Chromium- and nickel-free hydrogenation of hydroformylation mixtures

US10245578B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• EVONIK DEGUSSA GMBH · DE

Inventors

• Florian Klasovsky · Haltern am See, DE
• Robert Franke · Marl, DE
• Frank Geilen · Haltern am See, DE
• Andreas Jess · Bayreuth, DE
• Wolfgang Korth · Bayreuth, DE
• Thomas Quandt · Marl, DE
• Arne Reinsdorf · Darmstadt, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 23, 2017
• Grant date: Apr 2, 2019
• Expiry date: Oct 23, 2037

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B01J35/55
• WIPO field: Chemical engineering
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The invention is concerned with catalysts for heterogeneous hydrogenation of oxo process aldehydes. The problem addressed by the invention is that of developing a catalyst containing neither chromium nor nickel. In addition, it is to enable the economically viable hydrogenation of aldehyde mixtures originating from industrial oxo processes on the industrial scale. For this purpose, the catalyst should not be reliant on costly precious metals such as Ru, Pd or Pt. This problem was solved by omitting the chromium and nickel in the preparation of a conventional Cu/Ni/Cr system, such that a catalyst wherein only copper occurs as hydrogenation-active component on the support material thereof, and not chromium or nickel, is obtained. What is surprising here is that a functioning catalyst for the purpose intended still arises at all even though two of three hydrogenation-active metals are omitted. However, this requires as necessary conditions that support material used is silicon dioxide and that the content of Cu and SiO2 in the active catalyst is set accurately within very tight limits.