Ethanol production from hydrogen

Ito T, Nakashimada Y, Senba K, Matsui T, Nishio N. (2005). Hydrogen and ethanol production from glycerol-containing wastes discharged after biodiesel manufacturing process. J Biosci... 

Dihydroxyacetophenone. Finely powder a mixture of 40 g. of dry hydroquinone diacetate (1) and 87 g. of anhydrous aluminium chloride in a glass mortar and introduce it into a 500 ml. round-bottomed flask, fitted with an air condenser protected by a calcium chloride tube and connected to a gas absorption trap (Fig. II, 8, 1). Immerse the flask in an oil bath and heat slowly so that the temperature reaches 110-120° at the end of about 30 minutes the evolution of hydrogen chloride then hegins. Raise the temperature slowly to 160-165° and maintain this temperature for 3 hours. Remove the flask from the oil bath and allow to cool. Add 280 g. of crushed ice followed by 20 ml. of concentrated hydrochloric acid in order to decompose the excess of aluminium chloride. Filter the resulting solid with suction and wash it with two 80 ml. portions of cold water. Recrystallise the crude product from 200 ml. of 95 per cent, ethanol. The 3 ield of pure 2 5-dihydroxyacetophenone, m.p. 202-203°, is 23 g. 

A Belgian patent (178) claims improved ethanol selectivity of over 62%, starting with methanol and synthesis gas and using a cobalt catalyst with a hahde promoter and a tertiary phosphine. At 195°C, and initial carbon monoxide pressure of 7.1 MPa (70 atm) and hydrogen pressure of 7.1 MPa, methanol conversions of 30% were indicated, but the selectivity for acetic acid and methyl acetate, usehil by-products from this reaction, was only 7%. Ruthenium and osmium catalysts (179,180) have also been employed for this reaction. The addition of a bicycHc trialkyl phosphine is claimed to increase methanol conversion from 24% to 89% (181). 

The product is hydrogenated in 4,000 cc of ethanol at room temperature and under normal atmospheric pressure with a catalyst prepared In the usual manner from 400 g of Raney nickel alloy. The calculated amount of hydrogen is taken up in approximately 75 hours. After filtration and evaporation to a small volume, the residue Is distributed between 1,000 cc of chloroform and water each. The chloroform solution is then dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated to a small volume. Precipitation of the hydrogenation product with petroleum ether yields an amorphous white powder which Is filtered by suction, washed with petroleum ether and dried at 50°C In a high vacuum. 1. athyl-2-podophyllinic acid hydrazide is obtained in a practically quantitative yield. 

Attempts to effect ring expansion of methyl 2-azidobenzoate in the presence of other nucleophiles have failed. Thus, photolysis in tetrahydrofuran solution saturated with hydrogen sulfide, or with ammonia, produced methyl 2-aminobenzoate in 54 and 37 % yield, respectively, as the sole identifiable product.197 Photolysis of phenyl azide in ethanolic phenol gave 2-phenoxy-3//-azepine in poor yield (8 %).203,204 2-Mesityl-3//-azepine (10 %) is the surprising, and only tentatively explained, product from the photolysis of phenyl azide in mcsitylene in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid.179... 

In general, however, reduction by ethanol is recommended only in cases where one has a reliable analytical method for distinguishing between products resulting from hydrogen- or ethoxy-substitution. For all other cases we recommend Kornblum s dediazoniation in an aqueous solution of hypophosphorous acid, in some cases in the presence of a catalyst, e.g., 0.05-0.10 mol% CuS04. The procedure is notable for its simplicity of operation. In Organic Syntheses the diazotization and hydro-de-diazoniation of 3,3 -dimethyl- and 3,3 -dimethoxybenzidine are described by Kornblum (1955) and the formation of 2,4,6-tribromobenzoic acid by Robison and Robison (1963). 

The reaction at Eq. (12) allows the preparation of Na2S4 and K2S5 from the alkali metals, hydrogen sulfide and sulfur in anhydrous ethanol (ROH). First the metal is dissolved in the alcohol with formation of ethanolate (MOR) and hydrogen. Bubbling of H2S into this solution produces the hydrogen sulfide (MHS). To obtain the polysulfide the solution is refluxed with the calculated amount of elemental sulfur. After partial evaporation of the solvent and subsequent cooling the product precipitates. 

Hydrogen production from biomass>ethanol at ambient temperature with novel diaphragm reactor... 

Mizukozhi Y, Makise Y, Shuto T, Hu J, Tominaga A, Shrionita S, Tanabe S (2007) Immobilization of noble metal nanoparticles on the surface of Ti02 by the sonochemical method photocatalytic production of hydrogen from an aqueous solution of ethanol. Ultrason Sonochem 14 387-392... 

Cu-CuO% nanoparticles (with a content of about 10 wt.%) on titania are effective for the production of hydrogen under sacrificial conditions [176-178], A fairly low concentration of Cu (2.5 wt.%) was sufficient to allow promising H2 production from ethanol-water and glycerol-water mixtures in the case of CuO% nanoparticles encapsulated into porous titania [179]. A key limitation of this system is photocorrosion under oxidizing conditions (oxygen and carboxylic adds as by-products of partial oxidation of the sacrificial agent). However, in the presence of UV irradiation, Cu photodeposition can occur, preventing loss of Cu [179]. 

Masdupay, E. et al., Compt. rend., 1951, 232, 1837-1839 It is much more reactive than the diacetylide, and ignites in contact with water or ethanol in air. It may incandesce on heating to 150°C under vacuum or hydrogen, the product from the latter treatment being very pyrophoric owing to the presence of pyrophoric carbon. 

Hydrogen Production from Biomass-Derived Ethanol.213... 

Verykios, X., Process for the Production of Hydrogen and Electrical Energy from Reforming of Bio-ethanol (Int. Pat. WO 99/61369). 1998. 

Advances in catalysis and processes for hydrogen production from ethanol 65 reforming... 

Scheme 3 Methodologies reported for the production of hydrogen from ethanol.

Another Hydrogenation with Platinum Oxide. JACS, 55, 2694. This method is used to reduce those hydrox-mandelonitriles in the amphetamine section. It uses low pressure and can be used on about any reducible compound. It can also use palladium oxide as the catalyst. A solution of 35.8 g of phenyl-2-propanol in 250 ml of 80% ethanol containing 7.3 g of HCl is hydrogenated for 3 hours in a Parr hydrogenation bottle at 3,5kg/cm or 50 p.s.i, over 0,5 g of platinum oxide (or palladium oxide Raney nickel may also work) or an equimolar ratio of analog catalyst for about 3 hours. Filter off the catalyst and rinse with a little water to wash all the product from the catalyst. Dilute the filtrate to 1 liter of volume with water and extract twice with ether to remove any acid insoluble material. The ether extracts do not contain product. The aqueous layer is made alkaline with solid NaHCOs to a pH of 8-9 and the basic oil which separates is extracted with two 300 ml portions of ether. This ether solution is dried over MgS04, and filtered, then evaporated to remove the ether. To convert to the oxalate, add ether to the crude product and add to a solution of 9.6 g of oxalic acid dihydrate in a small volume of methanol. Give ample... 

Cobalt-based catalysts are effective in the ethanol reformation to hydrogen. Many oxides have been used to prepare supported cobalt catalysts of low cobalt content (circa 1 wt%) by impregnation from a solution of Co2(CO)8 catalysts were used in the ethanol reformation as prepared [156]. The performance of the catalysts in the steam reforming of ethanol was related with the presence, under reaction conditions, of metallic (ferromagnetic) cobalt particles and oxidized cobalt species. An easy exchange between small metallic cobalt particles and oxidized cobalt species was found. Comparison of Co/ZnO catalysts prepared from Co2(CO)8 or from nitrate precursor indicated that the catalyst prepared from the carbonyl precursor was highly stable and more selective for the production of CO-free hydrogen... 

Hydrogen production from light alcohols (e.g. methanol and ethanol) via CPO has been the subject of several recent studies. Many catalysts were proposed which showed sufficient activity and stability to be considered further for practical applications (see Sections 6.4.1 and 6.4.2). Information on the CPO of more complex oxygenated molecules is scarce in the literature. 

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