Catalytic Oxidation of o-Xylene to Phthalic Acid Anhydride

Catalytic Oxidation of o-Xylene to Phthalic Acid Anhydride 

Multi-tubular reactor for o-xylene oxidation to phthalic anhydride. Deggendorfer Werft, from Cmehlingand Brehm (1996). 

---

Oxidation of SO2 for sulfuric acid production Selective catalytic reduction of NO using ammonia [8] Oxidation of benzene to maleic anhydride Oxidation of o-xylene to phthalic anhydride [9] Dehydrogenation of light alkanes to alkenes [10] Ethylene polymerization [11]... 

The prime function of the saturated acid is to space out the double bonds and thus reduce the density of cross-linking. Phthalic anhydride is most commonly used for this purpose because it provides an inflexible link and maintains the rigidity in the cured resin. It has been used in increasing proportions during the past decade since its low price enables cheaper resins to be made. The most detrimental effect of this is to reduce the heat resistance of the laminates but this is frequently unimportant. It is usually produced by catalytic oxidation of o-xylene but sometimes naphthalene and is a crystalline solid melting at 131°C. 

Catalytic partial oxidation of o-xylene and naphthalene is performed mostly in intensively cooled multi-tubular fixed bed reactors, but systems with a fluidized bed were also developed. Typically, V20s/Ti02 catalysts with K2SO4 or A1 phosphates as promoter are used. In fixed bed reactors, the conversion of both feedstocks per pass is around 90%, and the selectivity is in the range 0.86-0.91 mol PA per mol naphthalene and 0.78 mol per mol o-xylene. (Note that the selectivity would be 100%, if only the reactions according to Eqs. (6.13.1) and (6.13.2), respectively, would take place.) The active compounds are distributed on spheres of porcelain, quartz, or silicium carbide (shell catalyst). The thickness of the shell is only around 0.2 mm, and the diffusion paths for the reactants are short. By this means, the influence of pore diffusion is small, and the unwanted oxidation of phthalic acid anhydride to CO2 is suppressed compared to a catalyst with an even distribution of active compounds where the influence of pore diffusion would be much stronger (see Section 4.5.6.3 Influence of Pore Diffusion on the Selectivity of Reactions in Series ). Thus the intrinsic reaction rates are utilized for the modeling of a technical reactor (next Section 6.13.2). 

Scheme6.13.1 Simplified reaction scheme of catalytic o-xylene oxidation to phthalic acid anhydride. [A more complex network with o-tolualdehyde and phthalide anhydride as intermediates is proposed by Calderbank, Chandrasekharan, and Fumagalli (1977), Anastasov (2002,2003) and Fiebig and Kuchling (2009)].

For phthalic acid anhydride (PSA) the (released) heat of reaction is theoretically —7.5 kj per g-PSA, that is, for o-xylene oxidation with 100% selectivity to PSA (see Section 6.13). Industrial plants consume (without feed) 22 kJ per g-PSA, but according to Figure 5.5.4 this value should be around zero. The main reason for this difference is that the selectivity of catalytic o-xylene oxidation to PSA is less than 80%, and unwanted total oxidation to CO2 takes place. 

Desulfurization of petroleum feedstock (FBR), catalytic cracking (MBR or FI BR), hydrodewaxing (FBR), steam reforming of methane or naphtha (FBR), water-gas shift (CO conversion) reaction (FBR-A), ammonia synthesis (FBR-A), methanol from synthesis gas (FBR), oxidation of sulfur dioxide (FBR-A), isomerization of xylenes (FBR-A), catalytic reforming of naphtha (FBR-A), reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline (FBR), butadiene from n-butanes (FBR-A), ethylbenzene by alkylation of benzene (FBR), dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene (FBR), methyl ethyl ketone from sec-butyl alcohol (by dehydrogenation) (FBR), formaldehyde from methanol (FBR), disproportionation of toluene (FBR-A), dehydration of ethanol (FBR-A), dimethylaniline from aniline and methanol (FBR), vinyl chloride from acetone (FBR), vinyl acetate from acetylene and acetic acid (FBR), phosgene from carbon monoxide (FBR), dichloroethane by oxichlorination of ethylene (FBR), oxidation of ethylene to ethylene oxide (FBR), oxidation of benzene to maleic anhydride (FBR), oxidation of toluene to benzaldehyde (FBR), phthalic anhydride from o-xylene (FBR), furane from butadiene (FBR), acrylonitrile by ammoxidation of propylene (FI BR)... 

The V-Mo-O oxides are well-known industrial catalysts for the synthesis of acrylic acid from acrolein and maleic anhydride from benzene more recently, V-P-0 systems are being utilized for maleic anhydride production from -butane. The V20s/Ti02 combination was employed for phthalic acid production from o-xylene. V-Fe-O catalyzes oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to dicarboxylic acids and quinones. Methyl formate is produced by the oxidation of methanol over V-Ti-0 catalysts [58]. For many of these processes, it has been experimentally proved that the catalytic reaction follows a Mars-van Krevelen mechanism. The surface coverage with active oxygen 0 in the steady state of the redox reaction following Mars-van Krevelen mechanism is given by... 

---