Enhancement of Industrial Hydroformylation Processes by the Adoption of Rhodium-Based Catalyst: Part II

Part I of this article (), which appeared in the July 2007 issue of Platinum Metals Review, described the substantial cost and technical benefits brought to the hydroformylation of propylene with carbon monoxide and hydrogen (an ‘oxo’reaction) by replacing the previous high-pressure cobalt-catalysed technology with a low-pressure rhodium-based catalyst system (the LP Oxo SM Process). The background to the rhodium process and its development to the point of first commercialisation were reviewed. This article (Part II) covers some of the improvements made to the LP Oxo SM Process after the early plants started operation, and its uses in non-propylene applications.