Abstract
Homogeneous Co/Mn/Br catalyzed aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol in acetic acid to benzaldehyde was performed in polytetrafluoroethylene microreactors operated under slug flow at temperatures up to 150°C and pressures up to 5 bar. Depending on the bubble velocity and length, a wetted or dewetted slug flow was observed, characterized typically by a complete or partially wetting liquid film around the bubble body. The latter flow suffered from a limited interfacial area for mass transfer. Experiments at temperatures up to ca. 90°C were under kinetic control given no product yield difference under wetted and dewetted slug flows and were used to establish a simplified kinetic expression (first order in benzyl alcohol and zero order in oxygen). This allows to develop a mass transfer model combined with an instantaneous reaction regime that well described the experimental results at higher temperatures where mass transfer was limiting in the dewetted slug flow.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e17005 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | AIChE Journal |
Volume | 66 |
Issue number | 11 |
Early online date | 21-Aug-2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 19-Oct-2020 |
Keywords
- benzyl alcohol oxidation
- mass transfer
- microreactor
- slug flow
- wettability
- P-XYLENE OXIDATION
- GAS-LIQUID
- 2-PHASE FLOW
- ACETIC-ACID
- 2,5-FURANDICARBOXYLIC ACID
- CATALYZED OXIDATION
- TEREPHTHALIC ACID
- PHASE OXIDATION
- PRESSURE-DROP
- AIR-OXIDATION