Technological Institute of the Philippines

INTRODUCTION

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Nitroline Philippine Corporation (NPC) is the first company to

manufacture aniline in the Philippines. It is a company with technology and
product sustainability, helping the socioeconomic and agriculture state in the
country. It provides great leadership towards their workers and shared-
responsibility to take care of the environment while producing the highest
standard of Aniline.

NPC will produce aniline through hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. The

raw materials – hydrogen and nitrobenzene are readily available inside the
Philippines. The main equipment used in this plant are the fluidized bed reactor
which is operating at 350C, continuous decanter, simple – continuous
distillation column, and the steam distillation column. The plant has a capacity
of 15,252.858 MT⁄year . The main consumers of aniline are the
pharmaceutical plants.

Nitroline Philippines Corporation is located in Sta. Maria Industrial

Park, Sta. Maria, Bulacan. The town is only a few hours away from Metro
Manila. Laguna and Manila is where most of the target market is located is 81.2
kilometers away from the location via North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).

Nitroline Philippines Corporation will first be introducing aniline in the

province where the company is located, then to the neighboring provinces; the
whole Philippines, to neighboring countries and then ultimately across
continents. The aniline to be produced by Nitroline Philippines Corporation will
be coming from nitrobenzene and hydrogen gas which is readily available not
only in the Philippines but as well as neighboring Asian countries. The

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production process starts with the feeding of raw materials into the fluidized
bed reactor, decantation, distillation then packaging.

The success of the company will depend on its product quality that must
satisfy the customer’s expectation. If the company successfully meet the
clients’ requirements, then the product might be considered highly acceptable
and of high quality. Therefore, the company is pledged to give the customer
high-quality of products by ensuring that the process on producing a product is
well-established and streamlined. The company will ensure that every product
is at its best quality and the raw materials meet the intended quality for
processing, checking the specification of the product e.g. purity, density, etc.
must be properly regulated and performing laboratory experiments to test if the
product’s quality is well within specifications. The company will implement
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) to ensure that every tank of aniline
produced contains quality liquid with purity of not less than 99% and that will
eventually become quality raw materials to their valued customers.

Nitroline Philippines Corporation will address the following constraints:

ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS

Aniline products are used to manufacture a variety of end-products,

ranging from polyurethane foam, Kevlar™ aramid fiber, and pharmaceuticals.
It is also used as an antioxidant, activator, and accelerator in the rubber
industry. The production cost of aniline by catalytic hydrogenation is 82%
lower compared to other processes.

The hydrogenation process provides an efficient recovery of high-purity

aniline, which is required in some applications. The major constraint is the
import of aniline. Since, there are no existing aniline plant here in the
Philippines, it is an advantage for Nitroline Philippines Corporation (NPC) to

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have the plant as one of the pioneer supplier of aniline in the country.
Moreover, the company will sell the product at a lower price and will create
partnership to different industries to supply their demand of aniline. However,
there are still factors that can affect the company’s profit:

1. Establishment of competing aniline plant

Since NPC is the only supplier of aniline here in the Philippines, the product
will be of high demand that will gain the company a high profit. Some
companies will have an idea of competing with NPC and in the future, there can
be more competitors in this industry.

NPC will advertise the product by providing brochures and having an improved
website where purchasing of the product will be easier. Building partnerships
with the costumer will also be an effective way for them to become loyal to
NPC.

2. Periodical changing of copper catalyst

The periodical changing of catalyst (every 300 hrs) will be quite expensive.

𝑘𝑔 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 1 𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑃ℎ𝑝 60,000 𝑷𝒉𝒑 𝟖, 𝟏𝟎𝟔, 𝟔𝟓𝟐. 𝟖𝟎

135,110.88 × × =
𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 1000 𝑘𝑔 𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓

Copper catalyst will cost 8,106,652.80 PhP per year. As a solution, NPC will
build partnership to the supplier of Copper catalyst and have an agreement with
them to give the company discounts.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS

Due to day-to-day plant operation, potential environmental damage that

may be resulted from the leakage, spill or any plant accident was considered.

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These has been assessed into three categories: (a) airborne emissions, and (b)
waste water effluent.

A. AIRBORNE EMISSIONS:

1. Fluidized bed reactor (R-101) leakage

Possible airborne emissions may be due to some leakage in equipment,

particularly the fluidized reactor R-101 that is operating at high temperature,
350C and high pressure 3.6 atm.

In case of these emissions, NPC is prepared by having third party

company (Evergreen Environmental Resources, Inc.) that will treat the gas that
will leak from the reactor.

2. Possible Error in purging hydrogen gas

In hydrogenation of nitrobenzene, purge of hydrogen is required to

avoid explosion of equipment because of high pressure. Hydrogen gas will be
purged from the condenser (E-201) But errors in purging hydrogen gas might
occur and high concentrations of this gas might be released to the environment
and might cause an oxygen- deficient environment.

In case of these emissions, NPC is prepared by having third party

company (Evergreen Environmental Resources, Inc.) that will treat the gas that
will leak from the condenser.

Furthermore, the company is set to follow the standards set by the Republic Act
No. 8749 (Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999) regarding the allowable amount of
emissions to the air.

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B. WASTEWATER EFFLUENT:

1. Possible leakage in the continuous decanter LS-201

Leakage in the decanter that contains the aniline-rich layer can be possible.
Concentrated aniline is highly toxic if released to the environment.

NPC is located in Sta. Maria Industrial Park and it is registered under the
Philippine Economic Zone (PEZA) and have environmental management
initiatives, where they will treat the water that will come out from our plant.

Wastewater emissions will be the most abundant in the plant but available
treatment facilities will be utilized. It is to ensure the compliance to the
standards set by the Republic Act No. 9275 (Clean Water Act of 2004),
Presidential Decree No. 984 (Pollution Control Law of 1976) and DENR
Administrative Order No. 90-35 (Revised Effluent Regulations of 1990).

HEALTH AND SAFETY CONSTRAINTS

The raw materials used in production of aniline are highly toxic. To maintain
high safety standards, compliance with the laws and regulations are very
important in putting up a business. Manufacturing companies face an additional
challenge because of having the potential to keeping the employees and
consumers a safe working area and harmonize working condition.

However, there will be some factors that affect the health and safety of the
employees:

A. HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS

1. Handling of hydrogen gas

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Hydrogen gas stored in GH-101 can cause explosion if not

handled properly. Hydrogen gas is light-sensitive and must be store in a light-
resistance container. In case of inhalation of hydrogen gas, the employee might
suffer from suffocation that can lead to death.

Employees that will be working near the storage tank of hydrogen gas
will undergo a briefing where they will be informed about safety precautions
and proper handling of hydrogen gas. The use of flame arrester is required to
stop flame in order to prevent a larger fire or explosion.

2. Handling of Aniline

Our product aniline is very hazardous in case of skin contact.

Leakage of aniline in the container is possible and in case of absorption by the
skin, this can lead to systemic damage.

Employees that will be working near the storage tank of hydrogen

gas will undergo a briefing where they will be informed about safety
precautions and proper handling of hydrogen gas.

B. INTENSIVE EQUIPMENT(S)

1. Fluidized bed Reactor operating at high temperature and pressure

Since the reactor is operating at high temperature (350C) and

high pressure (3.6 atm), employees that will be working near the equipment
will experience extreme heat and direct contact with the equipment can cause
suffocation and burns.

NPC will provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to all workers, and will
conduct seminars about safety precautions in working near the intensive
equipment.

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NPC will ensure every employee to provide a good and safe working
place as per its goal to be accredited by ISO certifications. This is one of the
priority of the company. The presence of the machines and raw materials make
adequate safety procedures both legally and mandatory and ethically necessary.
The NPC will stick to the Labor Code of the Philippines when it comes to
Health, Safety and Social Welfare Benefits.

MANUFACTURABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY CONSTRAINTS

NPC would be the first company to be producing aniline in the

Philippines to provide our customers with high quality standards of the product.
It is very important that the company have an imaginative and ingenious ability
to anticipate potentially the situations that can be hazardous and all the factors
affecting the product and make the best design decision to address realistic
constraint issues. The code of standards for design must be implemented
because it would tell us how long will the company stay and manufacture high
quality products.

At some point, though assumptions might be close and simulated, that

will not guarantee the possibility to make use of the equipment.

1. Reactor (R-101) conversion

Assumed conversion of nitrobenzene to aniline might not be met because of

some errors in the reactor. The periodical changing of the catalyst might affect
the conversion. Error may occur from the equipment and a possible technical
problem. If at any case the assumed yield will not make it or more than what we
expected, there will be residues and the plant process will not be maximized.

In case of technical problems, there must be shutting down of reactor for the
workers to check and resolve the problem.

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2. Natural phenomena that can affect our equipment

The columns like distilling column 1 (T-302) and stripping column (T-301)
and reactor (R-101) is approximately 14 meters high. And there is a possibility
that they can not withstand storms, typhoons and earthquakes.

Therefore, our distillation column, stripping column and reactor will be

placed in a closed environment.

3. Cost of Nitrobenzene

On the marketing part, the raw material is nitrobenzene and hydrogen gas.
Nitrobenzene is locally supplied by the Neco Philippines Corporation while
hydrogen gas is supplied by different gas producing companies in the
Philippines. Fluctuation of the nitrobenzene in the global market might as well
affect the cost of the nitrobenzene in the Philippines regarding its demand cost
value.

3. Late Delivery of Raw Material – Nitrobenzene

Late delivery of supplies will result to late production of aniline. This will
affect the consumer and it might force them to order from other plant outside
the Philippines that supplies aniline. The company’s main supplier of
Nitrobenzene, which is the NECO Corporation is located in Tondo, Manila
while our plant is located in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. Traffic may cause the late
delivery of supplies and because of that, NPC must have enough nitrobenzene
stored in the plant.

NPC will arrange a schedule with the suppliers- Linde and Neco, the time and
date of delivery, months before the preferred date.

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4. Aniline Plant Shutdown

In case of plant shutdown, some errors in the process or faulty in the equipment
may be found during the shutdown period, this will prolong the actual period of
the shutdown that will also cause delay in the production of aniline.

During shutdown period, process and instrumentation engineers will be

required to work overtime in the manufacturing site to monitor the workers and
to immediately provide solutions to problem that may occur.

5. Delayed shipment of product to the consumer

Based on the market projection of aniline, there will be high demand of aniline
since NPC is the only supplier in the Philippines. Shortage of delivery tanks
and supplies will cause the delay of shipment.

NPC will provide more delivery tanks and organize a schedule of delivery for
each consumer.

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TRADE-OFFS

Nitroline Philippines Corporation will be manufacturing aniline from

hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. The company will utilize its resources by
having a maximum output with minimum cost. One of the company’s goals is
to produce high-value of aniline that falls under the standards locally and
internationally. Productions of aniline through various processes are being
practiced to determine which will give most profit to the company.

Production of Aniline using Copper Catalyst

The process starts by feeding the pure liquid nitrobenzene into the
vaporizer. The vaporized nitrobenzene will be mixed with the combined fresh
hydrogen gas and the recycled hydrogen gas at 350°C before entering the
fluidized bed reactor. The reactor uses copper catalyst.[2]
The conversion of nitrobenzene in the reactor is 99.99% with 99.5%
yield to aniline with no by-product produced. The reaction is deemed
exothermic because excess heat is removed by the condenser in the stream
coming from the reactor. The excess hydrogen is recycled , and the unreacted
nitrobenzene will be purged. The mixture of the crude aniline and water are let
down to the continuous decanter at 30°C.The aqueous layer that will come out
of the decanter will de distilled in the distilling column 1 Since it is composed
mainly of water, a temperature between 100°C and 184.1°C will be the
operating temperature of the column, all of the remaining aniline from the layer
will proceed in the bottoms where it will be recycled back in the decanter for
two hours. The water that will be condensed and deposited in the reflux drum
will be sent to a wastewater treatment facility within the plant. The organic
layer will proceed to the second distilling column. At 100°C operating
temperature, the water content will be vaporized and recycled back to the

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decanter to further remove the remaining aniline. The bottoms of the distilling
column 2 have most of the aniline that needs to be stored in the storage tank.[1]
The hydrogenation using copper catalyst is conducted at 350 °C and 1-5
bar in the presence of a large excess of hydrogen. However, due to carbon
deposition, the catalyst needs to be regenerated after 300 days of operation. The
regeneration will only happen if the copper catalyst inside the reactor will be
changed with fresh supply of catalysts.[4]

Production of Aniline using Nickel Catalyst

The process proceeds the same way as the one using copper catalyst.
However, instead of copper catalyst, nickel is being utilized. The reactor used is
also different in this process because a fixed bed reactor was used rather that the
fluidized bed in the copper catalyst. Hydrogenation of nitrobenzene was worked
with nickel sulfide catalysts at 450°C in a fixed bed. The selectivity to aniline is
more than 99%. The catalytic activity slowly decreases due to carbon
deposition. However, the catalyst can be regenerated with air at 250-350°C and
subsequent H2 treatment. [2]

Costs Estimates: Copper Catalyst

From Material Balance:
𝑂𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 ℎ𝑟𝑠
= 7200
1 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
# 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
1 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 7200 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠
= ×
300 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
# 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
= 24
𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟

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Total Amount of Catalyst per Year

For every 150 kg of Nitrobenzene fed in the reactor, 1 kg of catalyst is
used.[3]
From Material Balance:
𝑘𝑔 𝐶6 𝐻5 𝑁𝑂2 1 𝑘𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡
2806.202 × × 300 ℎ𝑟𝑠
ℎ𝑟 150 𝑘𝑔 𝐶6 𝐻5 𝑁𝑂2
= 5724.68 𝑘𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟
# 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
= 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 ×
𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 = 5724.68 𝑘𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 × 24
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 = 137,392.33 𝑘𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡

Total Cost of Catalyst per Year

𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟
1 𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡
= 137,392.33 𝑘𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 ×
1000 𝑘𝑔 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡
𝑃ℎ𝑝 60,000
×
1 𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡
𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑪𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓 = 𝑷𝒉𝒑 𝟖, 𝟐𝟒𝟑, 𝟓𝟑𝟗. 𝟕𝟖

Total Yield of Aniline from Nitrobenzene using Copper Catalyst

𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝑔
2,806.202 × (0.9999) = 2,805.92
ℎ𝑟 ℎ𝑟

Costs Estimates: Nickel Catalyst

From Material Balance:
𝑂𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 ℎ𝑟𝑠
= 7200
1 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟

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# 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
1 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 7200 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠
= ×
300 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
# 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
= 24
𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟

Total Amount of Catalyst per Year

For every 150 kg of Nitrobenzene fed in the reactor, 1 kg of catalyst is
used.[3]
From Material Balance:
𝑘𝑔 𝐶6 𝐻5 𝑁𝑂2 1 𝑘𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡
2806.202 × × 300 ℎ𝑟𝑠
ℎ𝑟 150 𝑘𝑔 𝐶6 𝐻5 𝑁𝑂2
= 5724.68 𝑘𝑔 𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟
# 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
= 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 ×
𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 = 5724.68 𝑘𝑔 𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 × 24
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 = 137,392.33 𝑘𝑔 𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡

Total Cost of Catalyst per Year

𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟
1 𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡
= 137,392.33 𝑘𝑔 𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡 ×
1000 𝑘𝑔 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡
𝑃ℎ𝑝 50,000
×
1 𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡
𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑵𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒍 𝑪𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓 = 𝑷𝒉𝒑 𝟔, 𝟖𝟔𝟗, 𝟔𝟏𝟔. 𝟒𝟖

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Total Yield of Aniline from Nitrobenzene using Nickel Catalyst

𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝑔
2,806.202 × (0.99) = 2,778.14
ℎ𝑟 ℎ𝑟

Table 0.1 Comparison between Copper and Nickel Catalyst

Catalyst Copper Nickel
Maximum Yield 99.99% 99%
Amount of Yield 2,805.92 kg/hr 2,778.14 kg/hr
Operating 250°C -350°C 350°C -450°C
Temperature
Cost / Ton Php 60,000 Php 50,000
Amount of Catalyst per 137,392.33 kg 137,392.33 kg
Year
Total Cost of Catalyst Php 8,243,539.78 Php 6,869,616.48
per Year

Conclusion
By comparing the various factors affecting the reaction, it can be
concluded that copper catalyst is still the best option because it yields more than
the nickel catalyst. If NPC is going to utilize the nickel catalyst, it still requires
a high temperature, in which the company will spend more money for the
equipment facilitation and energy consumption than the usage of copper
catalyst. Nickel catalyst needs to be regenerated only by changing the catalyst
pellets which would be costly because it has to be done every 300 hours of
operating time. Copper catalyst can also be regenerated by induction of fresh air
at 250C in the reactor. This same regeneration case of copper is not applicable
to nickel because changing the the catalyst pellets are strictly observed since the
catalytic activity slowly decreases due to carbon deposition. Hydrogenation
using copper catalyst is done between 250C-350C as compared to nickel’s
350C-450C. The 100C difference in the operating temperature only shows
that the reactor needs more electricity to produce the needed temperature when
using the nickel catalyst. Copper catalysts are known to have no effect in

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benzene rings while nickel catalysts can selectively reduce aromatic rings.
Therefore, the copper catalyst is a far better choice than the nickel catalyst in
terms of regeneration, consumption, conversion and operating parameters.

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