46
Structured
Catalyst for Exothermic Reactions--Exelus,
Inc.,
Mr.
Mitrajit Mukherjee, Principal Investigator, mm_exelus@hotmail.com
Mr.
Mitrajit Mukherjee, Business Official, mm_exelus@hotmail.com
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG02-02ER83423
Amount:
$100,000
Selective
oxidations of hydrocarbons are particularly challenging due to exothermicity,
flammability hazards, complex chemistry, and contacting issues. Environmental
and economic factors are increasing the need for higher oxygenate selectivity
and improved reactor productivity, as well as a lower cost of manufacture.
However,
conventional random packed bed catalyst structures are ill-suited for such
reactions. This project will develop
and commercialize a new generation of structured catalysts for the highly
exothermic oxidation reactions. The
approach is based on the development of a multifunctional catalyst that improves
inter-phase heat and mass-transport while significantly reducing pore and film
diffusional constraints within the catalyst structure, leading to better
temperature control of the reaction. Phase
I will demonstrate the feasibility of the structured catalyst for an
industrially important reaction – the epoxidation of ethylene to ethylene
oxide. Structured oxidation
catalysts will be synthesized, characterized, and tested for ethylene
epoxidation. The performance of this
new class of catalysts will be compared to the performance of conventional
oxidation catalysts.
Commercial
Applications and Other Benefits
as described by the awardee: The
structured oxidation catalyst should be suitable as a drop-in system for
Ethylene Oxide (EO) manufacture. The high heat and mass-transfer rates, coupled
with low pore and film diffusion barriers is expected to increase product
selectivity significantly leading to considerable savings in raw material costs.
The structured catalyst can also be used as a drop-in replacement for other
industrially important selective oxidation reactions such as the synthesis of
phthalic anhydride, maleic anhydride and formaldehyde.