	US 12,202,793 B2
	Process for converting methanol to formaldehyde
Wensheng Chen, Friendswood, TX (US); Justin Dodson, League City, TX (US); Steve Alexander, Houston, TX (US); Monty Sinnreich, Corpus Christi, TX (US); and Randal Jendrzey, Corpus Christi, TX (US)
Assigned to Celanese International Corporation, Irving, TX (US)
Appl. No. 17/773,961
Filed by CELANESE INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, Irving, TX (US)
PCT Filed Nov. 12, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/060128 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 3, 2022, PCT Pub. No. WO2021/097023, PCT Pub. Date May 20, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/935,713, filed on Nov. 15, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0388936 A1, Dec. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. C07C 45/51 (2006.01); B01J 8/04 (2006.01); B01J 23/50 (2006.01); C07C 45/38 (2006.01); C07C 47/04 (2006.01)

CPC C07C 47/04 (2013.01) [B01J 8/0492 (2013.01); B01J 23/50 (2013.01); C07C 45/38 (2013.01); C07C 45/512 (2013.01)]

23 Claims

1. A method comprising:

passing a feed stream comprising methanol and oxygen through a layered catalyst bed having a first layer comprising a first silver catalyst particles and a second layer comprising a second silver catalyst particles that are different than the first silver catalyst particles, wherein the feed stream passes through the first layer before the second layer, wherein the first silver catalyst particles has a greater reaction activity for converting methanol and oxygen to formaldehyde, and wherein the first silver catalyst particles have sieved particle sizes ranging from about 0.25 mm to about 4 mm; and

reacting the methanol and the oxygen in the presence of the catalysts to produce a product stream comprising formaldehyde.