Three-Phase Catalytic Hydrogenation of a Functionalized Alkyne: Mass Transfer and Kinetic Studies with in Situ Hydrogen Monitoring

Systematic studies of mass transfer interactions with intrinsic reaction kinetics were performed for the threephase selective hydrogenation of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol (MBY) to 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBE) over a modified Pd/CaC ${O}_{3}$ catalyst under solvent free conditions. Hydrogen concentration in the liquid phase ( ${C}_{H2,b}$ ) was monitored in situ during the catalytic reaction by means of the Fugatron” analyzer. Reactions were carried out in an autoclave at different stirring rates at two concentrations of hydrogen (5 and 13 mol · ${m}^{-3}$ For stirring speeds higher than 1500 rpm no influence of gas-liquid mass transfer was observed. Hydrogen liquid-solid (L-S) mass transfer was found to be negligible, whereas the MBY mass L-S transfer becomes important at high MBY conversions at high hydrogen concentration. Low stirrer speed caused the reaction rate and MBE selectivity to decrease. No internal mass transfer limitations were observed, and conditions for the kinetic regime were found. The kinetics modeled ollowed the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism and was consistent with the experimental data.

Compact reactor for continuous multi-phase reactions

Martin Grasemann

The objective of this thesis is the development of a compact reactor for continuous three-phase reactions in single-pass configurations. The design is based on a bubble column reactor staged with layers of catalytic material. To make the reactor suitable for reactions with high adiabatic temperature rise such as highly exothermic hydrogenation reactions under solvent free conditions, work focuses on two different aspects of integrated reactor and catalyst design: Preparation and characterization of structured catalyst stages optimized for high intrinsic activity as well as for intense gas-liquid redistribution and mass transfer on each reactor stage Development of heat transfer equipment integrated in the staged bubble column for efficient, quasi continuous in-line removal of process heat. Chapter 3 is dedicated to the preparation and characterization of a structured catalyst for the use in a staged bubble column reactor. Sintered Metal Filters (SMF), a material consisting of metal fibers with a diameter of ~ 20 µm forming thin and highly porous sheets is chosen as support material. The fibers are coated with a 5wt% layer of ZnO grains, leaving the open structure of the SMF material intact. Monodispersed Pd nanoparticles as active phase are deposited on the ZnO surface layer with a total metal loading of 0.2wt%. The resulting Pd/ZnO/SMF catalyst shows high activity in the model hydrogenation reaction of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol (MBY) to 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol (MBE). Semi-batch autoclave hydrogenations show rates of up to 30 mol/molPds with target product (MBE) yields of up to 96.5%. Activity and selectivity of the Pd/ZnO/SMF catalyst are strongly influenced by Strong Metal Support Interaction (SMSI) between the ZnO support and the deposited Pd nanoparticles. XPS and XRD analysis show the formation of a PdZn alloy already under ambient conditions, decreasing the catalyst activity but, on the other hand, preventing strong catalyst deactivation. The formation of this alloy phase was observed under ambient conditions as well as low temperature reaction conditions, but can also be achieved by high temperature treatment of the catalyst in hydrogen atmosphere. The intrinsic kinetics of the MBY hydrogenation was studied in semi-batch experiments. First order towards hydrogen was found and a Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model was developed, describing the experimental data reasonably well. Chapter 4 describes a compact heat exchange (HEX) element integrated in the SBCR. The cross flow heat exchanger design is based on vertical micro-slits of 0.3mm width, a breadth between 12mm and 40mm and 6mm length as reaction side channel geometry, ensuring a minimum of added reaction volume and small heat transfer distances. The single and two-phase heat transfer performance of the HEX element is studied considering the influence of gas and liquid superficial velocities as well as liquid properties. With one SMF layer placed at the HEX element entrance redispersing gas and liquid phase, heat transfer performance was observed to increase linearly with gas and liquid throughput. The maximum heat transfer performance per reaction volume was determined as ~ 0.5 MW/m3K, obtained for moderate gas and liquid superficial velocities. The hydrodynamics of a bubble column staged only with ZnO/SMF sheets show an narrow residence time distribution (RTD) and negligible backmixing through the catalyst layers. The RTD can be described accurately by a "tanks-in-series" model. The gas-liquid pressure drop through the SMF material is mainly governed by capillary effects and the gas velocity. A semi-empirical model is developed, combining both friction and surface tension effects and predicting the pressure drop through the SMF material with an accuracy of ±10%. In Chapter 5, the novel SBCR based on Pd/ZnO/SMF catalytic stages and the integrated micro-HEX elements are tested in the hydrogenation model reaction of MBY to MBE. The reaction in a loop setup comprising 5 HEX/catalyst stages is shown to be strongly influenced by external mass transfer, resulting in an observed catalyst effectiveness below 65%. Intense gas-liquid mass transfer in the SMF structure leads to high volumetric mass transfer coefficient in the staged bubble column of 1s-1 - 4s-1 and an observed reactor productivity of up to ~ 12000 kg/m3h. This signifies an increase of around two orders of magnitude compared to standard industrial semi-batch equipment. High catalyst densities in the reactor lead to high reactor productivity, but have a detrimental effect on product selectivity. The drop in product yield amounts up to 6% for high catalyst density, but can be decreased to only 0.5% if a 5mm distance ring is inserted between HEX stages to decrease the catalyst loading in the reactor.

EPFL2009

Hydrogénation sélective du 2-butyne-1,4-diol avec des catalyseurs de palladium supportés sur des matériaux filamenteux structurés

Eric Joannet

The principal objective of this thesis is the development of a palladium catalyst supported on woven fabrics of activated carbon fibers (ACF) for the reactions of hydrogenations in liquid phase and the design of multiphase reactors using the characteristics of these structures. This work was focused on Preparation, characterization and optimization of catalysts supported on the woven fabrics of activated carbon fibers; The intrinsic kinetics of the selective hydrogenation of 2-butylene-1,4-diol to 2-butyne-1,4-diol as model reaction; The comparison of the activity of our structured catalyst with that of commercial catalysts; Increase the catalyst concentration in the multiphase reactors with the design of a loop reactor containing a bubble column staged with the fiber fabrics supporting the catalyst, its characterization and the startup of this loop reactor which can operate in continuous or in batch mode. Chapter 4 presents the methods of manufacture of our palladium catalysts supported on woven structures of activated carbon fibers, their reproducibility and their homogeneous deposition. The characteristics of the support such as its handiness, its resistance to mechanical forces, the opening of its surface to liquid flow, its great specific surface area and its homogeneous distribution of micropores are defined there. The deposition of nanoparticules of active phase (0.5-5%mass) is characterized by metal surface obtained (280-87 m2/g), the dispersion of this surface (62.8-19.6%) and the average diameter of the nanoparticles (1.78-5.72 nm). The total degree of initial reduction (before reaction) was confirmed. Chapter 5 is devoted to the study of the reaction of selective hydrogenation of the 2-butyne-1,4-diol (B3) to 2-butylene-1,4-diol (B2) with a commercial palladium catalyst supported on activated carbon powder. A zero value even slightly negative was found for B3 partial order and equal to one for hydrogen. The activity obtained for this catalyst is large (37.1 mol(H2)/h gPd) but its initial selectivity is particularly low (SB3,0 = 76.8 %). Effect of support was tested and highlighted. Two supports (CaCO3 and Al2O3) gave reaction rates approximately half the size of those of the carbon support, but an initial selectivity close to 99 %. In chapter 6, selective hydrogenation in an autoclave with an agitator containing structured catalyst is tested. This reactor is first of all evaluated like a reactor working in kinetic mode for the selected reaction. Kinetics was studied and showed that the fibrous support does not change the orders of reaction compared to the commercial catalyst. Energy of activation of 30 kJ/mol was found in the studied configuration. A variation of the catalytic amount on woven structure was studied and gave a reaction rate of 19.4 (mol(H2)/h gPd) for an initial selectivity of 98 % for the best catalyst (Pd(2%)/ACF). The reuse of this catalyst with an in situ reactivation in hydrazine allowed a stabilization of the activity at 50% of the initial activity after four experiments. A constant Turn Over Frequency (TOF) for catalysts with high deposits (2-5%) was given. An increase in the TOF for the low deposits (0.5% and 1%) was found. This increase in the TOF agrees with a fall of the initial selectivity. The effect of several variables of the reaction such as pressure, temperature and pH of the solution were examined. Within the framework of the variation of pH an initial selectivity of 100% and selectivity during reaction remaining higher than 95% until a conversion of 90 % were obtained. This profit of selectivity was achieved only with the detriment to the reaction rate which decreased by a factor 2.5. Finally, experiments with even less harm to the environment were made without solvent thus allowing the avoidance of purification. The rate of hydrogenation in this configuration is very high (79.2 mol(H2)/(h gPd)). But in this configuration, this increase in activity is not done at the expense of the initial selectivity (98 %). In chapter 7, the increase in the catalyst concentration in the reactor was required for higher productivity. For that purpose, a new concept of reactor was studied. This new reactor is a loop reactor containing a bubble column staged with woven catalytical structure. The pressure drop, the emulsion crossing the bubble column and the RTD were characterized. The reactor, functioning in batch or continuous mode, was studied. The productivity in batch was improved by an order of magnitude due to the increase in the catalytic concentration. A unit worked during 50 hours continuously without deactivation of catalyst providing 160 g of B2 per hour (> 1 tons/year). The reaction led to a conversion of 85% with a selectivity of 96 %.

EPFL2005

Nanofibres de carbone sur filtre métallique comme support catalytique structuré

Pascal Tribolet

The main objectives of this work are 2-fold : The development of a novel type of composite material based on carbon nanofibers supported on sintered metal fibers filters (CNF/SMF) and to explore the use of this material as a catalytic support for a model reaction: selective hydrogenation of acetylene. The advantages of this novel support are: Due to carbon nanofibers, it combines a graphitic structure with a high specific surface area without microporosity. Supported carbon nanofibers can be used in a fixed bed reactor without very high pressure drop. Combination of two materials with high thermal conductivity gives a composite which keeps this property. It is suitable for highly exo/endothermic reactions, diminishing temperature gradients in the catalytic bed. The synthesis of carbon nanofibers on SMF filters was carried out by ethane catalytic decomposition at 655°C directly on metallic filters. An oxidation of SMF followed by a reduction in H2 create surface roughness, leading to a larger area for CNF nucleation. The CNF formation mechanism includes several steps: it starts with carbon deposition on metallic surface followed by its diffusion into the metal leading to carbides formation. When the limit of carbon solubility is attained, a layer of carbon is formed on the surface of metallic fibers. High tension within the bulk metal leads to carbide dissociation and by phase separation to graphite formation, which pushes the metallic particles through the carbon layer. Nickel, stainless steel an Inconel (an alloy of mainly nickel, iron and chromium) filters were used. The latter gave the highest uniformity of the carbon nanofibers layer showing an excellent mechanical stability. In order to control carbon deposition on the filters, a formal kinetic analysis of the decomposition reaction was undertaken. Partial orders of 1 for ethane, -2 for hydrogen and an apparent activation energy of 235 kJ/mol were obtained. The observed kinetics suggests strongly that the C – C bond scission is the rate determining step and not carbon diffusion into the metal which is often reported in the literature. The synthesis procedures like time on stream and reaction temperature were optimized: 1 hour of a mixture C2H6:H2:Ar (3:17:80) decomposition over SMFInconel at 655°C lead to ∼6% of carbon, leading to a CNF layer of 1 µm thickness covering the metallic fibers entirely. This material presents a high specific surface area (22.2 m2/g) and a low pressure drop for the gas flowing through. The carbon nanofibers have a diameter between 20 and 50 nm and a crystalline structure with platelets morphology where the graphene layers are stacked one above the other. Their surface is composed almost exclusively of carbon and hydrogen. Amongst the multiple possible applications of this novel composite material, its use as a catalyst support was assessed. Selective hydrogenation of acetylene was carried out over palladium supported on CNF/SMF and compared with commercial supports (ACF, EGF and AGF). The activated carbon fibers cloth (ACF) led to a Pd activity at least twice as E-type glass fibers tissue (EGF) or EGF covered by an alumina layer (AGF). Reaction kinetics was studied for Pd/ACF, leading to acetylene and hydrogen partial orders of -0.5 and 2.4, respectively and apparent activation energy of 50 kJ/mol. The negative partial order for C2H2 suggests high adsorption strength of this compound compared to other reagents on palladium. This particularity allows Pd to be selective. Hydrogenations are known to be structure sensitive. Therefore the catalyst activity for the model reaction depends on Pd particle size. It increases for large particle sizes. The control of this parameter was a priority. Variations of the palladium precursor, of the support and catalyst treatment were carried out. Micro-wave plasma was used since it is fast and has low energy consumption allowing chemically modifying the carbon support surface and activating catalyst after impregnation. This controls not only palladium sintering, but also decomposes tetraaminopalladate more efficiently, resulting in a catalyst activity of one order of magnitude higher. In order to control the palladium deposition on CNF/SMFInconel composite, it is important to have surface functional groups. The activation of carbon nanofibers was carried out with a 4 hours treatment in a boiling aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide. This led to an amount on surface oxygen containing groups, per mass of carbon, higher than in ACF. Palladium particle size on the composite was controlled by support activation, the use of several metal precursors or different loadings or by a thermal treatment in argon at 500°C. Optimisation of the procedure allowed to obtain in a controlled way an average palladium particle sizes between 3.6 and 25 nm. The activity and selectivity towards ethylene of Pd/CNF/SMFInconel were observed to be higher compared to palladium supported on activated carbon, alumina or barite. Graphitic nature of carbon nanofibers, leading to strong metal-support interaction, was accounted as responsible for these improvements. The high thermal conductivity of the composite CNF/SMF ensured good heat transfer released due to the exothermicity of the reaction and allowed to work close to isothermal conditions in the catalytic bed. Finally it can be concluded, that for the first time carbon nanofibers synthesis was carried out in one step on sintered metal fibers filters, resulting in a novel structured composite material combining different specific properties and having promising potential applications.

EPFL2006