PURPOSE: To produce an aromatic polyhydric alcohol on an industrial scale in high productivity and yield.
CONSTITUTION: A copper-based catalyst having lowered activity is activated by heating under hydrogen pressure. An aromatic polyhydric alcohol is produced by the catalytic hydrogenative decomposition of an aromatic polybasic carboxylic acid ester in the presence of the above activated catalyst. The activation treatment is carried out under hydrogen pressure generally by a batch or continuous suspension process in the presence of a solvent for a powdery catalyst or by a fixed bed process for a tablet catalyst. Solvent may or may not be used in the fixed bed process. The hydrogen pressure in the activation process is generally higher the better and practically it is preferably ≥10kg/cm2 G, especially about 100kg/cm2G. The activation is insufficient under a pressure of <10kg/cm2G and an unnecessarily high pressure requires a particular pressure apparatus to increase the production cost. The activation temperature is preferably about 120-300°C.
Nagata Manabu
Nakazawa Mikiro
