Abstract
A number of catalytic reduction methods for the preparation of unsaturated higher alcohol have been reported, but the production on an industrial scale by any of these methods has not been succeeded as yet in Japan.
The authors investigated the application of higher reduction pressure than the previously reported, aiming at effective reduction. As a results, a good yield (9095%) of unsaturated alcohol was obtained under the conditions of 300430 kg/sq·cm for the reaction pressure, 330°C for the reaction temperature, using 3%5% Zn-Al-O catalyst to raw methyl ester of rice bran oil.
According to the previous reports, as yet, good results could be only obtained by the charge less than 10% of the autoclave volume. On the other hand, the use of hydrogen at high pressure allows to increase the yield of alcohol obtainable as compared with the case of lower pressure. This should have merits, in case of industrial production, such as increase in efficiency and minimizing the equipment.
In addition, because of its high alcohol content, the reduction product can be immediately used as the raw material of surface active agents without processes for separation or refining. The authors, therefore, believe it is effective to apply the high pressure hydrogen (300430 atm) for the preparation of unsaturated alcohol.
