The Acid-Catalyzed Phenol-Formaldehyde Reaction: Critical Runaway Conditions and Stability Criterion

The reaction mechanisms of phenol-formaldehyde polymerization are complicated in both acid- and base-catalyzed reaction systems. Furthermore, there is a considerable release of heat during their polymerization. As a consequence, numerous runaway situations have occurred in the past due to these indu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Process safety and environmental protection 2004-01, Vol.82 (B1), p.37-47
Main Authors: Lu, K-T, Luo, K-M, Lin, S-H, Su, S-H, Hu, K-H
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The reaction mechanisms of phenol-formaldehyde polymerization are complicated in both acid- and base-catalyzed reaction systems. Furthermore, there is a considerable release of heat during their polymerization. As a consequence, numerous runaway situations have occurred in the past due to these industrial processes. In order to understand and characterize the runaway conditions in acid-catalyzed polymeric reaction systems, we used either oxalic acid or hydrochloric as the acid-catalyst in the phenol-formaldehyde polymerization and estimated its reaction kinetic parameters to evaluate the thermal hazard conditions. The critical temperatures and stable criteria of the runaway reaction in this exothermic polymerization were evaluated.
ISSN:0957-5820
DOI:10.1205/095758204322777651