Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company

Johan Björn Mattias Holmberg

Andreas Erik Johan Magnusson

An apparatus for the production of formaldehyde is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a cooled tubular reactor section () having a first inlet, a first outlet and a plurality of tubes each having a first end in fluid communication with the first inlet and a second end in fluid communication with the first outlet. The plurality of tubes contain a first catalyst for the production of formaldehyde by oxidative dehydrogenation. The apparatus is characterised in that the apparatus further comprises a pre-reactor section (). The pre-reactor section () has an inlet. The pre-reactor section () has an outlet in fluid communication with the first inlet of the cooled tubular reactor section (). The pre-reactor section () is configured to contain, in use, an adiabatic catalyst bed. The adiabatic catalyst bed comprises a second catalyst for the production of formaldehyde by catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation.

Apparatus and process for the production of formaldehyde

The process of the invention is a process for the production of an aldehyde from the corresponding alcohol comprising the steps of feeding to a reactor a feed stream comprising said alcohol and an oxygen-containing gas; reacting said alcohol in the gas phase with said oxygen-containing gas in said reactor in the presence of a catalyst comprising oxides of iron and molybdenum, wherein the process further comprises the step of adding water to said feed stream. The process is particularly useful for the production of formaldehyde by the oxidation of methanol.

Growing community of inventors

Perstorp, Sweden

Johan Björn Mattias Holmberg