Bp Chemicals Limited

The British Petroleum Company, P.l.c.

Michael David Jones

Andrew David Poole

Brian Ellis

Simon James Kitchen

Philip Howard

John Cook

John Laurence Carey

Evert Jan Ditzel

Bruce Leo Williams

Derrick John Watson

Mark Julian Howard

Gillian Mary Lancaster

Adele Shenton

Matthew David Lunn

A process for the production of a product comprising a carboxylic acid having n+1 carbon atoms which process comprises reacting in the liquid phase at elevated temperature and pressure a composition comprising an alcohol having n carbon atoms and/or a reactive derivative thereof, a halogen and/or a halogen compound promoter, water and carbon monoxide in the presence of hydrogen and a heterogeneous catalyst comprising a Group VIII noble metal species on a polymeric resin having a functional group selected from nitrogen-containing heterocycles.

Process for the production of carboxylic acid

A process for the production of acetic acid, which process comprises contacting ethane and/or ethylene with a molecular oxygen-containing gas in a fluid bed reactor in the presence of a microspheroidal fluidised particulate solid oxidation catalyst, wherein at least 90% of said catalyst particles are less than 300 microns.

Process for the production of acetic acid

A catalyst composition for the selective oxidation of ethane and/or ethylene to acetic acid which composition comprises in combination with oxygen the elements: MO .W .Ag .Ir .X .Y (I) wherein X is the elements Nb and V; Y is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of: Cr, Mn, Ta, Ti, B, Al, Ga, In, Pt, Zn, Cd, Bi, Ce, Co, Rh, Cu, Au, Fe, Ru, Os, K, Rb, Cs, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zr, Hf, Ni, P, Pb, Sb, Si, Sn, Tl, U, Re and Pd; a, b, c, d, e and f represent the gram atom ratios of the elements such that 0<a&lE;1, 0&lE;b&lE;1 and a&plus;b&equals;1; 0<(c&plus;d)&lE;0.1; 0<e&lE;2; and 0&lE;f&lE;2. The catalyst composition may be used in the production of acetic acid and in an integrated process for the production of acetic acid and/or vinyl acetate.

Catalyst and process for the oxidation of ethane and/or ethylene

A catalyst composition and its use for the oxidation of ethane to ethylene and/or acetic acid and/or for the oxidation of ethylene to acetic acid which comprises in combination with oxygen the elements molybdenum, vanadium, niobium and gold in the absence of palladium according to the empirical formula: MO,W,Au,V,Nb,Y,(I) wherein Y is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of: Cr, Mn, Ta, Ti, B, Al, Ga, In, Pt, Zn, Cd, Bi, Ce, Co, Rh, Ir, Cu, Ag, Fe, Ru, Os, K, Rb, Cs, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zr, Hf, Ni, P, Pb, Sb, Si, Sn, Tl, U, Re, Te, La and Pd; a, b, c, d, e and f represent the gram atom ratios of the elements such that: 0<a&lE;1; 0&lE;b<1 and a&plus;b&equals;1; 10,<c&lE;0.02; 0<d<2; 0<e&lE;1; and 0&lE;f&lE;2.

Oxidation catalyst and process utilizing the catalyst

A loaded ion-exchange resin, which resin has been loaded in its shrunken form. Also a process for removing iodide compounds from a liquid carboxylic acid and/or carboxylic acid anhydride obtained from the Group VIII noble metal catalysed, alkyl iodide co-catalysed carbonylation of alcohols and/or their reactive derivatives which process comprises contacting the liquid carboxylic acid and/or carboxylic acid anhydride with a metal loaded ion-exchange resin as described above wherein the metal is one or more of the metals silver, palladium or mercury.

Loaded ion exchange resins, their preparation and uses

A process for recovery rhodium from a solution of rhodium and tar produced in the carbonylation of methanol, methyl acetate dimethyl ester and/or reactive derivatives thereof involves extraction with a combination of water, methyl iodide and methyl acetate in which methyl acetate is at least 20% of the methyl iodide plus methyl acetate.

Process for recovering rhodium catalyst

An anhydrous process for the production of acetic acid by the reaction of methanol, and/or dimethyl ether, with a gaseous reactant comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen, the hydrogen being present in an amount less than 9 mole %, in the presence of a catalyst system comprising at least one noble metal of Group VIII of the Periodic Table as catalyst, a halo-compound as co-catalyst and an iodide salt as catalyst stabiliser which process comprises feeding methanol, and/or dimethyl ether, and gaseous reactant to a carbonylation reactor in which there is maintained a liquid reaction composition comprising: (i) methyl acetate in an amount from 1 to 35% w/w, (ii) acetic anhydride in an amount up to 8% w/w, (iii) halo-compound in an amount from 3 to 20% w/w, (iv) Group VIII noble metal catalyst in an amount from 1 to 2000 ppm, (v) sufficient iodide salt to provide from 0.5 to 20% by weight iodine as I.sup.- and (vi) acetic acid comprising the remainder of the composition.

Anhydrous carbonylation process for the production of acetic acid

A process for the production of a carboxylic acid and/or a carboxylic acid anhydride which process comprises contacting a reaction composition comprising an alcohol and/or a carboxylic acid ester, optionally water, a first hydrocarbyl halide and/or a hydrocarbyl ether reactant and a second hydrocarbyl halide promoter, the first and second hydrocarbyl halides being the same or different, with carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst comprising an insoluble imidazole-containing resin supporting a Group VIII metal species.

Carbonylation process

An ion-exchange resin stabilized against shrinkage, the resin being loaded with at least one amphiphilic ion in the absence of sodium cations. Also a process for removing iodide compounds from a liquid carboxylic acid and/or carboxylic acid anhydride obtained from the Group VIII noble metal catalysed, alkyl iodide co-catalysed carbonylation of alcohols and/or their reactive derivatives by contacting the liquid carboxylic acid and/or carboxylic acid anhydride with the ion-exchange resin stabilized against shrinkage as aforesaid, the ion-exchange resin being loaded with one or more of the metals silver, palladium or mercury.

Ion-exchange resins, their preparation and uses

A process for the carbonylation of a C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 alkyl alcohol and/or a reactive derivative thereof by contacting a C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 alkyl alcohol and/or a reactive derivative thereof with carbon monoxide in a liquid reaction composition in a carbonylation reactor in the presence of (a) a rhodium catalyst (b) an alkyl halide, and (c) as promoter, at least one of ruthenium and osmium.

Process for the carbonylation of an alcohol

A process for the production of acetic acid which comprises reacting carbon monoxide with a carbonylatable reactant comprising greater than 10%, typically from 30 to 100%, by weight dimethyl ether introduced to a reactor in which there is maintained at elevated temperature a liquid reaction composition comprising a Group VIII noble metal catalyst, for example rhodium or iridium, methyl iodide promoter, an optional co-promoter and water at a concentration in the liquid reaction composition of from 1.0 to 10% by weight.

Process for the production of acetic acid by the carbonylation of

In a process for removing iodide compounds from a liquid composition comprising carboxylic acids having 2 to 6 carbon atoms or anhydrides thereof, by passing the liquid composition through a silver, mercury, palladium and/or rhodium-exchanged strong acid cation exchange resin, prior to contacting with the metal-exchanged resin the composition is contacted with a cation exchanger in the acid form to remove at least a portion of the metal ion contaminants in the liquid composition which have been found to displace the silver, mercury, palladium and/or rhodium from the metal-exchanged resin.

Process for removing iodide compounds from carboxylic acids and

A process for removing iodide derivatives from liquid acetic acid and/or acetic anhydride comprises contacting the liquid acetic acid and/or acetic anhydride with a strong acid cation exchange resin having from about 4% to about 12% crosslinking, a surface area in the proton exchanged form of less than 10m.sup.2 g.sup.-1 after drying from the water wet state and a surface area of greater than 10m.sup.2 g.sup.-1 after drying from a wet state in which water has been replaced by methanol. The resin has at least one percent of its active sites converted to the silver form preferably from 30 to 70 percent.

Process for purifying acetic acid and/or acetic anhydride

An improved liquid-phase process for preparing carboxylic acids having (n+1) carbon atoms by rhodium catalyzed carbonylation of an alcohol having n carbon atoms is provided. The process is particularily suitable for preparing acetic acid from methanol in commercial carbonylation reactors operating at steady-state with a low standing quantity of water (e.g. 0.5 to 5% by weight). The improvement lies in carrying out the carbonylation in the presence of an iodide stabilizer (e.g. lithium iodide) and a Group VI B metal costabiliser. The process can optionally be carried out in the presence of hydrogen.

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Beverley, United Kingdom

Michael David Jones