Hydroformylation in Microemulsions: Proof of Concept in a Miniplant

The implementation of the hydroformylation reaction for the conversion of long-chain alkenes into aldehydes still remains challenging on an industrial scale. One possible approach to overcoming this challenge is to apply tunable systems employing surfactants. Therefore, a novel process concept for the hydroformylation of long-chain alkenes to aldehydes in microemulsions is being investigated and developed at Technische Universitat Berlin, Germany. To test the applicability of this concept for the hydroformylation in microemulsions on a larger scale, a miniplant has been constructed and operated. This contribution presents the proof of concept for hydroformylation in microemulsions carried out during a 200 h miniplant operation. Throughout the operation a stable aldehyde yield of 21% and a catalyst loss in the product phase below 0.1 ppm were achieved, which confirms previous lab scale findings. Additionally, solution strategies for a stable continuous operation to overcome challenges such as foaming, phase separation issues, and coalescence dynamics are discussed herein.