Copper-Zinc Catalyst for Acetophenone Hydrogenation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Copper-based catalysts for acetophenone hydrogenation to produce α-phenylethanol suffer from low dispersity of active components, strong acidity, weak interaction between the carrier and active components, leading to low conversion rates, high by-product formation, poor selectivity, and poor mechanical strength, especially in liquid phase hydrogenation reactions.
Innovation Solution
A preparation method involving the use of deionized water, small molecule alcohols, Gemini surfactants, organic pore-forming agents, and a composite silicon source to create a catalyst with improved dispersity, mass transfer performance, and mechanical strength, involving steps like mixing, filtering, drying, calcining, and molding, with controlled pH and aging to enhance the catalyst's activity and selectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional copper-based catalysts are used for acetophenone hydrogenation, then cost is reduced and activity is improved, but dispersity of active components deteriorates and mechanical strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a binder as an intermediary substance between the copper-based active component and the carrier. The binder improves the dispersity of copper particles on the carrier surface while also enhancing the mechanical strength of the catalyst pellet. This mediator resolves the contradiction by providing a matrix that holds active components uniformly distributed while maintaining structural integrity during handling and reaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite catalyst structure consisting of copper-based active component, carrier, and binder material. This composite approach allows optimization of each component's function: the carrier provides surface area, the copper provides catalytic activity, and the binder provides structural strength and uniform distribution. The composite structure resolves the contradiction between activity and stability by integrating multiple functional materials.
2Productivity
If conventional copper-based catalysts are used for acetophenone hydrogenation, then cost is reduced and activity is improved, but mechanical strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The binder acts as a mechanical intermediary that binds the fragile copper particles and carrier together, providing the necessary mechanical strength to the catalyst pellet. This allows the catalyst to withstand handling, loading, and reaction conditions without crumbling, while still maintaining high copper dispersion for catalytic activity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a porous carrier structure that provides high surface area for copper dispersion while maintaining mechanical integrity. The porous structure allows hydrogen and acetophenone to access active sites efficiently while the binder reinforces the walls of the pores to prevent collapse under reaction conditions, thus maintaining both activity and mechanical strength.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional catalysts are used, then simplicity of preparation is maintained, but mass transfer performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a porous carrier with optimized pore size distribution that facilitates rapid mass transfer of reactants to active sites and products to the bulk liquid phase. The porous structure increases the effective surface area while maintaining simple impregnation-based preparation methodology. The binder fills voids and strengthens the porous structure without blocking pores, thus maintaining both mass transfer performance and preparation simplicity.
4Productivity
If conventional catalysts are used, then acidity is high which may promote certain reactions, but selectivity to α-phenylethanol deteriorates due to increased by-products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the acidity parameter of the catalyst by selecting a carrier and binder combination with appropriate acid-base properties. The binder neutralizes excessive acidity that would promote unwanted side reactions like hydrogenolysis to ethylbenzene or dehydration to styrene. By controlling the acidity parameter through material selection, the catalyst maintains high activity for ketone hydrogenation while suppressing side reactions, thus improving selectivity to α-phenylethanol.
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 resulting catalyst exhibits high activity, selectivity, and mechanical strength, effectively suppressing side reactions like hydrogenolysis and dehydration, maintaining stability and preventing powdering during liquid phase hydrogenation, thus ensuring efficient production of α-phenylethanol with reduced by-products.
Implementation Method 1
Catalyst for preparing α-phenylethanol by hydrogenation of acetophenone
Implementation Method 2
acetophenone hydrogenation
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is catalyst preparation method for liquid phase hydrogenation of acetophenone in preparation of α-phenylethanol. The method includes adding water, small alcohol, Gemini surfactant and organic pore-forming agent to reactor. Then adding silica sol and stirring to prepare aqueous dispersion of silica sol; preparing alkaline precipitant and mixed solution containing salts of copper containing compound, zinc containing compound, rare-earth metal containing compound and alkaline-earth metal containing compound, adding alkaline precipitant and mixed solution together to aqueous dispersion, followed by precipitation, ageing, filtration, washing, drying, calcination and molding to obtain catalyst. By using silica sol and silicate as composite silicon source, adding organic pore-forming agent before precipitation process, modifying catalyst by Zn, rare-earth metal and alkaline earth metal, when using liquid phase hydrogenation of acetophenone to prepare α-phenylethanol, catalyst has high activity and good selectivity, and effectively improves the catalyst's liquid resistance, has high strength and good stability.