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Zeolite pioneer wins perkin medal
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scheme, methane reacts with a reduced transition-metal catalyst like cobalt at about 450°C to form a reactive carbidic ‘coke’ and hydrogen. This coke is then reacted with hydrogen in a separate step at 100°C or lower, to form Cs+ hydrocarbons. The products obtained have a typical Schulz-Flory distribution, just as in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. This coke can also react wlth an alkene, which can then add on one carbon atom. Thus, with ethylene one gets propanelpropene, with propene one gets butenes and so on. The work of van Santen and colleagues has been published in J. Chem. Sot. Chem. Commun., (1991) 281; (1992) 345; and Catal. Lett. (in press). A. Ph.D. thesis on this subject by T. Koerts will be presented and defended at the Technological University of Eindhoven on June 19, 1992.
emission catalysts in Europe and oil refining catalysts in the Pacific Rim. Polymer synthesis makes up 49% of US demand (by value) for catalysts for chemical synthesis in 1991, followed by oxidation (18%) organic synthesis (15%) production of synthesis gas (10%) hydrogenation (6%) and dehydrogenation (2%). The total US market for catalysts for chemical processing in 1991 was worth $625 million. Automotive catalysts are expected to grow with the introduction of EC legislation in 1993, making catalytic converters compulsory on all new cars from 1st January 1993. The autocatalyst market is dominated by five companies: Johnson Matthey (30%) Allied-Signal (20-25%) Engelhard (20-25%) Degussa (< 10%) and Davison Chemical. Annual world production is expected to reach 49 million units by 1993.
P.G. MENON P.E. CHILDS Survey of the Catalyst Industry Zeolite Pioneer Wins Perkin Medal
Chemical and Engineering News (9th March 1992) has a useful 1Spage survey of catalysts and the way users and suppliers are having to respond to changing environmental standards. In the US, the three main markets for catalysts are petroleum refining (35%) chemical processing (31%) and the environmental applications (34%). At $2.1 billion per year in 1990, the US market is the largest market for catalysts. The worldwide market for catalysts in 1990 was worth almost $6 billion and it is expected to rise to $7.9 billion by 1995, with the European market showing the largest growth rate of 10% per year (from $1.6 billion in 1990 to $2.6 billion in 1995). The biggest growth is expected in the area of applied catalysis A: General
Edith M. Flanigen has been awarded the 1992 Perkin Medal, for outstanding achievements in applied chemistry, by the American Section of the Society for Chemical Industry. She is the first woman ever to receive this award in its 86 year history. Dr. Flanigen is senior research fellow at UOP’s Technical Centre in Tarrytown, NY, USA. UOP is a joint venture between Union Carbide and Allied-Signal and was formed in 1988. From 1952 to 1988, Dr. Flanigen worked for the Linde Division of Union Carbide which was responsible for the development of molecular sieves and synthetic zeolites. The medal recognises Dr. Volume 85 No. 2 -
30 June 1992
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Flanigen’s syntheses of aluminophosphate and silicoaluminophosphates as a new class of materials of great industrial importance. In her career, she has made over 206 aluminophosphates and silicoaluminophosphates. She has also succeeded in incorporating 13 different transition metals (up to 6 at a time) into these structures, giving an almost infinite variety of composition, structure and potential catalytic activity. The new materials are microporous, crystalline inorganic materials which are less acidic than synthetic zeolites and this may make them better catalysts. UOP says that several of these new materials will soon be marketed commercially. Dr. Flanigen also developed new methods to make synthetic emeralds for lasers and gemstones, as well as an acid extraction process to increase the pore size of mordenite, which improved its catalytic activity for converting linear to branched hydrocarbons. (Source: Chem. Eng. News, 9 March 1992) P.E. CHILDS
New Transport Bed Technology for THF
Du Pont is building a new plant to produce tetrahydrofuran (THF) in Asturias, Spain, which is due to be completed in 1995. It will be the first commercial use of a transport-bed reactor in a catalytic chemical process. The unit will produce 45,000 tonnes per year of THF, based on a two-step process starting with butane. The butane is first oxidised to maleic anhydride using a hardened oxidation catalyst (at 300°C and low pressure) and then reduced with hydrogen to THF. applied catalysis A: General
Du Pont themselves developed the transport-bed reactor and hardened catalyst system. In this new process the catalyst is carried upwards on a stream of fastmoving reaction gases, giving intimate and rapid mixing between the catalyst and butane. The process involves fewer reaction steps than the alternative routes to THF, has high catalyst selectivity, gives better yields and allows recycling of unreacted butane; it produces only carbon dioxide and water as waste products. THF is usually made from butan-1,4diol by an acid-catalysed dehydration reaction. Du Pont operates the world’s largest THF plant using this method at La Porte, Texas (82,000 tonne capacity). BASF and GAF-Hills Chemie in Germany also use this method. P.E. CHILDS Johnson-Matthey in Japan Johnson Matthey is to build a technical centre in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, to develop catalysts in collaboration with Japanese companies. The catalysts developed will be for fuel cells, lean-burn engines and methanol-powered cars. P.E. CHILDS New Developments and R&D Subjects for Oxidation Catalysts Notice has been received of a further report, No. 55, on “New Developments and R&D Subjects for Oxidation Catalysis”, compiled and issued by Nippon Chemtec Consultants, Inc. 3 20-9 Toyosaki, Kita-ku, Osaka 531, Japan, fax. (+81-6)3740017. This report deals with various recent develVolume 85 No. 2 -
30 June 1992
scheme, methane reacts with a reduced transition-metal catalyst like cobalt at about 450°C to form a reactive carbidic ‘coke’ and hydrogen. This coke is then reacted with hydrogen in a separate step at 100°C or lower, to form Cs+ hydrocarbons. The products obtained have a typical Schulz-Flory distribution, just as in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. This coke can also react wlth an alkene, which can then add on one carbon atom. Thus, with ethylene one gets propanelpropene, with propene one gets butenes and so on. The work of van Santen and colleagues has been published in J. Chem. Sot. Chem. Commun., (1991) 281; (1992) 345; and Catal. Lett. (in press). A. Ph.D. thesis on this subject by T. Koerts will be presented and defended at the Technological University of Eindhoven on June 19, 1992.
emission catalysts in Europe and oil refining catalysts in the Pacific Rim. Polymer synthesis makes up 49% of US demand (by value) for catalysts for chemical synthesis in 1991, followed by oxidation (18%) organic synthesis (15%) production of synthesis gas (10%) hydrogenation (6%) and dehydrogenation (2%). The total US market for catalysts for chemical processing in 1991 was worth $625 million. Automotive catalysts are expected to grow with the introduction of EC legislation in 1993, making catalytic converters compulsory on all new cars from 1st January 1993. The autocatalyst market is dominated by five companies: Johnson Matthey (30%) Allied-Signal (20-25%) Engelhard (20-25%) Degussa (< 10%) and Davison Chemical. Annual world production is expected to reach 49 million units by 1993.
P.G. MENON P.E. CHILDS Survey of the Catalyst Industry Zeolite Pioneer Wins Perkin Medal
Chemical and Engineering News (9th March 1992) has a useful 1Spage survey of catalysts and the way users and suppliers are having to respond to changing environmental standards. In the US, the three main markets for catalysts are petroleum refining (35%) chemical processing (31%) and the environmental applications (34%). At $2.1 billion per year in 1990, the US market is the largest market for catalysts. The worldwide market for catalysts in 1990 was worth almost $6 billion and it is expected to rise to $7.9 billion by 1995, with the European market showing the largest growth rate of 10% per year (from $1.6 billion in 1990 to $2.6 billion in 1995). The biggest growth is expected in the area of applied catalysis A: General
Edith M. Flanigen has been awarded the 1992 Perkin Medal, for outstanding achievements in applied chemistry, by the American Section of the Society for Chemical Industry. She is the first woman ever to receive this award in its 86 year history. Dr. Flanigen is senior research fellow at UOP’s Technical Centre in Tarrytown, NY, USA. UOP is a joint venture between Union Carbide and Allied-Signal and was formed in 1988. From 1952 to 1988, Dr. Flanigen worked for the Linde Division of Union Carbide which was responsible for the development of molecular sieves and synthetic zeolites. The medal recognises Dr. Volume 85 No. 2 -
30 June 1992
N16
Flanigen’s syntheses of aluminophosphate and silicoaluminophosphates as a new class of materials of great industrial importance. In her career, she has made over 206 aluminophosphates and silicoaluminophosphates. She has also succeeded in incorporating 13 different transition metals (up to 6 at a time) into these structures, giving an almost infinite variety of composition, structure and potential catalytic activity. The new materials are microporous, crystalline inorganic materials which are less acidic than synthetic zeolites and this may make them better catalysts. UOP says that several of these new materials will soon be marketed commercially. Dr. Flanigen also developed new methods to make synthetic emeralds for lasers and gemstones, as well as an acid extraction process to increase the pore size of mordenite, which improved its catalytic activity for converting linear to branched hydrocarbons. (Source: Chem. Eng. News, 9 March 1992) P.E. CHILDS
New Transport Bed Technology for THF
Du Pont is building a new plant to produce tetrahydrofuran (THF) in Asturias, Spain, which is due to be completed in 1995. It will be the first commercial use of a transport-bed reactor in a catalytic chemical process. The unit will produce 45,000 tonnes per year of THF, based on a two-step process starting with butane. The butane is first oxidised to maleic anhydride using a hardened oxidation catalyst (at 300°C and low pressure) and then reduced with hydrogen to THF. applied catalysis A: General
Du Pont themselves developed the transport-bed reactor and hardened catalyst system. In this new process the catalyst is carried upwards on a stream of fastmoving reaction gases, giving intimate and rapid mixing between the catalyst and butane. The process involves fewer reaction steps than the alternative routes to THF, has high catalyst selectivity, gives better yields and allows recycling of unreacted butane; it produces only carbon dioxide and water as waste products. THF is usually made from butan-1,4diol by an acid-catalysed dehydration reaction. Du Pont operates the world’s largest THF plant using this method at La Porte, Texas (82,000 tonne capacity). BASF and GAF-Hills Chemie in Germany also use this method. P.E. CHILDS Johnson-Matthey in Japan Johnson Matthey is to build a technical centre in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, to develop catalysts in collaboration with Japanese companies. The catalysts developed will be for fuel cells, lean-burn engines and methanol-powered cars. P.E. CHILDS New Developments and R&D Subjects for Oxidation Catalysts Notice has been received of a further report, No. 55, on “New Developments and R&D Subjects for Oxidation Catalysis”, compiled and issued by Nippon Chemtec Consultants, Inc. 3 20-9 Toyosaki, Kita-ku, Osaka 531, Japan, fax. (+81-6)3740017. This report deals with various recent develVolume 85 No. 2 -
30 June 1992