Process for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane
View Patent ↗A method for producing a mixture of ethylene and carbon monoxide by contacting ethane and an oxygen source with a catalyst comprising synthetic cryptomelane or octahedral molecular sieve. The method further comprises condensing the alkyl propionate with formaldehyde to produce an alkyl methacrylate.
1. A method for producing a mixture of ethylene and carbon monoxide by contacting ethane and carbon dioxide with a mixed valent catalyst comprising synthetic cryptomelane or octahedral molecular sieve at a temperature of at least 550° C. to produce ethylene and carbon monoxide.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the catalyst comprises a single transition element or a mixture of transition elements and further wherein the single transition element or the mixture of transition elements is present in the catalyst in a range of 0.1 to 50% by weight based upon total weight of the catalyst.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the transition element is iron.
4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising steps of:
(a) contacting an alcohol, and said ethylene and carbon monoxide with an ethylene carbonylation catalyst to produce an alkyl propionate; and
(b) separating the alkyl propionate from byproducts and starting materials.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising reacting the alkyl propionate with formaldehyde to produce an alkyl methacrylate.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein the alcohol is methanol, the alkyl propionate is methyl propionate and the alkyl methacrylate is methyl methacrylate.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising polymerizing the methyl methacrylate.
8. The method of claim 2 , further comprising co-polymerizing the ethylene and carbon monoxide.
9. The method of claim 2 , further comprising combining said ethylene and carbon monoxide with hydrogen to produce propionaldehyde.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising condensing the propionaldehyde with formaldehyde to produce methacrolein.