Enhancement of Industrial Hydroformylation Processes by the Adoption of Rhodium-Based Catalyst: Part II KEY IMPROVEMENTS TO RHODIUM PROCESS, AND USE IN NON-PROPYLENE APPLICATIONS

Part I of this article (1), which appeared in the July 2007 issue of Platinum Metals Review, described the substantial cost and technical benefits brought to the hydroformylation of propylene with carbon monoxide and hydrogen (an 'oxo' reaction) by replacing the previous high-pressure cobalt-catalysed technology with a low-pressure rhodium-based catalyst system (the LP Oxo(SM) Process). The background to the rhodium process and its development to the point of first commercialisation were reviewed. This article (Part II) covers some of the improvements made to the LP Oxo(SM) Process after the early plants started operation, and its uses in non-propylene applications.