Hydrogenation Catalyst, Its Method of Preparation and Use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016193591-A1
Application number	US-201414916707-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 2, 2014
Priority date	Oct 18, 2013
Publication date	Jul 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of preparing a hydrogenation catalyst, for example, a phthalate hydrogenation catalyst, comprising nebulizing a liquid containing a noble metal and a chelating agent comprising at least one nitrogen-containing functional group to form a nebulized liquid, and contacting the nebulized liquid with silica particles; a hydrogenation catalyst prepared by that method; and a method of hydrogenating unsaturated hydrocarbons, such as phthalates, in which an unsaturated hydrocarbon is contacted with hydrogen gas in the presence of the hydrogenation catalyst of the invention.

First claim

1 . A method for the preparation of a silica-supported noble metal hydrogenation catalyst comprising the steps of:
(a) nebulizing a liquid containing a noble metal and a chelating agent to form a nebulized liquid, wherein the chelating agent comprises at least one nitrogen-containing functional group selected from the group consisting of amine and imine functional groups; and (b) contacting the nebulized liquid of step (a) with silica particles to produce a noble metal-containing silica support.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the noble metal is selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, platinum, and mixtures thereof.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nebulized liquid is in the form of a solution and wherein the noble metal is in the form of a noble metal salt.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the noble metal salt is a nitrosyl nitrate salt.

5 . The method claim 1 , wherein the chelating agent further comprises at least one carboxylic acid or hydroxyl functional group.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the chelating agent has from 2 to 20 carbon atoms.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the chelating agent has from 1 to 6 carboxylic acid or hydroxyl functional groups.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the chelating agent has from 1 to 6 nitrogen-containing functional groups selected from the group consisting of amine and imine groups.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the chelating agent is triethanolamine.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the silica particles used in step (b) have an average diameter of no more than about 2.4 mm.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid containing the noble metal and the chelating agent is nebulized using ultrasound.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nebulized liquid containing the noble metal and the chelating agent has an average droplet size of from about 3 μm to about 40 μm.

13 . The method of claim 3 , wherein, in step (b), the silica particles are sprayed with a volume of the solution of the nebulized liquid corresponding to from about 20% to about 35% of the solvent absorption capacity of the noble metal-containing silica support.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises the step (c) of calcining the noble metal-containing silica support produced in step (b).

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising the step (d) of contacting the noble metal containing silica support produced in step (b) or step (c) with hydrogen gas to form an activated silica-supported noble metal hydrogenation catalyst.

16 . A silica-supported noble metal hydrogenation catalyst comprising a noble metal dispersed on silica particles, prepared according to the method of claim 1 .

17 . The catalyst of claim 16 , wherein the noble metal hydrogenation catalyst has an average diameter of from about 0.7 mm to about 2.4 mm.

18 . The catalyst of claim 16 , wherein the noble metal hydrogenation catalyst comprising from about 0.2 wt % to about 1.0 wt % of noble metal.

19 . The catalyst of claim 16 , wherein the radial penetration of the noble metal into the silica particles is no more than about 40% of the average diameter of the silica particles.

20 . A method of hydrogenating an unsaturated hydrocarbon, comprising the step of contacting an unsaturated hydrocarbon with hydrogen gas in the presence of the silica-supported noble metal hydrogenation catalyst of claim 16 .

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon is a phthalate.

22 . A method of hydrogenating an unsaturated hydrocarbon, comprising the step of contacting an unsaturated hydrocarbon with hydrogen gas in the presence of the silica-supported noble metal hydrogenation catalyst obtainable by the method of claim 1 .

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon is a phthalate.

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Chem Patents Inc

Inventors

• Bai Chuansheng
• Beeckman Jean W
• Thomburg Adrienne J
• Fassbender Natalie A
• Datz Theodore E

Classifications

• B01J35/40

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

• B01J35/023

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01J35/008

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• C07C67/303

  by hydrogenation of unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds · CPC title

• B01J37/0213

  Preparation of the impregnating solution · CPC title