Abstract
A highly selective continuous-flow process is developed for liquid-phase dehydrogenation to produce a high yield of hydroquinone in a millimetre-scale structured multichannel reactor.
Highlights
IntroductionHydroquinone is a key intermediate (benzene ring with two hydroxyl groups) in the production of many high-value fine chemicals and pharmaceutical ingredients, with hydroquinone currently produced from petroleum-based feedstocks such as benzene, phenol, and aniline.[4]
Hydroquinone is a key intermediate in the production of many high-value fine chemicals and pharmaceutical ingredients, with hydroquinone currently produced from petroleum-based feedstocks such as benzene, phenol, and aniline.[4]
The catalytic performance of multiphase dehydrogenation reaction can be assumed as a sequence of fundamental steps: (1) diffusion of 1,4-cyclohexanedione from the liquid feed stream to the surface of the Pd/C particles, (2) subsequent diffusion through the pore network of activated carbon, (3) followed by adsorption on the metallic Pd catalyst surface, (4) surface reaction leading to the formation of products, (5) eventually the desorption of the products from the metallic Pd catalyst surface, (6) which diffuse away from the catalyst surface through the pore structure back to the bulk stream
Summary
Hydroquinone is a key intermediate (benzene ring with two hydroxyl groups) in the production of many high-value fine chemicals and pharmaceutical ingredients, with hydroquinone currently produced from petroleum-based feedstocks such as benzene, phenol, and aniline.[4] It has commercial applications such as an antioxidant in skincare products,[5] as a polymerization inhibitor,[6] and as a photo-developing agent.[7]. The main disadvantage of using slurry reactors is that the reactants face a range of residence times and varying operating conditions that are dependent on their location in the reactor This results in inefficient heat and mass transfer that can result in poor selectivity, with typical fine chemical processes producing 20–100 kg of unwanted by-products per kg of desired product.[13]
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