US 12458954 B1Patent grantUnited States

MOF-Derived Catalyst for MEK Production

Official patent title

Co3O4@c derived from metal-organic frameworks use for production of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)

Arabic title: استخدام Co3O4@c المشتق من الأطر الفلزية العضوية لإنتاج ميثيل إيثيل كيتون (MEK)

Invention

Problem

Catalytic dehydrogenation of 2-butanol can be limited by incomplete conversion, competing side reactions, insufficient selectivity, catalyst cost or lifetime, and demanding operating conditions.

Why it matters

A selective solid catalyst could support more controlled MEK process research, but conversion, selectivity, stability, regeneration, cobalt handling, hydrogen co-product management, and scale-up require independent verification.

Approach

The method passes gas-phase 2-butanol over a ZIF-67-derived Co3O4@C catalyst at elevated temperature while sparging the reactor, producing MEK and hydrogen by dehydrogenation.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include MEK process developers, catalyst manufacturers, solvent producers, metal-organic-framework researchers, and chemical-engineering laboratories studying alcohol dehydrogenation.

Potential value

The disclosure links a carbon-supported cobalt-oxide catalyst derived from ZIF-67 with specified particle sizes, calcination conditions, reactor temperature, gas-flow ranges, and claimed conversion and selectivity values.

Background

MEK is used as a solvent in lubricating-oil dewaxing, printing inks, adhesives, extraction, and other chemical processes. Vapor-phase dehydrogenation of 2-butanol is an established production route, but catalyst choice affects conversion, selectivity, side reactions, temperature, and service life. Prior systems include copper-, nickel-, and membrane-based catalysts. The patent investigates a cobalt-oxide/carbon nanocomposite formed by calcining a ZIF-67 metal-organic framework and uses it in a gas-sparged reactor that also produces hydrogen.

Technology overview

Claim 1 contacts gas-phase 2-butanol with Co3O4 nanoparticles of 1–100 nm dispersed in a carbon matrix at about 300 °C. The catalyst is formed by calcining ZIF-67 at 400 °C or less and is claimed to provide at least 70 mol.% conversion and at least 97.0% selectivity to MEK. Additional claims specify results at 250 °C, 275 °C, and 300 °C, narrower particle ranges, a carbon shell, calcination windows, and gas hourly space velocity ranges.

Potential applications

Potential catalytic MEK production from 2-butanol.
Potential alcohol-dehydrogenation reactor research.
Potential hydrogen co-product recovery studies.
Potential MOF-derived catalyst scale-up and regeneration research.

Evidence-supported advantages

Uses a solid Co3O4@C catalyst derived from ZIF-67.
Produces MEK and hydrogen in one dehydrogenation reaction.
Defines particle-size, calcination, temperature, and gas-flow ranges.
Claims conversion and selectivity values at several temperatures.

Development stage

Patent publication describing catalyst fabrication, characterization, and MEK production testing; independent validation and commercialization were not established.

Commercial opportunity

The process may interest MEK, solvent, and catalyst developers. Scale-up work should independently reproduce conversion and selectivity, quantify mass and carbon balances, identify by-products, establish catalyst lifetime and regeneration, manage cobalt exposure, optimize heat and gas flow, recover hydrogen safely, verify product purity, assess reactor materials, and compare lifecycle economics with established MEK routes.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

B01J23/75Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J21/18Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

CPC

B01J21/18Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J23/75Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/45Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/505Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/70Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J37/086Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C07C45/002Acyclic or carbocyclic compounds
C07C49/10Acyclic or carbocyclic compounds

Inventors

First inventorMohamed Nady Abd El-Hameed Ibrahim
InventorAbd El-Aziz Ahmed Said

Keywords

methyl ethyl ketone
2-butanol
dehydrogenation
Co3O4@C
ZIF-67
metal-organic framework
catalyst
hydrogen co-product

Patent document and drawings

The patent publication is mapped to this record. Patent drawings remain within that publication; no separately cleared public media package has been supplied.