Continuous heterogeneously catalyzed gas-phase oxidation of propylene to acrolein, acrylic acid or a mixture thereof

US5684188A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• BASF SE

Inventors

• Werner Hefner · Lampertheim, DE
• Otto Machhammer · Mannheim, DE
• Hans-Peter Neumann · Ludwigshafen, DE
• Andreas Tenten · Maikammer, DE
• Wilhelm Ruppel · Mannheim, DE
• Herbert Vogel · Ludwigshafen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 6, 1996
• Grant date: Nov 4, 1997
• Expiry date: Mar 6, 2016

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C07C51/252
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

In a process for the continuous heterogeneously catalyzed gas-phase oxidation of propylene to acrolein, acrylic acid or a mixture thereof in an oxidation reactor whose feed gas mixture comprises, apart from propylene and molecular oxygen as oxidant, only at least one diluent gas which is essentially inert under the conditions of the heterogeneously catalyzed gas-phase oxidation and where, in continuous operation, at least a part of the essentially inert diluent gases present in the product gas mixture is separated off therefrom and is reused as a constituent of the feed gas mixture to the oxidation reactor, the essentially inert diluent gas mixture comprises more than 85% by volume of at least one saturated hydrocarbon having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms.