The Partial Oxidation of Methanol over Silver

Formaldehyde production from methanol over silvercatalyst is a fast exothermic process where dilutionis used to control heat release. These properties areindicators of Process Intensification potential. Theprocess is run adiabatically and produces hydrogen(currently left in the tail gas which is burnt). Toinvestigate the possibility of using a combination ofheat exchange and a lower concentration of oxygen inthe feed stream to increase hydrogen selectivitywhile maintaining the required formaldehyde yield acomplete reaction mechanism is necessary. This bookcombines a review of existing literature on themechanism of formaldehyde production over silver withan extensive experimental investigation andmicrokinetic modelling to give a clearer picture ofthe reaction mechanism. It then outlines the pathwaysand reaction species that require furtherinvestigation. This information should be useful forstudents and researchers looking at reactions oversilver catalyst.