Sustainable Catalysis for Fuels and Chemicals with Gas- Expanded Liquids

摘要

A gas-expanded liquid (GXL) phase is formed by dissolving a compressible gas such as CO2 or a light olefin into the traditional liquid phase. The resulting liquid phase is termed CO2-expanded liquid or CXL when CO2 is used as the expansion gas. This talk will address the various unique ways in which GXL media have been exploited by CEBC researchers to develop greener catalytic process concepts for O2 and H2O2-based oxidations, hydroformylations and ozonolysis for fuels and chemicals. The demonstrated advantages include process intensification at mild conditions by increasing dissolution of the limiting reagent (gaseous reactants such as O2 or syngas or light olefins) in the GXL reaction phase;enhancing inherent safety by suppression of flammable vapors;and waste mitigation by reduced usage of organic solvents and by suppression of side reactions that generate undesired byproducts such as CO2.