Process for preparing 1,3-propanediol from methyl 3-hydroxypropionate
AssigneeShell Oil Company
InventorsThomas Clayton Forschner, Paul Richard Weider, Lynn Henry Slaugh, Joseph Broun Powell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
1,3-Propanediol is prepared in good yield by hydrogenation of methyl 3-hydroxypropionate in the presence of a copper zinc oxide hydrogenation catalyst. The use of the copper zinc oxide hydrogenation catalyst enables greater productivity in an overall process for preparing 1,3-propanediol from ethylene oxide via methyl 3-hydroxypropionate intermediate.
Claims8
In a process in which methyl 3-hydroxypropionate is hydrogenated to 1,3-propanediol in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, the improvement in which the hydrogenation catalyst comprises a catalytic amount of copper zinc oxide.
A process for preparing 1,3-propanediol comprising the steps of:
- (a) contacting, in a reaction zone, ethylene oxide with carbon monoxide and methanol in the presence of an effective amount of a carbonylation catalyst under methoxycarbonylation conditions of temperature and pressure to produce an intermediate product mixture comprising methyl 3-hydroxypropionate;
- (b) passing the intermediate product mixture to a separation zone, separating the methyl 3-hydroxypropionate from the intermediate product mixture, and passing the methyl 3-hydroxypropionate to a hydrogenation zone.
- (c) passing the methyl 3-hydroxypropionate to a hydrogenation zone and contacting the methyl 3-hydroxypropionate with hydrogen in the presence of a copper zinc oxide hydrogenation catalyst under sufficient conditions of temperature and pressure to provide a hydrogenation product mixture comprising 1,3-propanediol;
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- (d) recovering 1,3-propanediol from said hydrogenation product mixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.