Catalytica Acetaldehyde Process

Catalytica (Mountain View, CA) has announced the development of a new palladium/phosphomolybdovanadate polyoxoanion catalyst system that can be used in place of the palladium/copper chloride catalyst system employed in existing Hoechst-Wacker acetaldehyde processes with little or no modification to the existing equipment. The process is said to have been successfully tested on a commercial scale at an undisclosed plant.

With the palladium/phosphomolybdovanadate polyoxoanion catalyst system, the production of chlorinated organic by-products, which can cause hygienic and disposal problems, is reduced to less than 1% of the amount produced when a palladium/copper chloride catalyst is used. This review describes Catalytica's catalyst system for the manufacture of acetaldehyde, and discusses the advantages of using its catalyst system in an existing Wacker process and in a new grass-roots facility.