Page 96 - Academic Press Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology 3rd Chemical Engineering

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Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology EN002C-86 May 17, 2001 20:36

494 Catalysis, Industrial

TABLE II Scientists and their Contributions to Industrial TABLE III Industrial Catalysis Advances
Catalysts
First plant
Catalysis scientist Company Contribution approximate date Development Company
Eugene Houdry Sun Oil, Mobil Oil Hydrocracking 1906 Nitric acid Hoechst
Herman Pines UOP, Inc. Catalytic cracking 1913 Ammonia BASF
Irving Langmuir General Electric Adsorption theory 1921 Tetraethyl lead GM
Vladimir Ipatieff UOP Catalytic cracking antiknock
Vladimir Haensel UOP Platforming process 1922 Production TEL Standard (New Jersey)
Paul Emmett Fixed Nitrogen Ammonia synthesis 1928 Diethylene glycol Union Carbide
Laboratory 1930 Synthetic ethanol Union Carbide
Fischer and Tropsch Ruhrchemie Fischer-Tropsch 1931 Ammonia from Shell Oil
Haber and Bosch BASF Ammonia synthesis natural gas
Otto Beeck Shell Oil High vac analysis films 1931 Methyl ethyl ketone Shell Oil
Ernest Thiele Standard Oil Role of diffusion 1931 Fixed bed catalytic Mobil, Sun
(Indiana) cracking
Charles Plank Mobil Zeolite cracking 1934 Fischer-Tropsch Ruhrchemie
Frank Ciapetta W. R. Grace Refinery catalysts 1934 Bromine Dow
Thomas Singleton, Monsanto Methanol carbonylation 1935 Isopropanol and Shell Oil
et. al. acetone
Paul Hogan, Phillips Petroleum Polyolefin catalysts 1937 Styrene Dow
Robert Banks 1937 Nylon DuPont
Robert Banks Phillips Petroleum Olefin disproportionation 1939 Alkylation of
A. Mittasch BASF Methanol synthesis paraffins
Leonard Drake Mobil Mercury porosimetry 1942 Fluid catalytic Esso
cracking
Cambell, Jahnig, Exxon Fluid catalytic cracking
Martin 1942 Butadiene Shell
Robert Grasselli Standard Oil Ammoxidation 1943 Butadiene by Humble
(Ohio) dehydrogenation
R. Eischens Texaco Infrared adsorbed CO 1964 Molex paraffin UOP
separation
Scott and Sullivan Chevron Isocracking
1970 Methanol— low ICI
Karl Ziegler, Max Planck High density
pressure
Institute polyethylene
1971 Parex p-xylene UOP
Waldo Semon BF Goodrich PVC
separation
1973 Acetic acid— low Monsanto
pressure
1973 Xylene isomerization Mobil
III. MECHANISMS OF INDUSTRIAL 1974 Kevlar DuPont
CATALYSIS REACTIONS 1978 Ethylene glycol via Halcon
acetoxylation
Mechanisms of reactions are important for industry be- 1985 Methanol to gasoline Mobil
cause they provide information useful for optimizing cat- 1995 Detal solid acid UOP, Petresa
alkylation
alyst and reactor conditions. The study of reaction mecha-
nisms in industry cannot stand alone as it can in academia.
Mechanistic studies are funded to solve plant problems,
to decrease operating costs, and to improve product qual- Mechanistic studies start with determination of the
ity. There is a wide variation in industry in the amount kinetic rate law and the rate-limiting step; information
and type of mechanistic research funded and the timing on heat and mass transfer is also needed. These studies
for such research. Mechanistic research on chemical re- may use such techniques as isotopic labeling, chemisorp-
actions is most easily justified when it is focused on the tion measurements, surface spectroscopy, temperature-
development of commercial products for a company. Of- programmed desorption, and kinetic modeling experi-
ten the results of mechanistic studies are not published but ments.
used instead in reactor modeling. The second reason is that The design of a catalyst requires knowledge of the
competitors would obtain the information at no cost. reaction mechanism to modify the catalyst surface sites