Youn-Seok Park

Carbon-supported palladium-ruthenium catalyst for hydropurification of terephthalic acid

Abstract The ruthenium-incorporated catalyst, (0.3% Pd–0.2% Ru)/CCM (carbon carbonaceous composite material) catalyst, has been studied as a candidate to replace an existing 0.5% Pd/C catalyst for hydropurification of crude terephthalic acid; it gives an excellent performance and is a promising catalyst. It has been confirmed that the (0.3% Pd–0.2% Ru)/CCM catalyst has higher stability in actual commercial condition and aging in lab condition compared with a commercial catalyst. The increased stability may be explained as the effect of ruthenium to prevent the sintering of supported metal particles. The (0.3% Pd–0.2% Ru)/CCM catalyst shows equal or less amount of side reaction of benzene ring hydrogenation. The dust from carbon support can also be decreased from the (0.3% Pd–0.2% Ru)/CCM catalyst due to the increased strength of the CCM. The (0.3% Pd–0.2% Ru)/CCM catalyst may be very competitive to the existing catalyst due to the inexpensive ruthenium and the expected long life of the catalyst.

Effects of alkali metals on the liquid phase oxidation of p-xylene

The effects of alkali metals on the oxidation of p-xylene (p-X) have been studied. The oxidation reaction is eventually promoted due to the alkali metal itself, even though the reaction is decelerated a bit in the beginning of the reaction. The promoting effect of alkali metal is not related to the basicity or to the anion. The effect increases as the concentration of Mn or Br decreases. The acceleration effect generally increases with the degree of deceleration in the beginning of the reaction. Through the analysis of products, one may understand that the alkali metal does not change the reaction mechanism.