Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Bernard A Toseland

Richard Van Carr

Pushpinder S Puri

Gamini Ananda Vedage

Guido Peter Pez

Xiang-Dong Peng

William Edward Starner

Reinaldo Mario Machado

William W Henderson

Michel Deeba

Philip Bruce Henderson

Gene Everad Parris

Richard Paul Underwood

David Ross Graham

Andrew Wilson Wang

David S Ross

Richard Van Court Carr

Jeffrey Richard Brzozowski

Daniel Joseph Tempel

John Edward Sawicki

James Joseph Hart

John B Appleby

Paula Jean Battavio

Albert J Siuta

Janet F Hugo

Thomas A Dahl

The present invention is an improved process for the storage and delivery of hydrogen by the reversible hydrogenation/dehydrogenation of an organic compound wherein the organic compound is initially in its hydrogenated state. The improvement in the route to generating hydrogen is in the dehydrogenation step and recovery of the dehydrogenated organic compound resides in the following steps:

Dehydrogenation of liquid fuel in microchannel catalytic reactor

The present invention is directed to improvements in storage and delivery systems that allow for rapid fill and delivery of gases reversibly stored in a nonvolatile liquid medium, improvements in delivery and purity of the delivered gas. The low pressure storage and delivery system for gas which comprises: a container having an interior portion containing a reactive Lewis basic or Lewis acidic reactive liquid medium that is reversibly reacted with a gas having opposing Lewis acidity or basicity;

Storage and delivery systems for gases held in liquid medium

A process is set forth for converting synthesis gas into dimethyl ether (DME) in a single step comprising contacting the synthesis gas with a bifunctional catalyst system having a methanol synthesis functionality and a methanol dehydration functionality. In particular, the present invention is an improvement to said process for increasing the stability of the bifunctional catalyst system, particularly when the process is conducted in the liquid phase. The improvement comprises introducing a methanol containing stream into the DME reactor such that the methanol concentration throughout the DME reactor is maintained at a concentration greater than 1.0%, generally between 4.0% and 8.0%. In one embodiment of the present invention, the methanol containing stream comprises at least a portion of the byproduct methanol from the DME reactor such that said portion of byproduct methanol is introduced into the DME reactor as a recycle stream.

Single step synthesis gas-to-dimethyl ether process with methanol

The present invention pertains to a process for the coproduction of methanol and dimethyl ether (DME) directly from a synthesis gas in a single step (hereafter, the 'single step DME process'). In this process, the synthesis gas comprising hydrogen and carbon oxides is contacted with a dual catalyst system comprising a physical mixture of a methanol synthesis catalyst and a methanol dehydration catalyst. The present invention is an improvement to this process for providing an active and stable catalyst system. The improvement comprises the use of an aluminum phosphate based catalyst as the methanol dehydration catalyst. Due to its moderate acidity, such a catalyst avoids the coke formation and catalyst interaction problems associated with the conventional dual catalyst systems taught for the single step DME process.

Use of aluminum phosphate as the dehydration catalyst in single step

A process is set forth for the synthesis of a C.sub.2 + aliphatic alcohol from hydrogen and carbon oxides in the presence of a copper-based catalyst which has been impregnated with an alkali metal compound. The process differs from the prior art in that the catalyst is impregnated with the alkali metal compound in the same slurry reactor which is used for reacting the hydrogen and carbon oxides. By contrast, in the prior art C.sub.2 + aliphatic alcohol synthesis, impregnation of the copper-based catalyst with the alkali metal compound is accomplished by a separate step in a separate vessel. By eliminating this separate step, the present invention realizes a savings in processing and equipment costs.

Process for the synthesis of a C.sub.2 + Aliphatic alcohol in a slurry

A wiped film evaporation process for reducing the amount of residual organic polyisocyanate, especially toluene diisocyanate, in a polyurethane prepolymer reaction product mixture. An inert sweeping gas is added to the evaporation process, preferably after first passing through a holdup volume of the prepolymer which has passed through the evaporation zone.

Preparation of urethane prepolymers having low levels of residual

This invention relates to an improved process for the catalytic hydrogenation of methylene bridged polyphenylamines using rhodium as th e catalyst to produce the methylene bridged polycyclohexylamine counterparts. The improvement for hydrogenating crude methylene bridged polyphenylamines containing polyphenylamine oligomers and trace amounts of impurities, such as the formamide of the methylene bridged polyphenylamines, comprises contacting the crude polyphenylamine feed with a hydrogenation catalyst, other than rhodium, and one which is not a catalyst poison to rhodium, under conditions sufficient to at least partially hydrogenate the polyphenylamine mixture and then effecting hydrogenation of the methylene bridged polyphenylamine to the polycyclohexylamine counterpart in the presence of a rhodium catalyst. The pretreatment of the crude methylene bridged polyphenylamine feed apparently destroys the formamide derivatives and possibly other trace impurities in the mixture and thereby prevents rapid deactivation of the rhodium catalyst during hydrogenation of the aromatic ring.

Catalytic hydrogenation of crude methylene bridged polyphenylamines to

A wiped film evaporation process for reducing the amount of residual toluene diisocyanate in a polyurethane prepolymer reaction product mixture. An inert sweeping gas is added to the evaporation process, preferably after first passing through a holdup volume of the prepolymer which has passed through the evaporation zone.

This invention relates to an improved hydrogenation process wherein aromatic amines are hydrogenated to their ring hydrogenated counterparts. These aromatic amines are presented by the formulas: ##STR1## wherein R is hydrogen or C.sub.1-6 aliphatic, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are hydrogen or C.sub.1-6 aliphatic, A is C.sub.1-4, NH or ##STR2## n is 0-2, x is 1-3 and y is 1 to 2 except the sum of the y groups in Formula I excluding A may be 1. The improvement resides in the use of a rhodium catalyst carried on titania support.

Hydrogenation of aromatic amines to produce their ring hydrogenated

This invention relates to the preparation of a mixture of nitroaromatic compositions, particularly a mixture of mononitrobenzene and dinitrotoluene. The conitration of a mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons is accomplished by contacting the mixture of hydrocarbons with nitric acid, in the absence of sulfuric acid, at temperatures of from about 40.degree. to 70.degree. C. By the use of nitric acid alone, one avoids the heterogeneous nitration associated with the use of sulfuric acid and thereby one can effectively produce a reaction mixture containing mononitrobenzene and dinitrotoluene.

Conitration of mixed aromatic hydrocarbons

This invention pertains to a process for extracting a nitroaromatic composition from a nitration medium containing nitric acid, water, and nitroaromatic. The process comprises contacting the nitration medium with nitric oxide under conditions such that the nitric oxide will react with the nitric acid to form nitrogen dioxide and water. Gaseous nitrogen dioxide is removed from the reaction medium and accordingly, the dissolved nitroaromatic present in the nitration medium separates to form an organic phase which then can be removed by decantation. Typically, one mole of nitric oxide is added to the nitration medium for every two moles of nitric acid present in said medium. Reaction conditions normally are from about 0.degree. to 90.degree. C.

Process for separating nitroaromatic compounds from spent nitric acid

This invention relates to a process for removing nitrocresols and picric acid contaminants from a wastewater stream generated in the production of nitroaromatics, particularly dinitrotoluene, by the mixed acid technique. The process involves contacting the crude dinitrotoluene generated by the mixed acid technique with an alkaline medium to generate an alkaline wash water containing water soluble nitrocresols and picric acid therein. This wastewater is separated from the organic component and recycled for contact with further quantities of crude dinitrotoluene product from the reactor. When the concentration of the water soluble salts of nitrocresols and picric acid is of sufficient concentration the wash water is treated with aqueous acid in sufficient proportion to convert the water soluble salts to water insoluble organics. After treatment with acid, the organic material is separated from the wastewater and the organics incinerated.

Precipitative removal of nitrocresols from dinitrotoluene waste streams

Dinitrotoluene, which is produced by mixed acid nitration of toluene, is purified in a way which produces a product suitable for conversion to toluene diamine and a less environmentally objectionable by-product stream. The process involves contacting a crude dinitrotoluene stream containing by-product nitrophenolic materials with an alkaline material and monitoring the pH such that dinitroorthocresol by-product is maintained in the organic phase while the trinitroorthocresol by-products are converted to water-soluble materials and removed with an aqueous phase.

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Allentown, PA, United States of America

Bernard A Toseland