MODELING OF THE LIQUID-PHASE NORMAL-OCTANE OXIDATION CATALYZED BY COBALT

n-Octane liquid-phase oxidation with oxygen-nitrogen mixtures homogeneously catalyzed by cobalt palmitate has been studied. Molecular schemes of four and five reactions with two possibilities of kinetic equations used for lumping compounds are tested. Apparent rate constants are calculated by a multiresponse linear method, and discrimination among kinetic models is carried out by applying both statistical and physical criteria. Relationships of the apparent rate constants with temperature, oxygen partial pressure, and catalyst concentration are established, and parameters are optimized by nonlinear regression. The selected models are the same for catalytic and noncatalytic oxidation and describe in a suitable way the influence of temperature, oxygen partial pressure, and catalyst concentration on conversion and product selectivity. Finally, a discussion about lumping of different products based on experimental data is included. © 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.