ABSTRACT
Conventional acetaldehyde manufacture using the original Wacker catalyst system yields several percent of chlorinated organic byproducts. Proper destruction of these hygienically and environmentally objectionable byproducts is costly. In some situations, they are disposed without destruction. This chapter describes Catalytica’s new catalyst system, its reaction dynamics, and its reaction engineering. Features of the Wacker chemistry relevant to the chemistry of Catalytica’s system are emphasized and the performance standards that a new catalyst system must meet to qualify for use in two-stage Wacker-type plants are identified. The composition and production of Catalytica’s system are then detailed and its ethylene and oxygen reactions are characterized, emphasizing kinetics, mechanism, and reaction engineering. Finally, demonstration of the technology in continuous operation and its scale-up to commercial-scale operation are briefly described.
