Biphasic Catalysis – Industrial

AbstractBiphasic techniques are among the recent improvements in homogeneous catalysis. Biphasic catalysis is thus the most successful variant of an immobilization technique that anchors the catalyst on a liquid support. Till date, processes that have been applied industrially are the oligomerization of ethylene to α‐olefins (Shell's SHOP process), the hydroformylation of propylene ton‐butyraldehyde (Ruhrchemie/Rhône‐Poulenc process), and the hydrodimerization of butadiene ton‐octanol or 1,9‐nonanediol (Kuraray process). While these are operated with capacities of roughly 2 million tons annually, there are also small‐scale applications yielding intermediates. Because of the inherent advantage of this method, especially in environmental respects, biphasic processes of catalysis will grow further and reach top relevance.