Philips T. Innovative technology for the processing of isopropyl alcohol using aerosol nanocatalysis

The dissertation is devoted to the development and improvement of technologies for the etherification of isopropyl alcohol into diisopropyl ether and deep catalytic oxidation of isopropanol using the aerosol nanocatalysis method in a vibro-fluidized bed of a catalytic system. Etherification processes are used to produce ethers, which are high-octane additives to motor fuels. Catalytic oxidation processes using alcohols as fuels will have improved environmental performance. Such catalytic heat generators are promising for the generation of thermal energy in cities where more stringent environmental standards exist. It was found that the introduction of acids to the pore structures of zeolite NaX using ammonium nitrate leads to an acceleration of conversion reaction of IPA to DIPE in the temperature range of 180-240°C at the investigated vibrational frequencies of 1.4 and 2.0 Hz and the catalyst concentration of 2.5 g/m3 of the reactor. For the process of etherification reactions by aerosol nanocatalysis there is an optimal temperature range (180-220°C), in which the maximum selectivity of the conversion of IPA to DIPE is observed. An increase in the oxidation temperature from 400 to 550°C leads to a decrease in the selectivity of the reactions of CO2 formation from 100% to 87% at a frequency of 3 Hz. The concentration of the Fe2O3 catalyst is 5 g/m3 of the reactor. A mathematical model of the process of deep catalytic oxidation of IPA is constructed, taking into account the influence of the vibration frequency of the catalytic system on the degree of conversion of IPA at a given temperature (440°C) and catalyst concentration (5 g/m3 reactor). Thе optimum temperature for DIPE etherification reaction using IPA as the feed, under conditions of aerosol nanocatalysis at an oscillation frequency of 1.4 Hz is 220°C, where selectivity of 78.1% is achieved, which is 1.17 times higher than in technology using heterogeneous catalysis. An increase in the acidity of NaX zeolite by the addition of ammonium nitrate is recommended, which leads to an acceleration of etherification reactions using this catalyst under conditions of mechanochemical activation. The high selectivity of the etherification reaction is maintained at a constant level by continuous mechanochemical activation, which is confirmed by the 60 hours of laboratory operation. The optimal conditions for catalytic oxidation are at a temperature of 400°C, an oscillation frequency of 3.0 Hz and a catalyst concentration of Fe2O3 of 5 g/m3 of the reactor. At these conditions, 100% selectivity of the conversion of IPA to CO2 is achieved. Technological schemes using the principles of aerosol nanocatalysis for etherification of DIPE and a catalytic heat generator using IPA as fuel are proposed. The involvement of isopropyl alcohol as a raw material in the etherification process and in the technology of a catalytic heat generator using aerosol nanocatalysis is a promising direction in the development of the chemical industry.