Process for the activation of oxidised catalysts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12263473-B2
Application number	US-201917272858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2019
Priority date	Sep 10, 2018
Publication date	Apr 1, 2025
Grant date	Apr 1, 2025

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for the liquid phase activation of catalysts. Such activated catalysts have particular utility in hydrogenation of aldehydes to alcohols. As such, the present invention relates to a process for the hydrogenation of aldehydes to alcohols in the presence of a catalyst which has been activated in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for activation of a catalyst comprising:
(a) providing a reactor comprising a solid catalyst which is to be activated by reduction;
(b) supplying a liquid feed stream and a reducing agent to the reactor;
(c) operating the reactor such that the reducing agent causes activation of the catalyst;
(d) recovering a liquid stream and a gas stream from the reactor; and wherein, a peak water concentration in the liquid stream recovered in step (d) is substantially maintained at less than 1.5 wt % by one or more of:
controlling a water concentration of the liquid feed stream supplied in step (b);
controlling a rate of recovery of the liquid stream recovered in step (d); and,
removal of water produced within the reactor.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the liquid stream recovered in step (d) may be recycled and supplied to the reactor in step (b).

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid stream recovered from the reactor in step (d) can be subject to a treatment and then reused (recycled) alongside the liquid feed stream to be fed to the reactor in step (b).

4. The process according to claim 3 , wherein said treatment comprises a drying process.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the reactor provided in step (a) is that in which a subsequent reaction to be catalyzed is to be carried out, such that the activation of the catalyst is performed in situ.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst to be activated is a copper containing catalyst.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid feed stream fed to the reactor in step (b) is a product produced in a subsequent reaction in which the catalyst will be used.

8. The process according to claim 7 , wherein the liquid feed stream is an alcohol or alkane.

9. The process according to claim 8 , wherein the liquid feed is an alcohol.

10. The process according to claim 9 , wherein the liquid feed is butanol.

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid feed stream has a water concentration of 0.1 wt % or less.

12. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the reducing agent is a gaseous reducing agent.

13. The process according to claim 12 , wherein the reducing agent is hydrogen and wherein the reducing agent may be added to the reactor continuously or in pulses.

14. The process according to claim 1 , wherein an initial concentration of reducing agent may be from about 2 mol % to about 100 mol %.

15. The process according to claim 1 , wherein a concentration of reducing agent increases to a final concentration of about 100 mol % during the activation of the catalyst.

16. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid feed stream and the reducing agent may be supplied separately or they may be combined before being fed to the reactor.

17. The process according to claim 2 , wherein the portion of the liquid stream recovered in step (d) that is recycled is supplied directly to the reactor or combined with one, or both, of the liquid feed stream and the reducing agent before being supplied to the reactor.

18. The process according to claim 1 carried out in the presence of an inert gas.

19. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the process is carried out at a temperature between an initial ambient temperature to about 200° C.

20. The process according to claim 19 , wherein the process is carried out at a temperature between about 130° C. to about 180° C.

21. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the process temperature may be increased by heating the liquid feed stream.

22. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the process temperature may be increased by heating a recycle stream where present.

23. The process according to claim 1 , wherein a positive total gas pressure is provided during the activation of the catalyst.

24. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid stream over the catalyst has a flow that is from about 5 to about 150 m 3 /m 2 h.

25. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising an initial catalyst wetting process.

26. The process according to claim 25 , wherein the initial catalyst wetting process employs a wetting liquid which is the same as the liquid feel stream which will be supplied in step (b) of the activation of the catalyst.

27. The process according to claim 25 , wherein following the initial catalyst wetting process, any water present is removed by purging the reactor such that the water content is less than about 1.5 wt %.

28. The process according to claim 1 , wherein there is an initial warm up at the start of the activation of the catalyst, and any water present is removed by purging the reactor to maintain a concentration of water that is less than about 1.5 wt %.

29. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising (e) contacting an aldehyde with hydrogen in the presence of the catalyst that is activated in step (c).

30. A process according to claim 29 , wherein following activation of the catalyst, the reactor and/or catalyst bed temperature is adjusted to a temperature suitable for carrying out the hydrogenation of the aldehyde to the corresponding alcohol, including switching the liquid feed stream of step (b) of the activation process to the desired aldehyde feed stream for the hydrogenation reaction.

31. A process according to claim 29 , wherein the aldehyde is selected from butyraldehyde, valeraldehyde, 2-ethyl hexenal, 2-propyl heptenal, iso-nonyl aldehyde and detergent range aldehydes.

Assignees

• Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies Ltd

Inventors

• Bainbridge Michael

Classifications

• B01J35/392

  Metal surface area · CPC title

• C07C29/141

  with hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases · CPC title

• B01J23/868 Primary

  copper and chromium · CPC title

• C07C31/12

  containing four carbon atoms · CPC title

• B01J38/58

  and gas addition thereto · CPC title