SELECTIVE OXIDATION IN RISER REACTOR

A recirculating solids riser reactor offers several advantages over fixed bed and fluidized bed reactors for vapor phase oxidation reactions. In such a reactor, the organic is oxidized in a riser reactor zone using oxidized catalyst, and the reduced catalyst is reoxidized to its optimum state in a separate fluidized bed regenerator zone. The recirculating catalyst remains in a transient cyclic state. The viability of the concept and its performance advantages over the alternatives will be described for oxidation of butane to maleic anhydride. Potential of the reactor in developing an improved understanding of the reaction pathway will also be discussed.