HYFO – Hydroformylation
Hydroformylation, the conversion of olefins and syngas to aldehydes, is a key reaction in chemical industry to produce specialty chemicals, which are subsequently used as solvent or resource to produce detergents, cleansers or plasticizers. Based on the knowledge and results from the previous projects the HYFO case will focus on the implementation and optimization of already established building blocks and reactor systems for a more efficient hydroformylation reaction. Therefore, the following aspects are of interest for optimization:
- Support structure for efficient use of catalytic system: pore structure as well as support material
- Catalytic system for improved yield and selectivity: ratios between ionic liquid phase, ligand and active species
- Polymeric membrane for separation efficiency and permeate flow: polymeric composition, coating procedure
- Operating parameters for improved process: start-up procedure, pressure & temperature range, through-put
In parallel, different engineering phases for the demo plant will focus on infrastructural modifications in the production environment to obtain real industrial conditions for the demo phase. For this purpose, the HYFO case will be placed in bypass to the conventional hydroformylation production plant at Evonik’s Marl site. Here, the demo plant will be run in the recycle stream of the plant (TRL 7), an ideal position regarding composition and flow of that stream to simulate a possible brownfield as well as green field implementation at a later stage.
