Silver catalyst and its preparation

US4740493A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• BASF SE

Inventors

• Karl-Heinz Boehning · Darmstadt, DE
• Wolf D. Mross · Bischofswerda, DE
• Matthias Schwarzmann · Schifferstadt, DE
• Hans-Juergen Becker · Putlitz, DE
• Juergen Plueckhan · Bischofswerda, DE
• Klaus-Christian Renner · Lenzing, AT

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 25, 1986
• Grant date: Apr 26, 1988
• Expiry date: Jul 25, 2006

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C07D301/10
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A silver catalyst for the direct oxidation of ethylene with oxygen to give ethylene oxide is applied on a porous carrier and essentially consists of .alpha.-alumina and contains certain amounts of soluble calcium, aluminum, potassium and sodium salts. The carrier has a BET surface area of from 0.2 to 0.8 m.sup.2 /g, a pore volume of not less than 0.5 ml/g, the pores being equally accessible to cold and warm water, and a bulk density of less than 650 kg/m.sup.3, and has a shape which, in the reactor, provides a geometric surface area of not less than 600 m.sup.2 /m.sup.3, on which more than 13% by weight of silver are applied as the active component, more than 110 kg of silver being available per m.sup.3 of reactor.