Method for producing catalysts having increased strength and decreased volume reduction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11014864-B2
Application number	US-201515128878-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2015
Priority date	Mar 26, 2014
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for producing copper-containing catalysts, in particular shaped catalyst bodies having increased mechanical strength and a low volume shrinkage, and also the shaped catalyst bodies produced by the process of the invention and the use thereof as catalysts or as precursors and components for catalysts. The catalysts of the invention are particularly suitable for the synthesis of methanol and for the low-temperature conversion of CO into CO2.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for producing a shaped catalyst body containing copper, zinc and aluminum, comprising the steps of:
(a) combining an alkaline solution with a copper-containing solution obtained by dissolving and/or suspending a copper compound, a zinc compound and an aluminum compound, to form a precipitate;
(b) isolating the precipitate, with optional washing and/or optional drying thereof, to give a solid catalyst precursor;
(c) thermally treating a first part of the solid catalyst precursor at a temperature in the range from 450° C. to 600° C. to provide a thermally-treated mixed oxide containing copper, zinc and aluminum, while not thermally treating a second part of the solid catalyst precursor to provide a thermally-untreated solid catalyst precursor containing copper, zinc and aluminum;
(d) mixing the thermally-untreated solid catalyst precursor with the thermally-treated mixed oxide in a weight ratio of solid catalyst precursor to thermally-treated mixed oxide in the range of 5:95 to 15:85, to give a mixture; and
(e) tableting the mixture of the thermally-untreated solid catalyst precursor and the thermally-treated mixed oxide obtained in step (d),
wherein a Cu/Zn atomic ratio of the shaped catalyst body is from 60:40 to 75:25 and a Zn/Al atomic ratio of the shaped catalyst body is from 60:40 to 80:20.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the shaped catalyst body has a lateral compressive strength based on the pellet weight of 500 N/g or more.

3. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the shaped catalyst body has a loss on ignition of 7.5% by weight or less.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the copper-containing solution in step (a) comprises an aluminum hydroxide sol.

5. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the copper-containing solution has a pH of 3.0.

6. The process as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
(f) reduction of the tableted mixture obtained in step (e).

7. The process as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the shaped catalyst body has a volume shrinkage upon reduction of 6% or less.

8. The process as claimed in claim 6 , wherein reduction is carried about by means of hydrogen.

9. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the Zn/Al atomic ratio of the shaped catalyst body is from 70:30 to 80:20.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the thermally-untreated solid catalyst is mixed with the mixed oxide in a weight ratio of thermally-untreated solid catalyst precursor to mixed oxide in the range of 10:90 to 15:85.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the mixed oxide has a BET surface area in the range of 80 m 2 /g to 140 m 2 /g.

12. A process for producing a shaped catalyst body containing copper, zinc and aluminum, comprising the steps of:
mixing an thermally-untreated solid catalyst precursor containing copper, zinc and aluminum with a thermally-treated mixed oxide containing copper, zinc and aluminum in a weight ratio of thermally-untreated solid catalyst precursor to thermally-treated mixed oxide in the range of 5:95 to 15:85, to give a mixture; and
tableting the mixture of the thermally-untreated solid catalyst precursor and the thermally-treated mixed oxide,
wherein the thermally-untreated solid catalyst precursor is provided by a method comprising:
combining an alkaline solution with a copper-containing solution obtained by dissolving and/or suspending a copper compound, a zinc compound and an aluminum compound, to form a precipitate; and
isolating the precipitate, with optional washing and/or optional drying thereof, but without thermally treating the precipitate, to provide the thermally-untreated solid catalyst precursor; and

wherein the thermally-treated mixed oxide is provided by a method comprising:
combining an alkaline solution with a copper-containing solution obtained by dissolving and/or suspending a copper compound, a zinc compound and an aluminum compound, to form a precipitate; and
isolating the precipitate, with optional washing and/or optional drying thereof, to provide a solid catalyst precursor;
thermally treating a first part of the solid catalyst precursor at a temperature in the range from 450° C. to 600° C. to provide the thermally-treated mixed oxide; and

wherein the Cu/Zn atomic ratio of the shaped catalyst body is from 60:40 to 75:25 and the Zn/Al atomic ratio of the shaped catalyst body is from 60:40 to 80:20.

13. The process of claim 12 , wherein the Zn/Al atomic ratio of the shaped catalyst body is from 70:30 to 80:20.

14. The process of claim 12 , wherein the shaped catalyst body has a lateral compressive strength based on the pellet weight of 500 N/g or more and a loss on ignition of 7.5% by weight or less.

15. The process of claim 12 , wherein the first part of the solid catalyst precursor is thermally treated at a temperature in the range from 450° C. to 500° C.

Assignees

• Clariant Int Ltd

Inventors

• Kurr Patrick
• Kniep Benjamin
• Blindhuber Andrea
• Pritscher Verena

Classifications

• B01J35/36

  Mechanical strength · CPC title

• B01J2235/00

  Indexing scheme associated with group B01J35/00, related to the analysis techniques used to determine the catalysts form or properties · CPC title

• B01J35/40

  characterised by dimensions, e.g. grain size (in a colloidal state B01J35/23; crystallite size B01J35/77) · CPC title

• B01J35/30

  characterised by their physical properties · CPC title

• B01J35/50

  characterised by their shape or configuration · CPC title