Degussa Aktiengesellschaft

Martin Bankmann

Thomas Tacke

Reinhold Brand

Peter Panster

Stefan Wieland

Andreas Freund

Johannes Ohmer

Hendrik Magerlein

A process is disclosed for continuously hydrogenating unsaturated fats, fatty acids or fatty acid esters on a shaped catalyst in a solid bed. The reactants flow over the catalyst in the presence of a medium or solvent mixture in supercritical conditions. This leads to considerably improved activity and selectivity of the hydrogenation reaction compared with conventional trickle bed hydrogenation processes.

Hardening of unsaturated fats, fatty acids or fatty acid esters

A formed copper catalyst for the hydrogenation of organic compounds is disclosed, especially for the selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol. The catalyst contains an intimate mixture of a pyrogenic silica, reduced copper and, optionally, a basic oxide as promotor. The catalyst is distinguished by a high specific catalytic activity, selectivities and yields.

Formed copper catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of furfural to

A process is disclosed for the selective catalytic hydrogenation of carbonyl groups in aromatic aldehydes of the formula: ##STR1## in which X is carboxyl, methyl or a halogen, to give the corresponding alcohols and methyl compounds. The catalytic hydrogenation is performed with the addition of a solvent optionally in the presence of organic acids on a shaped support catalyst containing a platinum group metal on a support made from titanium oxide in the presence of hydrogen at hydrogen partial pressures of 5 to 50 bar and temperatures of 100.degree. to 300.degree. C.

Selective catalytic hydrogenation of aromatic aldehydes

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Gelnhausen, Germany

Martin Bankmann