Evaluation of Sponge Metal Catalysts in a Trickle Bed Reactor for the Continuous Hydrogenation of an Aliphatic Nitro Intermediate

Nine sponge nickel catalysts were assessed for the reduction of an aliphatic nitro group in a trickle bed reactor. FBRM (Focused Beam Reflectance Measurement) was used to asses mechanical strength and particle size distribution of the catalysts. The continuous reduction of (S)-7-methyl-7-(nitromethyl)-1,4-dioxaspiro[4.5]decane was investigated using a Raney® nickel catalyst in a fixed bed reactor. The use of a Luna ODiSl Temperature Probe and an FLIR thermal imaging camera were investigated to monitor the catalyst performance while running the process. 1.12 kg of the aliphatic nitro compound was reduced to the corresponding amine using a single 20 mL reactor containing 43 g of 3111A Raney® nickel over a period of 17 hours.