Venezia, B;
Douthwaite, M;
Wu, G;
Sankar, M;
Ellis, P;
Hutchings, GJ;
Gavriilidis, A;
(2019)
Slurry loop tubular membrane reactor for the catalysed aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol.
Chemical Engineering Journal
, 378
, Article 122250. 10.1016/j.cej.2019.122250.
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Gavriilidis_Slurry loop tubular membrane reactor for the catalysed aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol_AAM.pdf - Accepted Version Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
A novel reactor that combines a catalyst slurry flowing inside a loop configuration, incorporating a tubular membrane (Teflon AF-2400) for controlled oxygen delivery was designed and employed for the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol using a 1 wt% Au-Pd/TiO_{2} powdered catalyst. This reactor keeps the liquid phase saturated with oxygen, while avoiding the creation of bubbles in it, thus enhancing operation safety. Experimental results in batch mode compared with those of a conventional autoclave demonstrated that the slurry loop membrane reactor reached a similar oxidation turnover frequency (20,000–25,000 h^{-1} with comparable values of benzaldehyde selectivity (∼70%). Continuous operation was achieved by using a crossflow filter connected to the loop to keep the catalyst from exiting the reactor. Using a 60 cm long tubular membrane, with the slurry flow circulating at 10 mL/min, continuous reaction was performed at 100–120 °C, 0–5 bar oxygen pressure and 1.2–5.0 g/L catalyst loading. Selectivity to benzaldehyde increased by either decreasing the reaction temperature or increasing the external oxygen pressure. The oxygen consumption rate decreased linearly with the catalyst loading, suggesting negligible gas-liquid mass transfer resistance. This was further evidenced by doubling the length of the tubular membrane, which had no effect on the oxidation turnover frequency. The slurry loop membrane reactor showed significantly better performance than packed-bed membrane microchannel reactors, and similar performance as that of a trickle-bed capillary reactor. This reactor can be implemented for a wide range of applications, which rely on the use of powder catalyst, are limited by gaseous reactant availability and require safe operation.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Slurry loop tubular membrane reactor for the catalysed aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cej.2019.122250 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2019.122250 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Loop reactor, Membrane reactor, Slurry catalyst, Teflon AF-2400, Aerobic oxidation, Gold-palladium catalyst |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10079312 |
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