Hydrodenitrogenation of pyridine over cobalt-molybdate catalyst.

Abstract

The vapour phase hydrogenation of pyridine was investigated in an integral flow reactor at a pressure of 5.617 M Pa over alumina-supported cobalt-molybdate catalyst. The effect of various process variables viz. temperature, reactant ratio and space time on the conversion of pyridine was studied. The kinetics of the hydrogenation of pyridine to form piperidine have been investigated. The reaction showed zero-order kinetics. However, the zero-order reaction rate constant, K, was found to be a function of the initial pyridine concentration, Cpo : K=KpCpo n where n is the order of the reaction rate constant in Cpo and Kp is a pseudo-rate constant. The order, n, was found to vary with temperature and could be expressed as: ℓnn=33.05-5.40ℓ nT 388°K<T<433°K where T is the absolute temperature, °K. The pseudo-second-order rate constant, Kp (for n=2), could be expressed as: ℓnKp=17.025-11 514RT where R is the universal gas constant, cal-gmole-1 -°K-1.