Supported catalysts and their treatment for the preparation of ethylene oxide

US4324699A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• BASF SE

Inventors

• Wolf D. Mross · Bischofswerda, DE
• Eckart Titzenthaler · Ludwigshafen, DE
• Juergen Koopmann · Neustadt, DE
• Volker Vogt
• Matthias Schwarzmann · Schifferstadt, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 28, 1980
• Grant date: Apr 13, 1982
• Expiry date: Jan 28, 2000

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P20/584
• WIPO field: Chemical engineering
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Supported catalysts containing silver and alkali metals, for the preparation of ethylene oxide from ethylene and oxygen in the gas phase, are prepared or regenerated by modifying, respectively, a new or spent supported catalyst which already contains metallic silver and may or may not contain the light alkali metals lithium and/or sodium and, where a spent catalyst is concerned, also contains the heavy alkali metals potassium, rubidium and/or cesium, with a solution containing the heavy alkali metals, the modifier solution used containing PA0 (a) a surfactant and/or a reducing agent, in the case of the preparation of a new catalyst or PA0 (b) a surfactant, in the case of the regeneration of a spent catalyst.