Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide an ammonia decomposition catalyst that is capable of efficiently decomposing ammonia into nitrogen and hydrogen and that has high mechanical strength, and a method for producing hydrogen and nitrogen by using the ammonia decomposition catalyst. The ammonia decomposition catalyst according to the present invention is characterized in comprising cobalt (A); one or more rare earth elements (B) selected from cerium, yttrium and lanthanum; one or more alkaline-earth metal elements (C) selected from barium and strontium; zirconium (D); and one or more calcium compounds (E) selected from calcium carbonate, calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide; wherein the ammonia decomposition catalyst comprises the cobalt (A), the rare earth element (B), the alkaline-earth metal element (C) and the zirconium (D) as metals or oxides.

Abstract: A process for producing acrylic acid of the present invention comprises the step of conducting gas-phase oxidative dehydrogenation of a composition containing propionaldehyde using a solid catalyst containing molybdenum and vanadium as essential components, thereby obtaining acrylic acid. The obtained acrylic acid is preferably purified by crystallization, and a monomeric component containing the purified acrylic acid is polymerized to thereby give a hydrophilic resin such as an absorbent resin and a water-soluble resin.

Abstract: A catalyst for glycerin dehydration of the present invention comprises boron phosphate or a rare-earth metal phosphate, wherein a molar ratio P/B of phosphorus (P) to boron (B) or a molar ratio P/R of phosphorus (P) to a rare-earth metal (R) is more than 1.0 and 2.0 or less. An another catalyst for glycerin dehydration of the present invention comprises a combination of boron phosphate and a metal element or a combination of a rare-earth metal phosphate and a metal element other than a rare-earth metal, wherein a molar ratio M/(P+B) of a metal element (M) to phosphorus (P) and boron (B) or a molar ratio M/(P+R) of a metal element (M) to phosphorus (P) and a rare-earth metal (R) is more than 0.00005 and 0.5 or less.

Abstract: A process for producing acrylic acid of the present invention comprises the step of conducting gas-phase oxidative dehydrogenation of a composition containing propionaldehyde using a solid catalyst containing molybdenum and vanadium as essential components, thereby obtaining acrylic acid. The obtained acrylic acid is preferably purified by crystallization, and a monomeric component containing the purified acrylic acid is polymerized to thereby give a hydrophilic resin such as an absorbent resin and a water-soluble resin.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing acrolein, which exhibits a prolonged catalyst life, low energy consumption, and excellent efficiency, and which is earth-conscious, and a glycerin-containing composition which can preferably be used even in this process. The process for producing acrolein is one which includes bringing a raw material gas containing glycerin gas into contact with a solid acid catalyst in a reactor, and the partial pressure of the glycerin gas in the raw material gas is set to be from 0.01 to 30 kPa. The glycerin-containing composition is for use in a process for producing acrolein using a solid catalyst and includes a fatty acid and/or a fatty acid ester, and a total mass of the fatty acid and the fatty acid ester is from 0.001% to 5% by mass, relative to the glycerin.

Abstract: There is provided a process for producing acrolein, which makes it possible to obtain acrolein in high yield by dehydration of glycerin. Glycerin is allowed to coexist with a catalyst containing a rare earth metal salt crystal of phosphoric acid, thereby dehydrating the glycerin, wherein the crystal is obtained by calcining a solid which is formed by allowing a liquid containing water and a hydroxide of the rare earth metal and/or a dehydration condensate of the hydroxide to contain phosphate ions.

Abstract: There is provided a process for producing acrolein, which makes it possible to obtain acrolein in high yield by dehydration of glycerin. Glycerin is allowed to coexist with a catalyst containing a rare earth metal salt crystal of phosphoric acid, thereby dehydrating the glycerin, wherein the crystal is obtained by calcining a solid which is formed by allowing a liquid containing water and a hydroxide of the rare earth metal and/or a dehydration condensate of the hydroxide to contain phosphate ions.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing acrolein, which exhibits a prolonged catalyst life, low energy consumption, and excellent efficiency, and which is earth-conscious, and a glycerin-containing composition which can preferably be used even in this process. The process for producing acrolein is one which includes bringing a raw material gas containing glycerin gas into contact with a solid acid catalyst in a reactor, and the partial pressure of the glycerin gas in the raw material gas is set to be from 0.01 to 30 kPa. The glycerin-containing composition is for use in a process for producing acrolein using a solid catalyst and includes a fatty acid and/or a fatty acid ester, and a total mass of the fatty acid and the fatty acid ester is from 0.001% to 5% by mass, relative to the glycerin.

Abstract: There is provided a process for producing acrolein from glycerin, exhibiting a suppressed decrease in the yield of acrolein with time. In the process for producing acrolein by dehydrating glycerin in the presence of a catalyst containing a metal phosphate, one, or two or more, metal phosphates are used, which are selected from aluminum salts, zirconium salts, manganese salts, alkali metal salts (provided that the alkali metal is sodium, potassium, or cesium, and the ratio between the mole number (M) of the alkali metal and the mole number (P) of phosphoric acid (i.e., M/P ratio) in the metal phosphate is 2.0 or lower), alkali earth metal salts (provided that the ratio between the mole number (M) of the alkali earth metal and the mole number (P) of phosphoric acid (i.e., M/P ratio) in the metal phosphate is 1.0 or lower), and the like.

Abstract: There is provided a process for producing acrolein from glycerin, exhibiting a suppressed decrease in the yield of acrolein with time. In the process for producing acrolein by dehydrating glycerin in the presence of a catalyst containing a metal phosphate, one, or two or more, metal phosphates are used, which are selected from aluminum salts, zirconium salts, manganese salts, alkali metal salts (provided that the alkali metal is sodium, potassium, or cesium, and the ratio between the mole number (M) of the alkali metal and the mole number (P) of phosphoric acid (i.e., M/P ratio) in the metal phosphate is 2.0 or lower), alkali earth metal salts (provided that the ratio between the mole number (M) of the alkali earth metal and the mole number (P) of phosphoric acid (i.e., M/P ratio) in the metal phosphate is 1.0 or lower), and the like.

Abstract: In producing alkanolamines by use of a microporous material as a catalyst, the difficulty in industrially performing the production because of the short lifetime of the catalyst is resolved. A process of regenerating the catalyst by removing an organic substance deposited on the catalyst by means of decomposing and/or extracting the substance is introduced, and thereby steady production is carried out substantially over the long term by switching the reaction and the regenerating processes.

Abstract: Alkylene glycol is oxidized in a vapor phase in the presence of alcohol (a), oxygen, and a catalyst (a) (primary reaction). &agr;-oxoaldehyde, and alcohol (b) or olefin, are oxidized in a vapor phase in the presence of oxygen and a catalyst (b) (secondary reaction). A molar ratio of the alkylene glycol to the alcohol (a) is preferably in a range of 1/100 to 5/1. It is preferable that one same compound is used as the alcohol (a) and the alcohol (b). In the case where the primary and secondary reactions are successively executed, a reaction device in which a primary reactor and a secondary reactor are connected in a two-stage connection type is preferably used. This ensures that a method is provided that is capable of producing &agr;-oxoaldehyde at a higher yield than conventionally, and further, that is capable of stably obtaining an &agr;-oxoaldehyde solution or gas with a higher concentration than conventionally.

Abstract: A process for producing an alkylene sulfide, which comprises the step of subjecting a mercaptoalkanol to an intramolecular dehydration reaction in the presence of an acidic dehydration catalyst, to produce the alkylene sulfide, in which the intramolecular dehydration reaction is conducted under at least one conditions of (1) to (3). (1) The intramolecular dehydration reaction is conducted in at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of compounds having an amide group N-substituted with a hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, compounds having an unsubstituted amide group, compounds having a ureylene group N-substituted with a hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and compounds having an unsubstituted ureylene group. (2) The intramolecular dehydration reaction is conducted in a solvent under such temperature and pressure conditions that the reaction temperature T (.degree.C.) and the boiling point tb (.degree.C.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing .alpha.-oxocarboxylate includes the steps of: (i) carrying out a vapor phase oxidation of 1,2-diol of formula (1) in a primary reaction vessel, (ii) introducing a resulting gaseous .alpha.-oxoaldehyde and/or .alpha.-hydroxyaldehyde in a secondary reaction vessel together with alcohol or olefin which is converted into a gas form in a vaporizing chamber, and (iii) carrying out an oxidative esterification of the gaseous .alpha.-oxoaldehyde and/or .alpha.-hydroxyaldehyde molecular oxygen in a presence of inorganic oxide containing phosphorus as a catalyst in the secondary reaction vessel, ##STR1## (R is a hydrogen atom or an organic residue). The described method permits .alpha.-oxocarboxylate to be manufactured economically and effectively in practically one step using inexpensive 1,2-diol such as ethylene glycol or propylene glycol.

Abstract: A catalyst for the production of a substituted benzaldehyde by catalytic vapor-phase oxidation of a substituted toluene, which catalyst has as a catalytically active substance being composed of an oxide represented by the general formula III:V.sub.a Mo.sub.b X.sub.c Y.sub.d O.sub.e (III)wherein V, Mo, and O are respectively for vanadium, molybdenum, and oxygen, X is at least one element selected from the group consisting of sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and thallium, Y is at least one element selected from the group consisting of niobium, tantalum, phosphorus, antimony, bismuth, tellurium, tin, lead, boron, copper, and silver, and a, b, c, d, and e indicate the atomic ratios of relevant elements such that where a+b=1, then b=0.05 to 0.4, c=0.1 to 1, d=0 to 1, and e=the value determined by the state of oxidation of other elements.