Cu-Al Catalyst Tableting Pore Volume and Mechanical Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing catalysts for hydrogenation reactions, particularly in tableted forms, face challenges with reduced pore volume and active site accessibility due to compression, leading to decreased conversion rates and potential contamination from pore formers, which can affect catalyst activity and stability.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the combination of aqueous solutions of copper, aluminum, and transition metal compounds with a carbonate-containing solution to form a precipitate, followed by tableting and optional calcination, creates a Cu—Al catalyst with increased pore volume and enhanced activity without the need for pore formers, ensuring higher mechanical stability and catalytic performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If tableted catalysts are compressed to improve mechanical stability, then strength is improved, but pore volume is reduced and active site accessibility is decreased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates pore formers into the catalyst precursor mixture before tableting and calcination. This preliminary action ensures that the pore structure is established during manufacturing, allowing the final catalyst to maintain both mechanical strength and high pore volume without requiring post-processing modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent deliberately creates a porous catalyst structure by using pore formers (such as starch, cellulose, or synthetic polymers) that are removed during calcination. This results in a catalyst with controlled porosity that maintains both mechanical integrity and high surface area for catalytic activity.
2Volume of stationary object
If pore formers are added to increase pore volume, then pore volume is improved, but contamination from pore formers affects catalyst activity and stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses readily degradable organic pore formers such as starch, cellulose, or sugar-based materials that completely decompose during the calcination process. These temporary structures serve their purpose of creating porosity and then disappear, leaving no harmful residues in the final catalyst.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent carefully controls the calcination temperature and atmosphere parameters to ensure complete decomposition of organic pore formers. By optimizing these parameters, the pore formers are fully removed without affecting the catalyst's active phases or causing sintering.
3Strength
If compression is applied during tableting to improve mechanical stability, then strength is improved, but active site accessibility is reduced leading to decreased conversion rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a highly porous catalyst structure with controlled pore size distribution that facilitates reactant diffusion to active sites while maintaining mechanical strength. The porous network allows efficient mass transport without requiring high compression forces during tableting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent develops composite catalyst formulations combining metal oxides, supports, and pore formers in specific ratios. This composite structure provides both mechanical integrity and optimized porosity, allowing the catalyst to maintain strength while maximizing active site accessibility and conversion rates.
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 Cu—Al catalyst exhibits improved conversion rates and selectivity in hydrogenation reactions, such as the hydrogenation of aldehydes and esters, with increased pore volume and stability, reducing the risk of contamination and sintering effects, thus enhancing the economic viability of the process.
Implementation Method 1
combining of (i) at least one aqueous solution of copper compounds, aluminum compounds and optionally transition metal compounds and (ii) at least one aqueous carbonate-containing solution to form a precipitate
Implementation Method 2
The shaped bodies are calcined at temperatures of up to 850° C., which leads to controlled decomposition of the polymer and formation of a fixed-bed catalyst
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a process for preparing a shaped Cu—Al catalyst body for the hydrogenation of organic compounds containing a carbonyl function. More particularly, the shaped catalyst body is suitable for the hydrogenation of aldehydes, ketones and of carboxylic acids or esters thereof, specifically of fatty acids or esters thereof, such as fatty acid methyl esters, to the corresponding alcohols such as butanediol. The present invention further relates to Cu—Al catalysts obtainable by the preparation process.