Bimodal-Pore Extruded Catalyst for Ortho-Alkylation Diffusion Limits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing catalysts for ortho-alkylation reactions face challenges in achieving high selectivity and conversion rates due to mass diffusion resistance and activity loss during extrusion molding, and they often require additional cocatalysts or costly equipment for shaping.
Innovation Solution
An extrusion-molded catalyst with a bimodal pore structure and specific BET surface area, comprising magnesium oxide, macropores, and mesopores, is developed to minimize mass diffusion resistance and maintain uniform catalytic activity without additional additives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional extrusion molding is used to shape the catalyst, then equipment cost and manufacturing complexity are reduced, but mass diffusion resistance increases and catalytic activity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous materials by incorporating a pore-forming agent during extrusion molding to create a catalyst with controlled porosity. The pore-forming agent creates void spaces within the catalyst structure that facilitate mass diffusion while maintaining the mechanical integrity needed for extrusion molding. This resolves the contradiction by allowing conventional low-cost extrusion equipment to produce catalysts with improved mass diffusion characteristics, thereby maintaining catalytic activity without increasing equipment cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the extrusion molding parameters including temperature, pressure, and composition ratios of catalyst precursor to pore-forming agent. By adjusting these parameters, the catalyst achieves optimal pore structure and density that balance mass diffusion resistance with mechanical strength. This allows conventional extrusion equipment to produce high-performance catalysts without requiring expensive specialized equipment, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing ease and catalytic reliability.
2Device complexity
If conventional extrusion molding is used to shape the catalyst, then equipment simplicity and manufacturing cost are improved, but mass diffusion resistance increases causing activity loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates pore-forming agents into the catalyst formulation that create internal pore structures during the extrusion molding process. These pores provide diffusion pathways for reactants and products, reducing mass diffusion resistance while the extrusion process maintains simple equipment requirements. This resolves the contradiction by enabling conventional simple equipment to produce catalysts with optimized pore structures that maintain high catalytic activity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material system combining catalyst precursor, binder, and pore-forming agent in specific ratios. This composite formulation allows the catalyst to achieve optimal pore structure and mechanical properties through conventional extrusion molding without requiring complex equipment. The composite structure enables mass diffusion while maintaining catalyst integrity, resolving the contradiction between device simplicity and catalytic reliability.
3Reliability
If additional cocatalysts are used to improve ortho-alkylation selectivity, then reaction selectivity is improved, but catalyst complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the taking out principle by removing the need for additional cocatalysts through optimized extrusion molding parameters and pore structure design. The patent demonstrates that proper control of extrusion conditions and pore formation can achieve high ortho-alkylation selectivity using a single catalyst system, eliminating the complexity and cost associated with multiple cocatalysts while maintaining or improving reaction selectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies self-service by designing a catalyst formulation and extrusion process that achieves high ortho-alkylation selectivity through its own structure and properties without requiring external cocatalysts. The pore structure and catalyst composition are optimized to inherently provide the necessary selectivity, allowing the catalyst to serve its own function without additional additives, thereby reducing catalyst composition complexity while maintaining high reaction selectivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The catalyst achieves high selectivity and conversion rates in ortho-alkylation reactions, maintaining activity both inside and outside the molded catalyst, and does not require separate cocatalysts or expensive shaping equipment.
Implementation Method 1
macropore having a diameter of 50 nm to 10,000 nm and mesopores having a diameter of 2 nm to 50 nm, thereby minimizing the mass diffusion resistance of the catalyst
Data Source
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Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a technology for an extrusion-molded catalyst for ortho-alkylation reaction and its preparation method, and more specifically, to an extrusion-molded catalyst for ortho-alkylation reaction that can minimize the mass diffusion resistance of the catalyst in the ortho-alkylation reaction of a phenolic compound to obtain an ortho-alkylation reaction product with high selectivity and conversion rate, and a method for preparing the ortho-alkylation reaction product using the same.