Alcohols as Petrochemicals

Abstract

Efficient processes have been developed in recent years for the large‐scale manufacture of alcohols from petrochemicals. These allow production of aliphatic alcohols both with short and with long alkyl groups more economically than was previously possible by fermentation. In this paper the most important principles and the technical execution of the hydration of olefins, the air oxidation of paraffins, and especially the synthesis reactions (e.g. the catalytic hydroformylation of olefins with carbon monoxide and hydrogen according to Roelen, the Reppe synthesis, and the Ziegler growth reaction with ethylene and triethylaluminum) are described.