Shell Hydroformylation (SHF)

Hydroformylation began as an accidental discovery of reaction catalyzed by soluble components leached from Fischer-Tropsch catalyst. It has evolved into a 15 billion pound per year global technology, supplying alcohols for detergents, solvents, plasticizers, lubricants, and diols for polymer intermediates. Shell scientists and engineers introduced the concepts of ligand modification to control reaction selectivity and facilitate catalyst recycle (SHF olefin hydroformylation process, 1960), and novel approaches to control reaction selectivity in the hydroformylation of difficult substrates such as ethylene oxide (1,3-Propanediol or "PDO" process, 1996). An overview of the history and development of hydroformylation and Shell Hydroformylation technology is presented, by the principal inventor of the PDO process.