Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Keith Allen Welp

Anthony Rocco Cartolano

Reinaldo Mario Machado

David Joseph Parrillo

Richard Peter Boehme

Sylvia Caram

Frederick Carl Wilhelm

William Joseph Mazzafro

The invention pertains to an improved apparatus comprised of a monolith catalytic reactor having an inlet and an outlet and a static mixer having an inlet and an outlet thereto with the outlet of said static mixer in communication with the inlet of said monolith catalytic reactor. The invention also pertains to an improvement in a process for effecting a reaction in the monolith catalytic reactor wherein a reactant gas and reactant liquid are introduced to the inlet to the monolith catalytic reactor, reacted and, then, the reaction product passed through the outlet of the monolith catalytic reactor.

Monolith catalytic reactor coupled to static mixer

The invention is a process to regenerate monolith catalytic reactors employed in the liquid phase hydrogenation reactions, particularly those kinds of reactions involving nitroaromatic compounds. The catalytic metals in the monolith catalytic reactor are deactivated by carbonaceous and deactivating byproducts and must be regenerated to extend the catalyst service life and reduce costs. The regeneration process involves two steps: initially passing an oxidizing gaseous mixture through the monolith catalytic reactor at an elevated temperature and for a time sufficient to remove carbonaceous and deactivating byproducts; and then passing a reducing gas though the monolith catalytic reactor previously exposed to the oxidizing gas under conditions for reducing the catalytic metal to its reduced state.

Process for regenerating a monolith hydrogenation catalytic reactor

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Macungie, PA, United States of America

Keith Allen Welp