Studies in the catalytic conversion of ethanol to butadeine

Abstract

Ethanol obtained from molasses (a by-product of the Indian sugar industry) can be utilized for the production of butadiene. Butadiene can readily be polymerized to yield synthetic rubber, which is of great significance both for military as well as civil purposes. The investigations described in this thesis deal with the catalytic conversion of ethanol to butadiene. Seven different catalysts having both dehydrogenating (factor A) and dehydrating (factor B) functions in different measures were studied. The effect of catalyst composition, temperature, and space velocity on the yield of butadiene has been systematically studied. A catalyst having dehydrogenating function 75 and dehydrating function 25 (A:B :: 75:25) has been found to be the best. The optimum temperature range for a space velocity of 760 has been found to be 425°C - 450°C. For a space velocity of 1,638, 475°C has been found to be the optimum temperature. A new system of evaluating the catalysts on the basis of the true dehydrogenation and dehydration efficiencies is suggested.