Synthesis of Amine-Terminated Polyether over Cobalt Catalyst: Influence of Reaction Parameters

Abstract

Trifunctional amine-terminated polyether is synthesized continuously over Al2O3-supported Co catalyst in the presence of hydrogen by using a fixed-bed process, and the reactor is 800 ml in volume. The experiments show that the Al2O3-supported Co is effective for the catalytic amination of polyether polyols. When the temperature is 190°C, the pressure is 4 MPa, the total amine of the product is up to 350 mgKOH/g. A ratio (15–20 v%) of hydrogen in the feed, which is a little higher than that required for supported Ni catalyst, is necessary to prevent the undesired side reactions when the amination is performed over Co catalysts. The flow rate exerts a tremendous influence on the degree of amination. The appropriate flow rate for catalytic amination polyether polyols to produce amine-terminated polyether is 0.5 ml/min, where the space time is 0.1 h−1. The total amine of the product is up to 350 mgKOH/g, and the primary amine exceeds 94%, which meets the industrial application requirement.