Liquid velocity in a high‐solids‐loading three‐phase external‐loop airlift reactor

BACKGROUND: Airlift reactors are of interest for many different processes, especially for three‐phase systems. In this study the behavior of a high‐loading three‐phase external‐loop airlift reactor was examined. In particular, the effect of parameters such as airflow rate (riser superficial gas velocities between 0.003 and 0.017 m s^?1), solids loading (up to 50%, v/v) on liquid circulation velocity in the air‐water‐alginate beads system as a crucial hydrodynamic parameter was studied. RESULTS: It was observed that increase of the airflow rate resulted in increase of the liquid velocity in the system. The same result but less pronounced was observed by introducing small amounts of solid particles up to 7.5% v/v. However, further introduction of solids caused decrease of the liquid velocity. Laminar regime for the liquid circulation was observed for low gas velocities. Minimum gas velocities for recirculation initiation in the reactor were determined for all solid loadings and linear dependence on the solid content was found. Gas holdups for the three‐phase system were larger than for the two‐phase system in all experiments. A simple model for predicting the liquid circulation velocity in the three‐phase system with high solid loading of low‐density particles was developed. This model is based on the viscosity of integrated medium (solid + liquid) which is a new aspect to analyze this phenomenon. CONCLUSIONS: The developed model shows very good agreement with the experimental results for all solid loadings. It also includes the influence of reactor geometry on the liquid circulation velocity thus enabling optimization. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Methanol synthesis in a three‐phase catalytic bed under nonwetted condition

To overcome the heat removal problem encountered in methanol synthesis at high syngas concentrations in the gas phase, a three‐phase nonwetted catalytic system was established by introducing an inert liquid medium into a fixed‐bed reactor. To form a repellent interface between the liquid and the catalyst, the catalyst was modified into hydrophobic, while the liquid medium was chosen as a room temperature ionic liquid with hydroxyl groups. The liquid‐solid contact angle was measured to be 115°, and only 20% of the catalyst external surface was wetted by the liquid. Under three‐phase condition, the reaction rate was measured to be 60%–70% of gas‐phase reaction, while it was merely 10%–20% for the fully wetted catalyst. From the resistance analysis on the mass transfer and reaction steps, the overall reaction rate is expected to increase further if the surface could be more wet proofed. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 226–237, 2017     

Liquid/solid two‐phase carbonization of low‐molecular‐weight chloro‐/bromo‐hydrocarbons

A novel liquid/solid two‐phase reaction has been discovered that enables destruction of a series of low‐molecular‐weight chloro‐/bromo‐hydrocarbons to carbon‐based materials. The solid phase is anhydrous potassium hydroxide and the liquid phase is a benzene or tetrahydrofuran solution of halide and contains a certain amount of tetrabutyl ammonium bromide (TBAB) as phase transfer catalyst. The structure of the carbon‐based materials have been characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), FT‐Raman, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopies, and their morphologies have been examined by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that the products are amorphous nanoparticles and contain mainly elemental carbon. They consist of sp, sp², and sp³ carbon atoms simultaneously and can be regarded as carbyne analogues. This work provides a convenient method for synthesizing new carbon‐based materials in relatively high yields. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 1510–1515, 2000     

A preliminary evaluation of a continuous‐flow reactor for liquid–liquid–solid phase‐transfer catalyzed synthesis of n‐butyl phenyl ether

This study evaluates the feasibility of using a continuous‐flow stirred vessel reactor (CFSVR) to synthesize n‐butyl phenyl ether (ROPh) from n‐butyl bromide (RBr) and sodium phenolate (NaOPh) by liquid–liquid–solid phase‐transfer catalysis (triphase catalysis). The factors affecting the preparation of triphase catalysts, the etherification reaction in a batch reactor, and the performance in a CFSVR were investigated. The kinetic study with a batch reactor indicated that when the initial concentration of NaOPh or RBr was high, the conversion of RBr would depend on the initial concentration of both RBr and NaOPh. The reaction can be represented by a pseudo‐first‐order kinetic model when the concentration of NaOPh is in proper excess to that of RBr, and the apparent activation energy is 87.8 kJ mol^?1. When the etherification reaction was carried out in the CFSVR, the catalyst particles did not flow out of the reactor, even at a high agitation speed. The conversion of RBr in the CFSVR was, as predicted, lower than that in the batch reactor, but was higher than the theoretical value because the dispersed phase is not completely mixed. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Hydrodynamik und Stofftransport in einem Perlschnurreaktor für Gas/Flüssig/Fest‐Reaktionen

In this work, a pellet string reactor was characterized with respect to hydrodynamics and mass transfer. The catalyst packing consists of a cylindrical channel with a diameter of 1.41 mm, which was filled with spherical catalyst particles, having an outer diameter of 0.8 mm. Under reaction conditions (liquid phase hydrogenation of α‐methylstyrene) overall (gas‐liquid‐solid) volumetric mass transfer coefficients for hydrogen between 0.8 and 5.5 s^–1 were computed. Due to high mass transfer rates and simple reactor geometry, pellet string reactors can be applied in industry as highly efficient reaction units.     

Mass transfer‐limited wet oxidation of phenol

Catalytic wet oxidation carried out in a continual three‐phase trickle‐bed reactor contributes to the sustainability of chemical technology. It was found that the hydrodynamics and the mass‐transfer of reactants could have a significant impact on the performance of the trickle‐bed reactor. An aqueous phenol oxidation was tested at different temperatures and liquid feed rates and the activities of both the CuO‐supported catalyst and the extruded active carbon were compared. To avoid the impact of liquid maldistribution, a bed of catalyst particles diluted with fine glass spheres was also used. Rate‐limited conditions of both liquid‐ and gas‐phase presented reactants were determined. Under the conditions of gas component transfer limitation, a better wetting of the diluted catalyst bed can lead to a worsening in the reactor performance due to the lower overall reaction rates. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Modeling of Slug Velocity and Pressure Drop in Gas‐Liquid‐Liquid Slug Flow

Gas‐liquid‐liquid slug flow in a capillary reactor is a promising new concept that allows one to incorporate gas‐liquid reaction, liquid‐liquid extraction, and facile catalyst separation in a single unit. In order to assess the performance of a gas‐liquid‐liquid slug flow reactor, it is necessary to predict the slug velocity and pressure drop to ascertain residence times and reaction rates. New empirical models for velocity and pressure drop were developed based on existing models for two‐phase gas‐liquid and liquid‐liquid slug flows, and these were validated experimentally.     

Kinetics of Liquid‐Phase Hydrogenation of Iso‐valeraldehyde to Iso‐amyl Alcohol Over A Ru/Al2O3 Catalyst

The liquid‐phase catalytic hydrogenation of iso‐valeraldehyde to iso‐amyl alcohol was studied in a slurry reactor. The kinetics of liquid‐phase hydrogenation of iso‐valeraldehyde over a 5% Ru/Al₂O₃ catalyst was studied in the range of temperature 373‐393 K and H₂ pressure 0.68‐2.72 MPa using 2‐propanol as the solvent. The selectivity to iso‐amyl alcohol was 100%. The kinetic data were analyzed using a simple power law model. A single site Langmuir‐Hinshelwood type model suggesting dissociative adsorption of hydrogen and surface reaction as the rate‐controlling step provided the best fit of the experimental data. The catalyst could be reused thrice without any loss in activity.     

Kinetics for phenolysis of ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate via phase‐transfer catalysis in a solid–liquid system

The kinetics of phase‐transfer catalyzed etherification of sodium phenoxide with ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate to produce ethyl 2‐phenoxyisobutyrate in a solid–liquid system has been investigated. Being catalyzed by the quaternary ‘onium salts, the reaction was carried out in a stirred batch reactor to explore the effects of various operating variables. At a temperature of 80 °C and a molar ratio of tetra‐n‐butylammonium bromide to sodium phenoxide equal to 0.372, 94% conversion was obtained after 4 h, and no other side products were observed. A kinetic model of pseudo‐first‐order reaction accompanied by catalyst deactivation was proposed to describe the overall reaction. A deactivation function was employed to evaluate the kinetic parameters. The decay of catalytic activity was mainly caused by the deposition of the salts produced on the surface of solid particles. The results show that the initial reaction rate was not influenced by the agitation rate when exceeding 350 rpm, but the deactivation rate increased with increasing stirring speed and the amount of catalyst used. The intrinsic organic reaction was conducted by the phase‐transfer catalytic intermediate. The order of reactivity for different phase‐transfer catalysts was determined as tetra‐n‐butylphosphonium bromide > tetra‐n‐butylammonium bromide > tetra‐n‐butylammonium iodide ≈ tetra‐n‐butylammonium hydrogen sulfate ≈ Aliquat 336. The apparent activation energy for tetra‐n‐butylammonium bromide was estimated as 51.4 kJ mol⁻¹. This work provides an improved method for synthesizing phenolic substances in solid–liquid phases and preventing unfavorable side reactions. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Model‐Aided Design of a Three‐Phase Gas‐Lift Reactor for Oxidation Accompanied by Catalyst Reversible Deactivation

A mathematical model of a three‐phase gas‐lift reactor (GLR) is developed to aid the design of a target reactor for simultaneous substrate catalytic oxidation in riser and a deactivated reactivation catalyst in the downcomer section of the multifunctional reactor. In the GLR model, the hydrodynamics of a real GLR and the kinetics of glucose oxidation by air over a palladium catalyst are incorporated. The GLR model searches for the optimal geometry of the target reactor. With regard to the GLR optimal geometry, the reactor productivity is maximal for given input operational conditions. An algorithm of the GLR model is presented together with simulation results of the target GLR and with insight into the parametric sensitivity of the model. Effects of the reaction components concentrations and the gas‐phase superficial velocity on the location of the target reactor optimal geometry and on the reactor productivity are discussed.     

Investigation of multiphase hydrogenation in a catalyst‐trap microreactor

BACKGROUND: Multiphase hydrogenation plays a critical role in the pharmaceutical industry. A significant portion of the reaction steps in a typical fine chemical synthesis are catalytic hydrogenations, generally limited by resistances to mass and heat transport. To this end, the small‐scale and large surface‐to‐volume ratios of microreactor technology would greatly benefit chemical processing in the pharmaceutical and other industries. A silicon microreactor has been developed to investigate mass transfer in a catalytic hydrogenation reaction. The reactor design is such that solid catalyst is suspended in the reaction channel by an arrangement of catalyst traps. The design supports the use of commercial catalyst and allows control of pressure drop across the bed by engineering the packing density. RESULTS: This paper discusses the design and operation of the reactor in the context of the liquid‐phase hydrogenation of o‐nitroanisole to o‐anisidine. A two‐phase ‘flow map’ is generated across a range of conditions depicting three flow regimes, termed gas‐dominated, liquid‐dominated, and transitional, all with distinctly different mass transfer behavior. Conversion is measured across the flow map and then reconciled against the mass transfer characteristics of the prevailing flow regime. The highest conversion is achieved in the transitional flow regime, where competition between phases induces the most favorable gas–liquid mass transfer. CONCLUSION: The results are used to associate a mass transfer coefficient with each flow regime to quantify differences in performance. This reactor architecture may be useful for catalyst evaluation through rapid screening, or in large numbers as an alternative to macro‐scale production reactors. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Bioproduction of cis‐(1S,2R)‐indandiol,a chiral pharmaceutical intermediate,using a solid–liquid two‐phase partitioning bioreactor for enhanced removal of inhibitors

BACKGROUND: A solid‐liquid two‐phase partitioning bioreactor (TPPB) was used in the biotransformation of indene to cis‐(1S,2R)‐indandiol by Pseudomonas putida 421‐5 (ATCC 55687). Metered substrate feeding in single‐phase operation, or delivery from an immiscible liquid, have previously been employed to regulate the exposure of the biocatalyst to inhibitory concentrations of the substrate. In contrast, the solid‐liquid platform provided in situ substrate addition (ISSA) as well as simultaneous it in situ product removal (ISPR) as a means of overcoming substrate and product toxicity. Three different modes of operation were compared for their effects on the performance of this biotransformation: single‐phase, fed‐batch operation was carried out as a benchmark in 2.75 L aqueous medium, and subsequently with the inclusion of either 700 g liquid silicone oil or 700 g solid polymer beads. RESULTS: Biphasic modes achieved a 3‐fold productivity improvement with respect to single‐phase (30 to 90 mg L^?1 h^?1), and solid‐liquid productivity was similar to liquid‐liquid operation while achieving more extensive removal of inhibitory compounds resulting in a slightly higher product titer (1.29 vs 1.16 g L^?1). The operability of the reactor was improved by the phase stability of the solid polymer beads relative to immiscible organic solvents, preventing emulsion formation and facilitating analytics. CONCLUSION: Solid polymer beads replaced the immiscible liquid auxiliary phase for substrate delivery while performing simultaneous inhibitory molecule sequestration. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Etherification rates of 2‐methyl‐2‐butene and 2‐methyl‐1‐butene with ethanol for environmentally clean gasoline production

Etherification of C₅ reactive olefins available in light fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) gasoline is an attractive way to decrease the olefins and to increase the octane number. The reactivities of 2‐methyl‐1‐butene (2M1B) and 2‐methyl‐2‐butene (2M2B) in the etherification reaction with ethanol catalysed by a strongly acidic macroreticular resin catalyst were investigated in a temperature range of 333–360 K using a liquid phase differential flow reactor. In the presence of excess alcohol, the apparent reaction orders of etherification reactions of isoamylenes were found to be 0.93 and 0.69 with respect to 2M1B and 2M2B concentrations, respectively. 2M1B was shown to be more reactive than 2M2B and its activation energy is also lower in the etherification reaction. It was also shown that diffusion resistances, especially in the macropores of the catalyst, may play an important role on the observed rates. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Xylene Isomerization in the Liquid Phase Using Large‐Pore Zeolites

Three large‐pore zeolites, Beta with Si/Al ratios of 25 and 35 and Mordenite with an Si/Al ratio of 30, were studied in the conversion of o‐xylene at 493 K. Maximum conversion was achieved by the catalyst with the highest Si/Al ratio due to faster diffusion of the isomer inside the zeolite channels because of the lower acidity of the solid even with larger crystal size. A kinetic study was then carried out over this catalyst between 473 and 513 K in a batch reactor in the liquid phase. The activation energies obtained do not indicate the presence of diffusional constraints towards any isomer. Finally, the kinetic model obtained was simulated in a fixed‐bed reactor and compared to ZSM‐5 in the temperature range from 493 to 533 K. An increment in p‐xylene production of 20 % on average was obtained.     

Kinetics of homogeneous 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation to 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid with Co/Mn/Br catalyst

2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a potential non‐phthalate based bio‐renewable substitute for terephthalic acid‐based plastics. Herein, we present an investigation of the oxidation rate of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to FDCA in acetic acid medium using Co/Mn/Br catalyst. Transient concentration profiles of the reactant (HMF), intermediates [2,5‐diformylfuran (DFF), 5‐formyl‐2‐furancarboxylic acid (FFCA)], and the desired product (FDCA) were obtained for this relatively fast reaction in a stirred semi‐batch reactor using rapid in‐line sampling. Comparison of the effective rate constants for the series oxidation steps with predicted gas–liquid mass transfer coefficients reveals that except for the FFCA → FDCA step, the first two oxidation steps are subject to gas–liquid mass transfer limitations even at high stirrer speeds. Novel reactor configurations, such as a reactor in which the reaction mixture is dispersed as fine droplets into a gas phase containing oxygen, are required to overcome oxygen starvation in the liquid phase and further intensify FDCA production. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 162–171, 2017     

Deoxygenation of Methanol over ZSM‐5 in a High‐Pressure Catalytic Pyroprobe

Deoxygenation is a critical step in making hydrocarbon‐rich biofuels from biomass constituents. Although the thermal effects of oxygenate aromatization have been widely reported, the effect of pressure on this critical reaction has not yet been closely investigated, one primary reason being the unavailability of a reactor that can pyrolyze oxygenates, especially those in solid form, under pressurized conditions. Here, the first of a series of studies on how oxygenates behave when catalytically pyrolyzed under elevated pressure and temperature conditions is reported. Methanol, the simplest alcohol, was selected as the candidate to study the chemical phenomena that occur under pressurized catalytic pyrolysis. The reactions were carried out over the shape‐selective catalyst ZSM‐5 (SiO₂/Al₂O₃ = 30) under varying pressure (0 to 2.0684 MPa (300 psi) in 0.3447 MPa (50 psi) increments) and temperature (500 to 800 °C in 50 °C increments) conditions. Benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes (BTEX) were analyzed as the deoxygenated products of the reaction. The results indicate that the reactor pressure significantly affects deoxygenated product composition.     

Corrosion‐Resistant Parallel Fixed‐Bed Reactors for High‐Throughput Screening of New Deacon Reaction Catalysts

Two ten‐channel fixed‐bed reactor systems were developed for high‐throughput screening of new Deacon catalysts. The sequential ten‐channel reactor allows the determination of the activity of up to ten catalysts per day. With a ten‐channel ageing reactor the long‐time stability of catalytic activity can be tested in parallel. Both systems are robust, quite resistant against corrosion, and use the identical reaction tubes which enable the direct transfer of a catalyst from one to the other system. A mass‐spectrometric pulse method has been developed and applied successfully for the analysis of the corrosive product gas mixture of the Deacon reaction.     

Kinetics of Aqueous‐Phase catalytic dehydration of 2‐Propanol

The aqueous‐phase catalytic dehydration of 2‐propanol was investigated in a batch slurry reactor. Alumina, zeolite 13X, SAPO‐5 and silicalite are all active in the liquid phase dehydration of 2‐propanol at 463 K with silicalite being the most active catalyst. Propylene was found to be the major reaction product, with diisopropyl ether and acetone formed in trace amounts. The reaction kinetics over silicalite was determined at a temperature range of 434 to 463 K and at a concentration range of 4 to 10 mol% 2‐propanol in water. A single site Langmuir‐Hinshelwood‐Hougen‐Watson (LHHW) type mechanism was found to describe the kinetic data well. Water was found to inhibit the dehydration reaction. The activation energy over silicalite was determined to be 226.8 kJ/mol while the heat of adsorption for 2‐propanol and water was –45.5 and –9.6 kJ/mol, respectively.     

3,5‐Bis(n‐perfluorooctyl)benzyltriethylammonium Bromide (F‐TEBA): An Efficient,Easily Recoverable Fluorous Catalyst for Solid‐Liquid PTC Reactions

A readily available 3,5‐bis(perfluorooctyl)benzyl bromide and triethylamine were reacted under mild conditions to give 3,5‐bis(n‐perfluorooctyl)benzyltriethylammonium bromide ( F‐TEBA ), an analogue of the versatile phase‐transfer catalyst, benzyltriethylammonium chloride (TEBA), containing two fluorous ponytails. This perfluoroalkylated quaternary ammonium salt was successfully employed as a catalyst in a variety of reactions run under solid‐liquid phase‐transfer catalysis (SL‐PTC) conditions. Thus, being both hydrophobic and lipophobic, F‐TEBA could be quickly recovered in quantitative yields, and reused without loss of activity over several reaction cycles.     

Modeling and experimental verification of radiative transfer of a flat‐plate photoreactor with immobilized photocatalyst

A cost‐effective design of photocatalytic reactor needs efficient contact of the polluted substance with the solid catalyst while uniformly irradiating the solid catalyst with light. In the present paper, an immobilized photocatalyst comprising TiO₂ coated on Pyrex‐glass‐coils (abbreviated hereafter as TGC) was developed, and a flat‐plate photocatalytic reactor packed with TGC was designed. The reactor has some advantages such as low pressure drop, intensification of mass transfer; relatively uniform distribution of light radiation; high ratio of illuminated catalyst surface area to volume, and is flexible enough for large‐scale application. The radiation intensity distribution and the two‐flux model parameters were measured, and the two‐flux model was solved numerically. The experimental values were compared with the theoretical predictions. Good agreement was obtained with a maximum deviation about 10%. Finally, the two‐flux model described the radiation intensity distribution and local volumetric rate of energy absorption in the flat‐plate reactor packed with TGC. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry