Noble metal large pore zeolyte catalyst for methanol-ethanol coupling
AssigneeExxon Research & Engineering Co.
InventorsThomas H. Vanderspurt, Jar-Lin Kao
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Abstract
The present invention discloses an alcohol coupling process in which a vaporized mixture of starting alcohols, preferably methanol and ethanol, is reacted with syngas in the presence of a large pore L zeolite, Y zeolite or large port mordenite, to form at least one alcohol coupling product having a greater number of carbon atoms than all of the starting alcohols. The large pore zeolite preferably has a substantial absence of strongly acidic catalytic sites and the reaction preferably produces the product alcohol in the substantial absence of C.sub.6+ oxygenates.
Claims2
An alcohol coupling process, comprising:
- contacting a vaporized mixture of starting alcohols of methanol in combination with a second alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol, n-propanol, and mixtures thereof with a carrier gas containing CO and H.sub.2 in the presence of an alumina-bound highly dispersed metallic Pd-loaded, alkali metal cation exchanged L zeolite wherein the zeolite and alumina have an essential absence of strongly acidic catalytic sites and wherein said contacting is carried out at a temperature and partial pressure of CO and H of from about 300.degree. C. to 400.degree. C. and from 2000 kPa to about 15,000 kPa, at a sufficient pressure to minimize the decomposition of methanol to CO and H.sub.2 and at a space velocity of from about 4000 hr.sup.-1 to about 10,000 hr.sup.-1 to produce isobutanol and n-propanol in the substantial absence of light gaseous alkanes and C.sub.6+ oxygenates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.