Regeneration of an alumopalladium hydrogenation catalyst in the process of supercritical CO2 fluid extraction

Abstract

Using a specially created experimental setup, the crossover character of a change in solubility is determined, and the approximate pressure at the upper crossover point is found (≈19 MPa). The modification of carbon dioxide with chloroform is shown to increase its solubility by 2–2.5 times on average within the above range of conditions. The supercritical CO₂ fluid extraction (SCFE) process is studied as it applies to the regeneration of LD-265 alumopalladium hydrogenation catalyst. Dimethylsulfoxide and ethanol are selected as cosolvents (modifiers). Maximum regeneration efficiency is established at a 5.5–6.5 wt % concentration of cosolvents, and dimethylsulfoxide proves to be a more efficient cosolvent than ethanol. The diene and bromine numbers and styrene and methylcyclopentadiene conversions obtained on catalysts regenerated via SCFE satisfy the requirements for catalytic systems used in the selective hydrogenation of dienes in a benzene–toluene–xylene fraction.