C9-aldehyde hydrogenation over nickel/kieselguhr catalysts in trickle bed reactor

The objective of the present study was to select the optimal catalyst and operating conditions for the manufacture of C9-alcohol, using C9-aldehyde and hydrogen, in a trickle bed reactor. When CaO, Ce2O3 or MgO was added as a promoter to the Ni/kieselguhr catalyst, the BET and Ni surface areas were increased. In the reaction for the manufacture of C9-alcohol, using C9-aldehyde and hydrogen in a batch reactor, a Ni–MgO/kieselguhr catalyst showed the highest activity. In addition, the catalyst using Na2CO3 as a precipitant showed the highest activity. According to the result of an experiment to find the optimal reaction conditions for C9-alcohol synthesis, using C9-aldehyde and hydrogen in a trickle bed reactor loaded with Ni–MgO/kieselguhr catalyst, the highest yield of C9-alcohol was 91.5 wt% at 130 °C, 400 psi and WHSV = 3. The C9-aldehyde hydrogenation performance of the Ni–MgO/kieselguhr catalyst was similar to that of a Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst, but superior to that of Cu–Ni–Cr–Na/Al2O3 and Ni–Mo/Al2O3 catalysts. In a long-term catalysis test, the Ni–MgO/kieselguhr catalyst showed higher stability than the Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst.