Industrial Preparation of Formic acid

This presentation will help you in commercial preparation of formic acid.

1. Commercial Production of formic Acid By Mr . Muhammad Ullah Afridi Institute of Chemical Sciences, University of Peshawar.

2. Formic Acid

3. In t ro duction Pure formic acid is a colourless, fuming liquid with a pungent odour It irritates the mucous membranes and blisters the skin. Formic acid (systematically called methanoic acid) is the simplest carboxylic acid . Its chemical formula is HCOOH or HCO 2 H .

4. Properties Formic acid is a colorless liquid having a highly pungent, penetrating odor at room temperature. It is miscible with water and most polar organic solvents, and is somewhat soluble in hydrocarbons.

5. Properties In hydrocarbons and in the vapor phase, it consists of hydrogen-bonded dimmers rather than individual molecules. Solid formic acid consists of an effectively endless network of hydrogen-bonded formic acid molecules.

6. Natural Occurrence In nature, it is found in the venom of ants . Formic acid is a naturally occurring component of the atmosphere due primarily to forest emissions.

7. Production Process It is made by the action of sulfuric acid upon sodium formate, which is produced from carbon monoxide and sodium hydroxide.

8. Production Process From methyl formate and formamide When methanol and carbon monoxide are combined in the presence of a strong base, the result is methyl formate CH 3 OH + CO → HCO 2 CH 3 HCO 2 CH 3 + H 2 O → HCOOH + CH 3 OH In industry, this reaction is performed in the liquid phase at elevated pressure. Typical reaction conditions are 80 °C and 40 atm. The most widely used base is sodium methoxide. Hydrolysis of the methyl formate produces formic acid:

9. Production Process From methyl formate and formamide HCO 2 CH 3 + NH 3 → HC(O)NH 2 + CH 3 OH 2 HC(O)NH 2 + 2H 2 O + H 2 SO 4 → 2HCO 2 H + ( NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 Efficient hydrolysis of methyl formate requires a large excess of water. Some routes proceed indirectly by first treating the methyl formate with ammonia to give formamide, which is then hydrolyzed with sulfuric acid

10. Production In 2009, the worldwide capacity for producing formic acid was 720,000 tonnes/annum, roughly equally divided between Europe (350,000, mainly in Germany) and Asia (370,000, mainly in China) while production was below 1000 tonnes/annum in all other continents.

11. Applications A major use of formic acid is as a preservative and antibacterial agent in livestock feed. Use as preservative for silage and (other) animal feed constituted 30% of the global consumption in 2009 . used in processing textiles and leather.