Commercial Products from Fischer揟ropsch Syncrude227Such recovery is more proable from Fe-HTFT syncrude due to the higher concentration of light alcohols,50 but light alcohols can in principle also be recovered from LTFT syncrude. Historically, the extraction of LTFT alcohols was applied commercially at Sasol 1, where the aqueous products from Fe-HTFT and Fe-LTFT synthesis were combined.14 However, none of the industrial LTFT-based facilities constructed since the 1990s include aqueous product reing. Light alcohols are at present recovered from FT syncrude only at the Fe-HTFT-based facilities of PetroSA and Sasol. The yield of light alcohols from HTFT synthesis can be increased by selective HYD of the carbonyls (aldehydes and ketones) dissolved in the FT aqueous product. The use of an Ni/SiO2l2O3 catalyst, such as the Sud-Chemie G-134, performs well in this application.50 Carbonyl to alcohol HYD at the PetroSA facility converts all carbonyl compounds to alcohols and the alcohols are sold as mixtures under the trade name Mosstanol.51 At Sasol Synfuels, only the ethanal is hydrogenated to ethanol and pure alcohols are recovered and sold, in addition to alcohol mixtures.2 Some of the light alcohols are processed further to other chemicals, for example the conversion of ethanol into ethyl acetate.52 Heavier alcohols are present in the oil product from FTS, but they are not commercially recovered.9.3.1.2Alcohols from HydroformylationAldehydes can be synthesised from alkenes and synthesis gas (CO and H2) by hydroformylation, with subsequent HYD to produce the corresponding alcohols. There is consequently a natural synergy between hydroformylation technology and FTS, since both alkenes and synthesis gas are readily available. Sasol at present has three Rh-based hydroformylation processes in commercial operation making use of material from FTS: C1213 detergent alcohols produced from HTFT distillate, 1-butanol synthesis from propene and the production of 1-octanol as an intermediate product in the synthesis of 1-octene from 1-hexene.47,539.3.1.3Carbonyls from SeparationShort-chain carbonyl compounds (C25), similarly to light alcohols, dissolve in the FT aqueous product on condensation. Depending on the aqueous product reing strategy, these compounds may be recovered as mixtures or pure compounds.14 Propanone (acetone) and 2utanone (methyl ethyl ketone) are recovered commercially from the HTFT aqueous product; the heavier ketones are also recovered, but not separated into individual compounds. Some of these products are used for further processing, for example, for the production of 4搈ethyl�utanone (methyl isobutyl ketone) from propanone over a Pd/ acidic resin catalyst.
