Investigation of hydrogenation of toluene to methylcyclohexane in a trickle bed reactor by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is applied to study the hydrogenation of toluene in a lab-scale reactor. A conventional benchtop NMR system was modified to achieve chemical shift resolution. After an off-line validity check of the approach, the reaction product is analyzed on-line during the process, applying chemometric data processing. The conversion of toluene to methylcyclohexane is compared with off-line gas chromatographic analysis. Both classic analytical and chemometric data processing was applied. As the results, which are obtained within a few tens of seconds, are equivalent within the experimental accuracy of both methods, low-field NMR spectroscopy was shown to provide an analytical tool for reaction characterization and immediate feedback.
SRG10-2, Institute for Mechanical Process Engineering and Mechanics, Universität Karlsruhe (TH), 76128 Karlsruhe, Germany. Gisela.guthausen@mvm.uni-karlsruhe.de
Gisela
G
Guthausen
Agnes
A
von Garnier
Rainer
R
Reimert