Manufacture of cyclohexane from benzene and a hydrogen source containing impurities
AssigneeHuntsman Petrochemical Corporation
InventorsJohn Ronald Sanderson, Terry Lee Renken, Michael Wayne McKinney
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for producing cyclohexane by benzene hydrogenation using a hydrogen source that contains impurities, such as carbon monoxide and/or light hydrocarbons, wherein a supported catalyst reduces benzene to cyclohexane and carbon monoxide to methane and water. Alkenes, such as ethylene, are also reduced to their alkane counterparts. Under the disclosed operating conditions, the process proceeds without deactivation of the catalyst, and without the formation of a significant amount of cracking products, such as methylcyclopentane.
Claims20
A process for producing cyclohexane from benzene which comprises the steps of:
- a) providing a first stream comprising benzene;
- b) providing a second stream which is predominantly hydrogen and also comprises carbon monoxide;
- c) mixing the first and the second streams to form a reactive mixture;
- d) contacting the reactive mixture with a catalyst comprising nickel, copper, and at least one other element selected from the group consisting of:
- chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, zinc, molybdenum, tin, and mixtures thereof, so as to provide a reaction product mixture;
- and
- e) recovering cyclohexane from the reaction product mixture, to provide a cyclohexane product.
A process for the hydrogenation of benzene comprising:
- a) providing a first stream comprising benzene;
- b) providing a second stream that is predominantly hydrogen and further comprises carbon monoxide;
- c) charging a reaction vessel with a catalyst comprising nickel, copper, and at least one other element selected from the group consisting of:
- chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, zinc, molybedenum, tin, and mixtures thereof;
- d) mixing the first and second streams to form a reactive mixture;
- e) feeding the reactive mixture to the reaction vessel so that the reactive mixture contacts the catalyst to provide a reaction product mixture;
- and
- f) recovering cyclohexane from the reaction product mixture, to provide a cyclohexane product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.