A novel method for catalytic dehydration of glycerol to acrolein is provided. A fixed bed reactor is used, which is placed in a microwave unit. The feedstock is introduced into the fixed bed reactor after being preheated and gasified. Continuous glycerol dehydration occurs in the presence of a microwave-absorbing catalyst in the fixed bed reactor to form acrolein. The microwave-absorbing catalyst is composed of an active component loaded on a core-shell structure which consists of microwave absorbent coated by an oxide. The uniformity of microwave heating can reduce the formation of hot spot during the reaction and hence improve the catalyst stability. The process and operation is simple, and the unit can steadily run for a long time.

Process for hydroformylation of olefins having 6 to 20 carbon atoms in the presence of a cobalt catalyst in the presence of an aqueous phase with thorough mixing in a reactor wherein a hydroformylation products-containing first stream is withdrawn at the top of the reactor and an aqueous phase-containing second stream is withdrawn from the bottom of the reactor via at least one line leading out of the bottom of the reactor, which process comprises controlling one or more mass flow parameters of the second stream in accordance with the density of the second stream.

An organic waste recycling apparatus comprises: a catalyst for making the carbonization of an organic waste targeted for waste disposal; a UV irradiation member for irradiating UV at a wavelength capable of breaking a bond in a molecule constituting the organic waste; a processed object housing member whereof the interior space houses the catalyst; a heating member provided in the interior space; and a stirring member provided in the interior space. The organic waste is one that has undergone crushing into small pieces. The processed object housing member is such that the catalyst and the organic waste that has been UV-irradiated by the UV irradiation member and introduced into the interior space are in contact with one another and stirrable in this state by the stirring member.

Methods for dehydrogenating one or more alkanes. A catalyst can be contacted with an alkane under a pressure of less than 101 kPa to produce a coked catalyst and a dehydrogenated product. The dehydrogenated product can be separated from the coked catalyst and the coked catalyst can be contacted with a purge fluid to remove at least a portion of any residual alkane, any residual alkene, or a combination thereof from the coked catalyst. The coked catalyst can be contacted with an oxygen-containing fluid and at least a portion of the coke disposed on the catalyst can be combusted in the presence of the oxygen-containing fluid to produce a decoked catalyst. The decoked catalyst can be contacted with a reducing gas to produce a regenerated catalyst and an off-gas. Additional alkane can be contacted with the regenerated catalyst to produce additional dehydrogenated product and additional coked catalyst.

A method of reducing a C—O bond to the corresponding C—H bond in a substrate, which could be a benzylic alcohol, allylic alcohol, ester or an ether bond beta to a hydroxyl group or alpha to a carbonyl group using a recyclable metal catalyst system. The recyclable catalyst system is also applicable to reducing a C═O bond to the corresponding C—OH bond and then C—H bond. These methodologies can be linked in one-pot to selective oxidation and depolymerizations of aromatic polyols such as lignin.

Disclosed is a method for preparing a double end capped glycol ether, the method comprising: introducing into a reactor a raw material comprising a glycol monoether and a monohydric alcohol ether, and enabling the raw material to contact and react with an acidic molecular sieve catalyst to generate a double end capped glycol ether, a reaction temperature being 50-300° C., a reaction pressure being 0.1-15 MPa, a WHSV of the glycol monoether in the raw material being 0.01-15.0 h.sup.−1, and a mole ratio of the monohydric alcohol ether to the glycol monoether in the raw material being 1-100:1. The method of the present invention enables a long single-pass lifespan of the catalyst and repeated regeneration, has a high yield and selectivity of a target product, low energy consumption during separation of the product, a high economic value of a by-product, and is flexible in production scale and application.

The present invention provides novel solutions to the problem of recycling carbonylation catalysts in epoxide carbonylation processes. The inventive methods are characterized in that the catalyst is recovered in a form other than as active catalyst. In some embodiments, catalyst components are removed selectively from the carbonylation product stream in two or more processing steps. One or more of these separated catalyst components are then utilized to regenerate active catalyst which is utilized during another time interval to feed a continuous carbonylation reactor.

This invention discloses an approach for the separation of the close-boiling mixture of polyols. The raw material is ethylene glycol containing miscellaneous polyols (such as 1,2-propylene glycol and 1,2-butanediol). Over an acid catalyst, these miscellaneous polyols, through (1) a dehydration reaction, (2) pinacol rearrangement, and (3) acetalization or ketalization reaction, are converted into aldehydes (small amounts), acetals, and ketals (trace amount), which are simultaneously and readily separated via distillation. Meanwhile, after the reaction, the mixture is further separated to obtain an ethylene glycol product at a high purity. The invention provides a technique to remove the miscellaneous polyols from ethylene glycol via liquid-phase dehydration reactions under mild conditions, with low energy consumption. In particular, this approach is markedly effective for the removal of 1,2-butanediol that is difficult to be removed via conventional techniques. The purity of the resulting ethylene glycol product is high, and value-added acetals or ketals are co-produced.

Disclosed is a process for the preparation of 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene, comprising the following two reaction steps: a. a compound having the formula CF.sub.3-xCl.sub.xCF.sub.2-yCl.sub.yCH.sub.2Cl undergoes gas-phase fluorination with hydrogen fluoride through n serially-connected reaction vessels in the presence of a compound catalyst producing 2,3-dichloro-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoropropane, 1,2,3-trichloro-1,1,2-trifluoropropane, and 1,3-dichloro-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoropropane; in said formula, x=1, 2, 3, y=1, 2, and 3≦x+y≦5; b. the 2,3-dichloro-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoropropane, 1,2,3-trichloro-1,1,2-trifluoropropane, and 1,3-dichloro-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoropropane undergo gas-phase dehalogenation with hydrogen in the presence of a dehalogenation catalyst, producing 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene and 3-chloro-2,3,3-trifluoropropene, then separation and refining are performed, producing 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene. The present invention is primarily used to produce 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene.

Improved alkylation catalysts, alkylation methods, and methods of making alkylation catalysts are described. The alkylation method comprises reaction over a solid acid, zeolite-based catalyst and can be conducted for relatively long periods at steady state conditions. The alkylation catalyst comprises a crystalline zeolite structure, a Si/Al molar ratio of 20 or less, less than 0.5 weight percent alkali metals, and further having a characteristic catalyst life property. Some catalysts may contain rare earth elements in the range of 10 to 35 wt %. One method of making a catalyst includes a calcination step following exchange of the rare earth element(s) conducted at a temperature of at least 575° C. to stabilize the resulting structure followed by an deammoniation treatment. An improved method of deammoniation uses low temperature oxidation.