GB660737A - Catalyst removal in the carbonylation reaction - Google Patents

Abstract

Catalyst compounds are separated from reaction products obtained from the carboxylation stage of an oxo synthesis reaction in which carbon monoxide, hydrogen and olefinic hydrocarbons are reacted in the presence of a carboxylation catalyst, by injecting steam to decompose the catalyst compounds and to yield, on condensation, a dispersion of the catalyst metal in water which is separated from the reaction products and the catalyst metal is recovered. Catalyst-free material may be hydrogenated to alcohols or oxidized to acids. Many olefinic hydrocarbons are listed, representative being butylene, pentadiene, styrene, olefine polymers and fractions from hydrocarbon synthesis and cracking operations. Catalysts are of the salt type, e.g. cobalt oleate or naphthenate and iron linoleate. Conventional temperatures, pressures, feed rates and volumes of reactants are used in the synthesis. The steam may be injected at 0-200 p.s.i.g., preferably about 90-125 p.s.i.g., and superheated to 212-400 DEG F. The catalyst metal is normally filtered from the aqueous dispersion and may be reused as catalyst in the synthesis after conversion to a suitable salt. The recovered water may be used for steam production. In an illustration steam at 340 DEG F. and 125 lbs. pressure is injected into a two-litre bomb containing carboxylation products from a C7 olefine, after draining water from the bomb over a period of half-an-hour a centrifuged sample of the cooled product contained 0.004 per cent cobalt as against 0.113 per cent before treatment. Specification 647,363 is referred to.