Kinetic studies of ketone hydrogenation over Raney nickel catalyst

Using a Raney nickel catalyst, the hydrogenation kinetics of liquid-phase a cetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl n-propyl ketone and diethyl ketone each were investigated via the initial-rate method. Acetone and methyl n-propyl ketone had similar hydrogenation rates. Also, methyl ethyl ketone and diet hyl ketone had similar hydrogenation rates, but they were about two-fold le ss than acetone and methyl n-propyl ketone. As determined by the initial-ra te studies, these four reactions were successfully described by a Langmuir- Hinshelwood model with dissociated hydrogen adsorption. To apply this model to an industrial setting, long-term batch experiments were conducted using a mixture of ketones that would be derived from biomass. A set of paramete rs was obtained that successfully correlated the reaction over a wide range of temperatures and pressures. With respect to hydrogen pressure, the reac tion rate was found to be first-order rather than the half-order reported i n the literature. Kinetic data taken at three different temperatures indica ted that the reaction follows the Arrhenius/van't Hoff law. (C) 2000 Publis hed by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.