology are integrated. Production cost and environmental issues set tight limits on possible manufacturing solutions. A successful work is not frequent, and it can take some years before you really know you have a technological as well as an economical success. 

Two nickel catalyst manufacturing processes are in use wet reduction and dry reduction, with the latter being the one of greater importance today. 

In the field of heterogeneous catalysts, silica-alumina ate widely used as acid supports or catalyst matrices. Their preparation involves a large number of unit operations, usualy present in catalyst manufacturing processes, such as precipitation or gelation, tiltration, drying, ion exchange... These unit... 

In 1957 Standard Oil of Ohio (Sohio) discovered bismuth molybdate catalysts capable of producing high yields of acrolein at high propylene conversions (>90%) and at low pressures (12). Over the next 30 years much industrial and academic research and development was devoted to improving these catalysts, which are used in the production processes for acrolein, acryUc acid, and acrylonitrile. AH commercial acrolein manufacturing processes known today are based on propylene oxidation and use bismuth molybdate based catalysts. 

Numerous patents have been issued disclosing catalysts and process schemes for manufacture of acrylonitrile from propane. These include the direct heterogeneously cataly2ed ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile using mixed metal oxide catalysts (61—64). 

Uses. Aluminum chloride is used as a catalyst in a wide variety of manufacturing processes, such as the polymerization of light molecular weight hydrocarbons in the manufacture of hydrocarbon resins. Friedel-Crafts reactions (qv) which employ this catalyst are used extensively in the synthesis of agricultural chemicals, pharmaceuticals (qv), detergents, and dyes (12). 

Shaped products used for adsorbent purposes are generally less sophisticated and therefore less expensive than catalytic products. In 1985, it was reported that 10,000 t/yr of activated alumina adsorbents were produced in the United States. North American producers of Bayer process-based activated aluminas include Alcoa, La Roche (formerly Kaiser Chemicals), Discovery, and Alcan. Gel-based activated aluminas are produced by La Roche, Vista, and several of the major catalyst manufacturers. In Europe, principal sources of supply are Rhc ne-Poulenc and Condea. 

Pha.se-Tra.nsfer Ca.ta.lysts, Many quaternaries have been used as phase-transfer catalysts. A phase-transfer catalyst (PTC) increases the rate of reaction between reactants in different solvent phases. Usually, water is one phase and a water-iminiscible organic solvent is the other. An extensive amount has been pubHshed on the subject of phase-transfer catalysts (233). Both the industrial appHcations in commercial manufacturing processes (243) and their synthesis (244) have been reviewed. Common quaternaries employed as phase-transfer agents include benzyltriethylammonium chloride [56-37-17, tetrabutylammonium bromide [1643-19-2] tributylmethylammonium chloride [56375-79-2] and hexadecylpyridinium chloride [123-03-5]. 

Many, but not all, reactor configurations are discussed. Process design, catalyst manufacture, thermodynamics, design of experiments (qv), and process economics, as well as separations, the technologies of which often are appHcable to reactor technology, are discussed elsewhere in the Eniyclopedia (see Catalysis Separation Thermodynamics). 

Polymerization and depolymerization of sihcate anions and their interactions with other ions and complexing agents are of great interest in sol—gel and catalyst manufacture, detergency, oil and gas production, waste management, and limnology (45—50). The complex silanol condensation process may be represented empirically by... 

If the production of vinyl chloride could be reduced to a single step, such as dkect chlorine substitution for hydrogen in ethylene or oxychlorination/cracking of ethylene to vinyl chloride, a major improvement over the traditional balanced process would be realized. The Hterature is filled with a variety of catalysts and processes for single-step manufacture of vinyl chloride (136—138). None has been commercialized because of the high temperatures, corrosive environments, and insufficient reaction selectivities so far encountered. Substitution of lower cost ethane or methane for ethylene in the manufacture of vinyl chloride has also been investigated. The Lummus-Transcat process (139), for instance, proposes a molten oxychlorination catalyst at 450—500°C to react ethane with chlorine to make vinyl chloride dkecfly. However, ethane conversion and selectivity to vinyl chloride are too low (30% and less than 40%, respectively) to make this process competitive. Numerous other catalysts and processes have been patented as weU, but none has been commercialized owing to problems with temperature, corrosion, and/or product selectivity (140—144). Because of the potential payback, however, this is a very active area of research. 

Almost all industrial catalysts are developed by researchers who are motivated to improve processes or create new ones. Thus the organization that first uses a new catalyst is usually the one that has discovered it. This organization, however, only rarely becomes the manufacturer of the catalyst used on a large scale. Catalysts are for the most part highly complex specialty chemicals, and catalyst manufacturers tend to be more efficient than others in producing them. Catalyst manufacturing is a competitive industry. Catalyst users often develop close relations with catalyst manufacturers, and the two may work together to develop and improve proprietary catalysts. 

A catalyst manufactured using a shaped support assumes the same general size and shape of the support, and this is an important consideration in the process design, since these properties determine packing density and the pressure drop across the reactor. Depending on the nature of the main reaction and any side reactions, the contact time of the reactants and products with the catalyst must be optimized for maximum overall efficiency. Since this is frequendy accompHshed by altering dow rates, described in terms of space velocity, the size and shape of the catalyst must be selected carehiUy to allow operation within the capabiUties of the hardware. 

In the development phase of catalyst research, testing of the catalyst s chemical and physical properties and evaluation of the catalyst s performance ate two essential tasks. In the manufacturing process, many of the same analyses and evaluations are used for quaHty assurance. A number of the testing procedures outlined eadier for catalyst supports can also be appHed to catalysts (32). 

The data most frequentiy collected and reported in catalyst performance evaluations are activity or turnover number, selectivity to the desired product(s), overall yield, catalyst life, and the identities and yields of by-products produced. These data are used to further catalyst or process development research efforts, to monitor catalyst manufacture, and to provide quaUty assurance information to catalyst users. 

Manufacturing Processing and Uses. In commercial production, aqueous urea solution is mixed with acetaldehyde in 1 1 molar ratios. An acid catalyst is introduced into the reaction mixture which is staged at various process temperatures. After neutralization with a base, the CDU is separated from the mother hquor by filtration or spray drying. 

Hydration. Ethanol [64-17-5] is manufactured from ethylene by direct catalytic hydration over a H PO —Si02 catalyst at process conditions of 300°C and 7.0 MPa (1015 psi). Diethyl ether is also formed as a by-product. 

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