Trimerization of Isobutene Over Solid Acid Catalysts

Oligomerization of isobutene is a very promising reaction not only for the production of isobutene oligomers such as trimers but also for the separation of isobutene from C₄ mixtures. Several solid acid catalysts have been applied for the continuous oligomerization of isobutene in liquid phase. This review analyzes the trimerization of isobutene over various solid acid catalysts such as zeolites, oxides (zirconias and titanias) and acid resins. Trimers selectivity increases with increasing isobutene conversion, irrespective of catalysts such as zeolites and acid resins. Very stable operation with high trimers selectivity is accomplished with WO _x /ZrO₂ catalyst having tetragonal zirconia or various zeolite catalysts with high Lewis acid site-to-Brønsted acid site ratio (LA/BA ratio). For a good performance, acid resins should be macroporous and strong acid (sulphonic acid group) with high acid concentration. Inorganic catalysts are superior to acid resins because the deactivated inorganic materials can be regenerated by simple calcination. The WO _x /ZrO₂ catalyst may be applied to a commercial process because about several thousand tons of isobutene can be oligomerized per one ton of zirconia catalyst in a catalytic cycle without regeneration. The oligomerization of isobutene may be improved further because the reaction has been started only recently and no research has been done for the optimization of the reaction and catalysts. It is expected to develop a new inorganic catalyst having suitable acidity, LA/BA ratio and phase, etc. by further research. The isobutene trimers, with or without hydrogenation, may be used for various purposes, and the importance of this trimerization reaction will be increased considering the expected surplus of isobutene due to the banned use of methyl-tert-butyl ether.     

不同分子筛上1-己烯骨架异构化反应性能的研究

以HZSM-35、HZSM-5、HM和Hβ四种分子筛为1-己烯骨架异构化催化剂,比较研究了四种催化剂的异构化性能,对其构效关系进行了关联。结果表明,相比于HZSM-5和Hβ分子筛,HZSM-35和HM具有适宜的酸量,有效孔径为0.4-0.6 nm,而且无晶穴、无交叉孔道,具有良好的择形催化效应,在转化率高达95%的同时,C_5-和C₇₊等副产物的收率在20%左右,异己烯收率可达40%-50%。进一步对四种分子筛进行酸碱改性处理,结果显示,虽然酸性质略有改变,但是一维孔结构的HZSM-35和HM分子筛的异构化性能仍明显优于多维孔结构的HZSM-5和Hβ分子筛,说明在酸性质一定的前提下,孔结构对异构化反应起关键作用。     

A Zeolite Family Nonjointly Built from the 1,3‐Stellated Cubic Building Unit

From a technological point of view, the synthesis of new high‐silica zeolites is of prime importance owing to their high potential as industrial catalysts and catalyst supports. Two such materials have been synthesized which are made up of the 1,3‐stellated cubic unit (hexahedral ([4²5⁴]) bre unit) as a secondary building unit, with the aid of existing imidazolium‐based structure‐directing agents under “excess fluoride” conditions. One of them, denoted PST‐21, is the first aluminosilicate zeolite consisting of 9‐ring apertures solely; it displays exceptional activity towards steering the skeletal isomerization of 1‐butene to isobutene and bridges the gap between small‐ and medium‐pore structures. A series of hypothetical structures are also described that are nonjointly built from the bre unit; all of these structures are chemically feasible and will thus be helpful in designing the synthesis of novel zeolites containing 9‐ring and/or 10‐ring channels.     

Processes of synthesis of 1-butene from 2-butene by the positional isomerization on sulfocation exchangers

Obtaining of individual 1-butene and 2-butenes from the butane-butene fractions can be processed sufficiently effectively by combining positional isomerization of alkenes on the sulfocation exchanger catalysts and careful rectification. At 50–60°C is reached the equilibrium with the ratio of the sum of 2-butenes to 1-butene ～20:1. The relatively high-boiling 2-butenes are enough completely separated by rectification of 1-butene, and isobutane from the harmful impurities (butadiene and isobutene). The reverse isomerization of the purified 2-butene into 1-butene with the continuous distillation of the latter makes it possible to obtain pure 1-butene with a very low prime cost.     

Effect of the nature of zeolite and modifying additives on the activity of zeolite-containing catalysts inn-butane isomerization

Isomerization ofn-butane on various types of zeolites (ZVM, ZVK, mordenite, and Y) modified with transition metals and cationic and anionic additives was investigated. Under the conditions studied, H-forms of zeolites are inactive. Pt-containing systems based on the H-form of ZVM (HZVM) are the most efficient catalysts forn-butane isomerization, and the yield of isobutane reaches 20–26 wt.% at a selectivity of 40–45%. Modification of this catalyst with Ga and Fe compounds or with an aqueous solution of HCl increases the selectivity with respect to isobutane up to 70–90%. Introduction of Zn²⁺ cations or F⁻ and SO₄ ²⁻ anions into the Pt-containing HZVM system decreases the selectivity and yield of isobutane due to the formation of very strong acidic centers on which disproportionation and hydrocracking ofn-butane mainly occur. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1281–1285, July, 1999.     

Isomerization ofn-hexane overplatinum loaded zeolites

The effect of the calcination temperature of bifunctional Pt/zeolites on the isomerization ofn-hexane has been investigated. The catalyst calcined at 350°C showed the highest metal dispersity and the best activity. The higher selectivity of dimethylbutanes over Pt/H- than over Pt/H-MOR might be attributed to the combined effect of acidity, channel structure and pore size of zeolites.     

Effect of Spectrum of Acidity of Zeolites of Various Structural Types on Their Catalytic Characteristics in the Synthesis of Ethyl tert-Butyl Ether

The catalytic properties of zeolites of various structural types in the liquid phase synthesis of ethyl tert-butyl ether from isobutylene and ethanol have been studied. The activity and selectivity of the catalysts depend on the concentration and strength of the acid centers. A possible mechanism for the synthesis of ethyl tert-butyl ether is proposed, suggesting that isobutylene and ethanol are activated on the weak and strong acid centers respectively.     

Catalytic Properties of the Thermal Decomposition Products of Zr(SO4)2 · 4H2O

The catalytic activity of the thermal decomposition products of Zr(SO₄)₂ · 4H₂O in the reactions of 1-butene isomerization to 2-butenes, isobutanol dehydration, and n-butane skeletal isomerization was studied. Their behaviors in typical acid reactions and in skeletal isomerization were found to be considerably different. In the first two reactions, which occur with the participation of proton sites, the activity of zirconium sulfates was an extremal function of hydrate calcination temperature. Zirconium sulfate calcined at 400–550°C was the most active catalyst. The reasons for such behavior are discussed. In the skeletal isomerization of n-butane, crystalline zirconium sulfate was practically inactive, and it became active only after degradation. The results suggest that the activation of n-butane molecules did not occur at proton sites.     

Selective Transformation of Syngas into Gasoline‐Range Hydrocarbons over Mesoporous H‐ZSM‐5‐Supported Cobalt Nanoparticles

Bifunctional Fischer–Tropsch (FT) catalysts that couple uniform‐sized Co nanoparticles for CO hydrogenation and mesoporous zeolites for hydrocracking/isomerization reactions were found to be promising for the direct production of gasoline‐range (C_5–11) hydrocarbons from syngas. The Brønsted acidity results in hydrocracking/isomerization of the heavier hydrocarbons formed on Co nanoparticles, while the mesoporosity contributes to suppressing the formation of lighter (C_1–4) hydrocarbons. The selectivity for C_5–11 hydrocarbons could reach about 70 % with a ratio of isoparaffins to n‐paraffins of approximately 2.3 over this catalyst, and the former is markedly higher than the maximum value (ca. 45 %) expected from the Anderson–Schulz–Flory distribution. By using n‐hexadecane as a model compound, it was clarified that both the acidity and mesoporosity play key roles in controlling the hydrocracking reactions and thus contribute to the improved product selectivity in FT synthesis.     

Synergism of Clay and Heteropoly Acids as Nano-Catalysts for the Development of Green Processes with Potential Industrial Applications

A large number of inorganic oxides, mixed oxides, including alumina, silica, titania, zirconia, zeolites, carbon, clays and ion exchange resins have been employed as both supports and solid acid catalysts. Clay structure collapses at high temperatures and has to be stablilized. The thermal stability and pore size issues were addressed by pillaring of clays. Natural clays are acid treated or ion-exchanged to be used as solid acids, and the acidity and pore structure are dependent on the treatment methodology. Another important class of catalysts is the heteropoly acids (HPA), which are employed as homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysts, having both acid and redox properties. The focus of the current paper is to address the work done in our laboratory on the synergism between clays and heteropoly acids for the development of green processes. A comparison is also provided for the activity of these catalysts with other solid acids. Several alkylation, acylation, isomerization, condensation, dehydration, esterification, nitration and oxidation reactions which are useful in a wide spectrum of industries such as bulk, intermediates, dyes, plasticizer, pharmaceuticals, perfumes, flavours and other fine chemicals were investigated to improve the selectivity of the desired products.     

异丁烷在Cr2（MOO4）3,Fe2（MoO4）3催化剂上的无氧脱氢与氧化脱氢

研究了Ｃｒ２（ＭｏＯ４）３、Ｆｅ２（ｍＯ４）３、对异丁烷无氧脱氢与氧化氢的催化性能，在无氧脱氧反应中，催化剂的表面酸性既有利于异丁烷活性生成异丁烯，又易引起裂和异构化等副反应，在氧化脱氢反应中，异丁烯选择性较低，催化剂的表面酸中心对反应中间体的吸附将导致深度氧化。     

Catalytic Performance of Re/Ga2O3/WO3/ZrO2 Catalyst for n-Hexane Isomerization

A series of Re/Ga₂O₃/WO₃/ZrO₂ catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method. The crystalline structure, redox, and acid site distribution of the catalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, temperature-programmed reduction of H₂, and temperature-programmed desorption of NH₃. Their catalytic performance for n-hexane isomerization was studied. The results showed that the addition of Re greatly affected the redox properties and the acid site distribution of the catalysts. Owing to the presence of Re, n-hexane isomerization was catalyzed by metal and acid sites, and thus the conversion of n-hexane and the selectivity for 2,2-dimethylbutane were significantly increased. Under the conditions of 195 °C, 1.0 MPa, LHSV = 1.0 h⁻¹, and n(H₂)/n(C₆) = 2.0, the conversion of n-hexane over 1.0%Re/1.0%Ga₂O₃/WO₃/ZrO₂ is 84.8%, and the selectivities for 2,2-dimethylbutane, i-hexane, and cracking products (C_5-) are 20%, 97.7%, and 2.1%, respectively. The catalyst is stable during 150 h operation.     

Selective skeletal isomerization of n-butene over modified MCM-22 zeolite catalysts

Summary Modification of HMCM-22 zeolite with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) can considerably improve the catalytic performances, especially the selectivity to isobutene, for the reaction of n-butene skeletal isomerization.     

模板剂种类对ZSM-22分子筛的酸性和正癸烷加氢异构化催化反应性能的影响

分别以1,6-己二胺和1-乙基溴化吡啶为模板剂,采用静态晶化法合成了不同硅铝比的ZSM-22分子筛;采用XRD、XRF、N₂物理吸附、SEM、NH₃-TPD和Py-IR等手段对分子筛的结构和酸性进行了表征;采用浸渍法制备了0.5%Pd/ZSM-22双功能催化剂,对金属Pd的分散度用H₂化学吸附进行表征,并在微型固定床反应器上考察了该催化剂对正癸烷加氢异构化反应的催化性能。结果表明,模板剂种类显著影响ZSM-22分子筛的结构和酸性,以DAH为模板剂合成的ZSM-22分子筛晶粒粒径小,异构化产物从分子筛孔道内扩散的程距更短,而且具有更高的B/L值和相对温和的酸性,在正癸烷加氢异构化反应中,金属位与分子筛的酸性位实现协同催化作用,具有更高的催化活性和异构化选择性。     

Insight into the mechanisms of the ethylbenzene disproportionation: transition state shape selectivity on zeolites

The direct experimental evidence shows that ethylbenzene disproportionation is a transition state shape selective reaction on zeolites: a bimolecular reaction mechanism via diphenylethane-mediated pathway on large-pore zeolites X and Y (ca. 0.74 nm) and a monomolecular reaction mechanism on medium-pore zeolites ZSM-5 (ca. 0.56 nm) via the ethoxy-mediated intermolecular ethyl group transfer. The lifetime of bulky diphenylethane species was prolonged by a fine-tune of FAU-zeolites, which makes this transition state detectable by 13C MAS NMR spectroscopy. Due to tunable catalytic properties and pore shapes, zeolites are promising catalysts toward emulating the efficiency and selectivity in desired reactions.     

Isomerization ofn-pentane andn-hexane on modified zeolites

The activity and selectivity of catalysts based on TsVM (an analog of ZSM-5), Beta, and La-H-Beta zoelites modified by Pt, Pt−Fe, and Pt−Ga were studied in the isomerization of C₅ and C₆ linear alkanes. The Pt/HTsVM, Pt/H-Beta, and Pt/La-H-Beta catalysts are efficient inn-pentane isomerization, whereas the Pt/H-Beta and Pt/La-H-Beta are most active inn-hexane isomerization. Nearly equilibirum isoparaffin yield at a selectivity of at least 95–96% is reached on these catalysts unlike other zeolite systems. The overall yield of 2,2-and 2,3-dimethylbutanes is 22 wt.%. The hexane isomers are not formed over the Pt/HTsVM catalyst due to the molecular-sieve properties of this type of zcolites. Published inIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya No. 11, pp. 1866–1869, November, 2000.     

The influence of adamantane on the reaction of n -heptane over H-Y, H-β and H-mordenite zeolites

The effect of adamantane (Ad) on the activity and selectivity of acidic zeolites Y, β and mordenite (M) in the isomerization and cracking ofn-heptane (C₇) in He at 443 K was studied.Ad was found to promote the isomerization of C₇. TheAd uptake of the zeolites, and the IR spectra obtained from the zeolite-boundAd were determined. It was found thatAd did not remain completely unconverted under the conditions of the C₇ reaction. The activity of the catalysts in the conversion ofAd increased in the sequence of H-Y<H-β<H-M. Existing data suggest that a fraction of theAd, responsible for the cocatalytic effect, can participate in hydride transfer processes and remain unconverted, while another fraction, depending on catalyst acidity, is converted to dimer and oligomers.     

Trimerization of isobutene over cation exchange resins: Effect of physical properties of the resins and reaction conditions

Oligomerization of isobutene has been investigated using several cation exchange resins in order to produce triisobutenes that are useful feedstock for heavy alkylates and neo-acids. Trimers selectivity increases with increasing isobutene conversion. High isobutene conversion is obtained at high temperature and low space velocity by using macroporous cation exchange resins that have high concentration of sulfonic acid groups. Under selected conditions (viz., isobutene WHSV: 10 h⁻¹; temperature: 70 °C; catalyst: Amberlyst-35), the isobutene is quantitatively oligomerized with higher than or equal to 70% selectivity for trimers. The wet resin catalysts containing water or ethanol are very stable for the oligomerization up to about 70 h contrary to the gradual decrease in the conversion with dehydrated catalysts.     

HZSM—5沸石内外表面酸,孔大小和择形催化性能的研究

用吡啶、2,4-二甲基喹啉及NH_3吸附的TPD法测定了HZSM-5沸石的内、外表面酸量和酸分布,用环己烷吸附速度和吸附量表征孔大小,以乙苯歧化和对二乙苯异构化作研究择形催化反应.结果表明,HZSM-5外表面酸约占总酸量的20％,内、外表面酸均为非均匀分布.强酸位是对二乙苯和乙苯裂化的活性中心,而对歧化和异构化反应生成对位异构体的选择性影响不大.间二乙苯主要在内表面酸中心上生成,而对二乙苯在外表面酸位上异构化不是主要途径.对位选择性的提高与环己烷吸附速度减小有很好的对应关系,而与酸量变化关系不大.虽然中强和弱酸位对对位选择有一定影响,但影响对位选择性的主要因素是沸石的孔径大小.     

沸石分子筛中复杂异构化反应的Monte Carlo模拟研究 Ⅲ．孔口失活对反应行为的影响

用Ｍｏｎｔｅｃａｒｌｏ方法模拟了沸石分子筛中的复杂异构化反应ＡＢＣ，考察了孔口失活对反应性能的影响．发现孔口失活对产物选择性和反应有效因子的影响取决于反应的Ｔｈｉｅｌｅ模数．可分为三种情况：（１）在低Ｔｈｉｅｌｅ模数下，影响不明显；（２）在中等Ｔｈｉｅｌｅ模数下，有一定的影响，且随孔口活性位失活率的增加，某种产物的选择性线性增加而有效因子线性下降，但二者变化幅度均不大；（３）在较高Ｔｈｉｅｌｅ模数下，影响显著．随着孔口活性位失活率的增加，某种产物选择性明显增加，有效因子明显下降．