Formaldehyde from methanol oxidation

Conversion of air-based processes into oxygen-based processes in vapor-phase oxidation to reduce polluting emissions. Examples are (i) synthesis of formaldehyde from methanol, (ii) etheneepoxidation to ethene oxide and (iii) oxychlorination of ethene to 1,2-dichloroethane. 

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)... 

Another example for an elegant oxidation process is the BASF process for the manufacture of citral, a key intermediate for fragrances and vitamins A and E. The key step is a catalytical vapour-phase oxidation with supported Ag-catalysts (same as that used in die manufacture of formaldehyde from methanol). The atom-efficient, low-salt process has replaced the classical stoichiometric oxidation with Mn02 (Eq.8-19)[7],... 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of switching to methanol-powered vehicles Methanol burns more cleanly than gasoline, and levels of troublesome pollutants such as carbon monoxide, unreacted hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and ozone are reduced (Chapter 4). However, there is concern about the higher exhaust emissions of carcinogenic formaldehyde from methanol-powered vehicles. Since the number of methanol-powered vehicles is limited, it is still difficult to assess the extent to which these formaldehyde emissions will contribute to the total aldehyde levels from other sources. 

Two process variants are used for the manufacture of formaldehyde from methanol, partial oxidative dehydrogenation or oxidation. In the first, methanol vapour is mixed with a stoichiometrically deficient quantity of air and passed over a silver catalyst at temperatures of 400-600°C. The two reactions... 

Of all metals, silver has the highest thermal and electrical conductivity, the highest reflectivity and the whitest color. Pure silver is too soft for most purposes. However, it can be used as a catalyst in oxidation reactions. One example is the production of formaldehyde from methanol. Pure silver is also used in electrical coimectors because of its very good conductivity and oxidation resistance. When greater hardness is required, alloys of silver with, for example, copper, nickel and tungsten are used. Sterling silver for tableware, jewelry and different instruments has the composition 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. 

The synthesis of formaldehyde from selective oxidation of methanol over a thin layer of electrolytic silver catalyst is a well-known industrial process that occurs in the temperature range of 850-923 K at atmospheric pressure. Since the total reaction is highly exothermic and fast, requiring very short contact time (0.01 s or less), the use of a silicon MSR was demonstrated to improve conversion up to 75% and 90% selectivity at safe conditions within the flammability limits [29]. 

Figure 7.30 Oxidation process for obtaining formaldehyde from methanol...

Silver is known as a catalyst for partial oxidation to produce ethylene oxide from ethylene and formaldehyde from methanol. Under the reaction conditions, silver oxide is unstable and silver is in a metallic state. 

Historically, formaldehyde has been and continues to be manufactured from methanol. EoUowing World War II, however, as much as 20% of the formaldehyde produced in the United States was made by the vapor-phase, noncatalytic oxidation of propane and butanes (72). This nonselective oxidation process produces a broad spectmm of coproducts (73) which requites a complex cosdy separation system (74). Hence, the methanol process is preferred. The methanol raw material is normally produced from synthesis gas that is produced from methane. 

Most of the world s commercial formaldehyde is manufactured from methanol and air either by a process using a silver catalyst or one using a metal oxide catalyst. Reactor feed to the former is on the methanol-rich side of a flammable mixture and virtually complete reaction of oxygen is obtained conversely, feed to the metal oxide catalyst is lean in methanol and almost complete conversion of methanol is achieved. 

A third possible route is to produce formaldehyde from methyla1 that is produced from methanol and formaldehyde (112,113). The incentive for such a process is twofold. Eirst, a higher concentrated formaldehyde product of 70% could be made by methyla1 oxidation as opposed to methanol... 

Emissions from methanol vehicles are expected to produce lower HC and CO emissions than equivalent gasoline engines. However, methanol combustion produces significant amounts of formaldehyde (qv), a partial oxidation product of methanol. Eormaldehyde is classified as an air toxic and its emissions should be minimized. Eormaldehyde is also very reactive in the atmosphere and contributes to the formation of ozone. Emissions of NO may also pose a problem, especiaHy if the engine mns lean, a regime in which the standard three-way catalyst is not effective for NO reduction. 

Oxidation of cumene to cumene hydroperoxide is usually achieved in three to four oxidizers in series, where the fractional conversion is about the same for each reactor. Fresh cumene and recycled cumene are fed to the first reactor. Air is bubbled in at the bottom of the reactor and leaves at the top of each reactor. The oxidizers are operated at low to moderate pressure. Due to the exothermic nature of the oxidation reaction, heat is generated and must be removed by external cooling. A portion of cumene reacts to form dimethylbenzyl alcohol and acetophenone. Methanol is formed in the acetophenone reaction and is further oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid. A small amount of water is also formed by the various reactions. The selectivity of the oxidation reaction is a function of oxidation conditions temperature, conversion level, residence time, and oxygen partial pressure. Typical commercial yield of cumene hydroperoxide is about 95 mol % in the oxidizers. The reaction effluent is stripped off unreacted cumene which is then recycled as feedstock. Spent air from the oxidizers is treated to recover 99.99% of the cumene and other volatile organic compounds. 

H2/Pd-C. If hydrogenation is carried out in the presence of (B0C)20, the released amine is directly converted to the BOC derivative. The formation of A-methylated lysines during the hydrogenolysis of a Z group has been observed with MeOH/DMF as the solvent. Formaldehyde derived oxidatively from methanol is the source of the methyl carbon. ... 

From this completed half-reaction we see that the conversion of methanol to formic acid involves the loss of four electrons. Since the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde was only a two-electron change, it is clear that formic acid is a more highly oxidized compound of carbon than formaldehyde or methanol. 

Conversion of methanol into formaldehyde by methanol dehydrogenase. A complex array of genes is involved in this oxidation and the dehydrogenase contains pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) as a cofactor (references in Ramamoorthi and Lidstrom 1995). Details of its function must, however, differ from that of methylamine dehydrogenase that also contains a quinoprotein—tryptophan tryptophylquinone (TTQ). 

Korzeniewski C, Childers CL. 1998. Formaldehyde yields from methanol electrochemical oxidation on platinum. J Phys Chem B 102 489-492. 

In this section, we will present and discuss cyclic voltammetry and potential-step DBMS data on the electro-oxidation ( stripping ) of pre-adsorbed residues formed upon adsorption of formic acid, formaldehyde, and methanol, and compare these data with the oxidative stripping of a CO adlayer formed upon exposure of a Pt/ Vulcan catalyst to a CO-containing (either CO- or CO/Ar-saturated) electrolyte as reference. We will identify adsorbed species from the ratio of the mass spectrometric and faradaic stripping charge, determine the adsorbate coverage relative to a saturated CO adlayer, and discuss mass spectrometric and faradaic current transients after adsorption at 0.16 V and a subsequent potential step to 0.6 V. 

Figure 13.3 Potentiodynamic electrooxidation of (a) formic acid, (b) formaldehyde, and (c) methanol on a Pt/Vulcan thin-film electrode (7 xgpt cm, geometric area 0.28 cm ) in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution containing 0.1 M HCOOH (a), HCHO (b), or CH3OH (c). The potential scan rate was 10 mV s and the electrolyte flow rate was 5 p-L s at room temperature). The top panels show the faradaic current (solid lines), the partial currents for Ci oxidation to CO2 (dashed lines) and for formic acid formation (dash-dotted line), calculated from the respective ion currents, and the difference between the measured faradaic current and the partial current for CO2 oxidation (formic acid oxidation (a), formaldehyde oxidation (b)), or the difference between faradaic current and the sum of the partial currents for CO2 formation and formic acid oxidation (methanol oxidation, (c)) (dotted line). The solid lines in the lower panels in...

Similarly, the m/z = 60 ion current signal was converted into the partial current for methanol oxidation to formic acid in a four-electron reaction (dash-dotted line in Fig. 13.3c for calibration, see Section 13.2). The resulting partial current of methanol oxidation to formic acid does not exceed about 10% of the methanol oxidation current. Obviously, the sum of both partial currents of methanol oxidation to CO2 and formic acid also does not reach the measured faradaic current. Their difference is plotted in Fig. 13.3c as a dotted line, after the PtO formation/reduction currents and pseudoca-pacitive contributions, as evident in the base CV of a Pt/Vulcan electrode (dotted line in Fig. 13.1a), were subtracted as well. Apparently, a signihcant fraction of the faradaic current is used for the formation of another methanol oxidation product, other than CO2 and formic acid. Since formaldehyde formation has been shown in methanol oxidation at ambient temperatures as well, parallel to CO2 and formic acid formation [Ota et al., 1984 Iwasita and Vielstich, 1986 Korzeniewski and ChUders, 1998 ChUders et al., 1999], we attribute this current difference to the partial current of methanol oxidation to formaldehyde. (Note that direct detection of formaldehyde by DBMS is not possible under these conditions, owing to its low volatility and interference with methanol-related mass peaks, as discussed previously [Jusys et al., 2003]). Assuming that formaldehyde is the only other methanol oxidation product in addition to CO2 and formic acid, we can quantitatively determine the partial currents of all three major products during methanol oxidation, which are otherwise not accessible. Similarly, subtraction of the partial current for formaldehyde oxidation to CO2 from the measured faradaic current for formaldehyde oxidation yields an additional current, which corresponds to the partial oxidation of formaldehyde to formic acid. The characteristics of the different Ci oxidation reactions are presented in more detail in the following sections. 

The current efficiencies for the different reaction products CO2, formaldehyde, and formic acid obtained upon potential-step methanol oxidation are plotted in Fig. 13.7d. The CO2 current efficiency (solid line) is characterized by an initial spike of up to about 70% directly after the potential step, followed by a rapid decay to about 54%, where it remains for the rest of the measurement. The initial spike appearing in the calculated current efficiency for CO2 formation can be at least partly explained by a similar artifact as discussed for formaldehyde oxidation before, caused by the fact that oxidation of the pre-formed COacurrent efficiency. The current efficiency for formic acid oxidation steps to a value of about 10% at the initial period of the measurement, and then decreases gradually to about 5% at the end of the measurement. Finally, the current efficiency for formaldehyde formation, which was not measured directly, but calculated from the difference between total faradaic current and partial reaction currents for CO2 and formic acid formation, shows an apparently slower increase during the initial phase and then remains about constant (final value about 40%). The imitial increase is at least partly caused by the same artifact as discussed above for CO2 formation, only in the opposite sense. 

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