JP-2026075841-A - Methods for producing alcohol

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a method for producing alcohol that can suppress the formation of by-products while improving reactivity. [Solution] A method for producing alcohol, comprising a hydrogenation step in which a raw material carboxylic acid and hydrogen gas are reacted in the presence of a catalyst (A) containing Co, Fe, and Zr to obtain an alcohol. [Selection Diagram] None

Inventors

• 小林 岳史
• 森 健太

Assignees

• 花王株式会社

Dates

Publication Date

20260511

Application Date

20241023

Claims (6)

1. In the presence of a catalyst (A) containing Co, Fe, and Zr, A method for producing alcohol, comprising a hydrogenation step in which a raw material carboxylic acid is reacted with hydrogen gas to obtain an alcohol.
2. The method for producing alcohol according to claim 1, wherein the Fe content in the catalyst (A) is 0.1 moles or more and 30 moles or less per 100 moles of Co.
3. The method for producing an alcohol according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the raw material carboxylic acid is an aliphatic carboxylic acid having 8 to 24 carbon atoms.
4. The method for producing alcohol according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reaction temperature of the hydrogenation step is 150°C or higher and 300°C or lower.
5. The method for producing alcohol according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gauge pressure of the hydrogen gas in the hydrogenation step is 1.0 MPaG or more and 10 MPaG or less.
6. A catalyst (A) containing Co, Fe, and Zr, used in a method for producing alcohols using carboxylic acids as raw materials, A catalyst (A) wherein the Fe content is 0.1 moles or more and 30 moles or less per 100 moles of Co.

Description

This invention relates to a method for producing alcohol. The catalytic hydrogenation of fatty acid esters is a commonly known and widely used method for producing alcohols. On the other hand, attempts have been made to obtain alcohols by catalytic hydrogenation of free fatty acids in the presence of a catalyst. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing alcohol by hydrogenating a carboxylic acid under high-pressure conditions in the presence of a Co catalyst containing one or more elements selected from Zr, Y, La, Ce, Si, Al, Sc, V, and Mo. Patent Document 2 discloses a method for producing aliphatic alcohols by hydrogenating fatty acids or fatty acid esters under high-pressure conditions in the presence of a catalyst comprising a catalyst metal containing one or more elements selected from Co and Cu supported on a carrier. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-221199Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-104719 The present invention provides a method for producing alcohol, comprising a hydrogenation step in which a carboxylic acid and hydrogen gas are reacted in the presence of a catalyst (A) containing Co, Fe, and Zr to obtain an alcohol. According to the present invention, the effect is to suppress the formation of by-products while improving reactivity. The reason for this is not entirely clear, but it can be considered as follows: When Fe is used as a co-catalyst for Co and Zr, some or all of the Co and Fe alloy together, resulting in an optimal catalyst surface structure. Furthermore, the Zr compound further disperses the Co and Fe, significantly improving reactivity. As a result, it is believed that when catalyst (A) is used in a method for producing alcohols using carboxylic acids as raw materials, it is possible to improve reactivity while suppressing the formation of by-products compared to conventional catalysts. [Catalyst (A)] The present invention provides a method for producing alcohol, using a catalyst (A) containing specific components (Co, Fe, Zr). The Co, Fe, and Zr contained in catalyst (A) may be oxides. The Fe content in catalyst (A) is preferably 0.01 moles or more, more preferably 0.05 moles or more, even more preferably 0.1 moles or more, and even more preferably 1 mole or more, per 100 moles of Co, and preferably 60 moles or less, more preferably 40 moles or less, even more preferably 30 moles or less, even more preferably 20 moles or less, and even more preferably 15 moles or less, from the viewpoint of improving reactivity and suppressing the formation of by-products. The Fe content in catalyst (A) can be specifically determined by measurement using the method described in the examples. The Zr content in catalyst (A) is preferably 1 mole or more, more preferably 5 moles or more, even more preferably 10 moles or more, and preferably 40 moles or less, more preferably 30 moles or less, and even more preferably 25 moles or less, per 100 moles of Co, from the viewpoint of improving reactivity and suppressing the formation of by-products. The Zr content in catalyst (A) can be specifically determined by measurement using the method described in the examples. By including Fe and Zr along with Co in catalyst (A), the effects of the present invention are obtained, which include improving reactivity while suppressing the formation of by-products. In the alcohol production method of the present invention, a catalyst (A) containing specific components (Co, Fe, Zr) is used, but a catalyst (A) in which Co, Fe, and Zr are supported on a carrier may also be used. The support for catalyst (A) is not particularly limited as long as it can support specific components (Co, Fe, Zr). From the viewpoint of improving catalytic activity and selectivity, suitable supports for catalyst (A) include diatomaceous earth, alumina, silica, silica-alumina, magnesia, zirconia, titania, ceria, activated carbon, and composite oxides thereof. Furthermore, if the support for catalyst (A) is zirconia, even if the components contained in catalyst (A) are only two components, Co and Fe, it will still be considered catalyst (A) of the present invention. If catalyst (A) contains a support, the amount of support in catalyst (A) is preferably 80% by mass or less, more preferably 50% by mass or less, and even more preferably 30% by mass or less. The shape of the carrier is not particularly limited, and is usually a powder, with a median diameter (d50) of typically 1 to 300 μm, but other shapes derived from the powder may be used as needed. Catalyst (A) may contain other metal components besides the specific components (Co, Fe, Zr), as long as they do not impair the effects of the present invention. Other metal components that can be used to improve catalytic activity and selectivity include, for example, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Sr, Y, Nb, No, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, In, Sn, Cs, Ba, W, Re, Ir, Pt, Au, Bi, La, Ce, etc. The content of other metal components in catalyst (A) is prefera