Studies on platinum-promoted sulfated zirconia alumina: effects of pretreatment environment and carrier gas on n-butane isomerization and benzene alkylation activities

A series of platinum-promoted sulfated zirconia alumina catalysts (SZA) with different amounts of platinum (0.5, 1, and 2 wt%) were synthesized. Two other catalysts were prepared by mechanically mixing different proportions of the Al-promoted sulfated zirconia with Pt/Al(2)O(3). The 650 degrees C calcined catalysts were characterized by N(2) adsorption/desorption (BET), TPR, and TPD analysis. Butane isomerization activity of the catalysts was studied at 270 degrees C, varying the pretreatment environment and carrier gases. Though the textural properties of the catalysts did not change significantly with platinum loading, the maximum surface area of 116 m(2)/g was exhibited by the catalyst with 1 wt% Pt loading. Under the studied reaction conditions, the air-pretreated catalysts (sulfated zirconia alumina (SZA) and platinated SZA) showed higher n-butane conversion than the N(2)-pretreated catalyst. However, nitrogen was a better carrier gas than H(2), CO(2) or air, and CO(2) and air deactivated the catalyst very fast. Unlike the platinated SZA catalysts, the mechanically mixed catalysts showed an induction phenomenon. A redox mechanism is suggested for butane isomerization over these catalysts. The catalyst SZA was also found to be active for alkylation of benzene with isopropanol, which gave 93% selectivity toward cumene.     

Isobutane alkylation over solid acid catalysts under supercritical conditions

Solid catalyzed isobutane alkylation has been investigated for decades, but it has not yet been applied in any commercial uses because of the rapid deactivation of the catalyst. Here, the alkylation reaction has been studied under supercritical conditions using metal-promoted and unpromoted sulfated zirconia as catalysts. The catalytic activity at the supercritical condition of 5.0 MPa, 423K was significantly higher than at lower reaction pressure conditions and the deactivation rate was clearly reduced, independent on the catalyst. Iron- and manganese-promoted sulfated zirconia (SFMZ) showed higher activities under all conditions than unpromoted sulfated zirconia (SZ).     

Preparation of superacid of ruthenium-sulfated zirconia for reaction of butane to isobutane

A highly active superacid of 2–4 wt.% Ru-sulfated ZrO₂ for the isomerization of butane to isobutane was obtained by exposing RuO_x/ZrO₂ to 1 N H₂SO₄ followed by calcining in air at 550°C. The RuO_x/ZrO₂ was prepared by impregnating zirconium hydroxide with a solution of RuCl₃ followed by drying at 300°C. The catalyst was much more active than the superacid of sulfated zirconia, the temperature difference to show the same conversion between both catalysts being more than 145°C.     

In situ XANES study of Mn in promoted sulfated zirconia catalysts

Mn-promoted sulfated zirconia catalysts (2 wt% Mn) were investigated in situ, during the catalyst activation, isomerization of n-butane, and subsequent re-activation, using X-ray absorption spectroscopy of the Mn K-edge. The average valence of Mn in the catalysts, as determined from the edge position, was found to change from either 2.65 or 2.77 in the calcined samples to about 2.5 during activation in He (703 K for 30 min). During the isomerization of n-butane (1% in He, 80 ml min-1, 0.5 g catalyst at 333 K), the average Mn valence did not change further. When the catalyst was activated in 50% O2 the average valence only decreased from about 2.78 to 2.72. In this case, the average valence during the isomerization reaction decreased at a nearly constant rate both during the induction of activity and deactivation of the catalyst. The data do not support a stoichiometric redox reaction involving the promoter as initiator of the isomerization. However, a higher Mn valence after activation was indicative of a higher maximum conversion. It is concluded that the promoter cations function through modification of the structure of the zirconia.     

One-step preparation of manganese-, iron-, and aluminum-promoted sulfated zirconias for reaction of butane to isobutane

Highly active superacids of Mn-, Fe-, and Al-sulfated ZrO₂'s for the isomerization of butane to isobutane were obtained by exposing zirconia gel to aqueous solutions of 0.05 M MnSO₄, 0.25 M FeSO₄, and 0.5 M Al₂(SO₄)₃ followed by calcining in air at 700, 600, and 675°C, respectively. The catalysts were much more active than the superacid of sulfated zirconia, the temperature difference to show the same conversion (20%) between the catalysts and sulfated zirconia being 85, 77, and 85°C for the Mn-, Fe-, and Al-catalysts, respectively. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

硫酸化氧化锆固体超强酸

硫酸化氧化锆(SZ)是一种固体超强酸催化剂,它能高效催化异构化、烷化、酰化、环化、裂解、酯化和酯交换等多种类型的催化反应。1979年,日本科学家Hino和Arata发现SZ能在室温催化丁烷异构化反应,首次提出了SZ是一种酸性比100%浓硫酸还强一万倍的固体超强酸,从而引起了科学家们对SZ研究的浓厚兴趣。经过了三十多年发展,研究者们在SZ的合成、改性、表征和应用等方面取得了许多新的研究成果。本文综述了SZ几十年来的研究进展,内容主要包括SZ的合成方法,表面结构和酸性机理,研究者们对SZ性质的不同看法,SZ的改性及应用。     

Synthesis of dypnone by solvent free self condensation of acetophenone over nano-crystalline sulfated zirconia catalyst

Nano-crystalline sulfated zirconia catalyst, prepared by two-step sol–gel method, has been studied for the solvent free self condensation of acetophenone to dypnone. The influence of calcination temperature on the structural, textural and catalytic activity of sulfated zirconia has been analyzed. The surface acidity along with the structural and textural features of the catalyst influenced its activity. The conversion of acetophenone was found to be effected by the variation in the reaction and calcination temperature, however, the dypnone selectivity was not affected much. The catalyst calcined at 650 °C, showed maximum dypnone selectivity of 92% with 68.2% acetophenone conversion at 170 °C after 7 h. The catalyst was reused up to five cycles with marginal decrease in acetophenone conversion, however, without losing its selectivity for dypnone.     

Industrial application of catalytic systems for n-heptane isomerization

The ideal gasoline must have a high pump octane number, in the 86 to 94 range, and a low environmental impact. Alkanes, as a family, have much lower photochemical reactivities than aromatics or olefins, but only the highly branched alkanes have adequate octane numbers. The purpose of this work is to examine the possibilities of extending the technological alternative of paraffin isomerization to heavier feedstocks (i.e., n-heptane) using non-conventional catalytic systems which have been previously proposed in the literature: a Pt/sulfated zirconia catalyst and a molybdenum sub-oxide catalyst. Under the experimental conditions at which these catalysts have been evaluated, the molybdenum sub-oxide catalyst maintains a good activity and selectivity to isomerization after 24 h, while the Pt/sulfated zirconia catalyst shows a higher dimethylpentanes/methylhexanes ratio, probably due to a lower operating temperature, but also a high formation of cracking products, and presents signs of deactivation after 8 h. Though much remains to be done, the performance of these catalysts indicates that there are good perspectives for their industrial application in the isomerization of n-heptane and heavier alkanes.     

S~2O~8^2^-处理的ZrO~2固体超强酸上的正丁烷异构化反应

首次报道了由浸渍过硫酸根的方式制备固体超强酸。讨论了焙烧温度、浸渍浓度以及ZrO~2前驱体沉淀条件对样品性质的影响,并研究了它们对正丁烷异构化反应性能。实验结果表明,600-650℃焙烧、0.25-0.50mol/LS~2O~8^2^-浸渍反加沉淀的ZrO~2具有最高超强酸性。与相同条件下制备的SO~4^2^-/ZrO~2相比,S~2O~8^2^-/ZrO~2上正丁烷250℃异构化活性是SO~4^2^-/ZrO~2的2倍,可能是由于它具有较多的中强酸位并具有与SO~4^2^-/ZrO~2不同的活性位结构。     

表征固体超强酸性的新方法--正丁烷异构化反应的原位13C MAS NMR谱

室温下SO2 -4/ZrO2 催化剂 (SZ)上13 C标记的正丁烷异构化反应的原位13 CMASNMR谱研究结果表明 :其反应动力学符合Langmuir Hinshelwood一级可逆表面反应动力学公式 ,由该动力学公式计算得到的反应速率常数可以用于衡量固体催化剂的表面超强酸性 .这种新的表征方法显示采用一步 -醇热 -超临界干燥综合技术合成的SZ催化剂不仅比表面和硫酸根含量高 ,而且其超强酸性和异构化反应活性均明显优于常规法合成的催化剂 ,具有良好的应用前景 .     

Liquid‐phase α‐Pinene Isomerization over Fe‐doped Sulfated Zirconia Prepared by a Hydrothermal Treatment‐assisted Process

A series of Fe‐doped (0.5%–3%) sulfated zirconia have been prepared by a hydrothermal treatment‐assisted process. Textural and structural characterizations of the as‐synthesized materials were performed by means of N₂ adsorption, X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermogravi‐ metric analysis. Temperature‐programmed desorption of ammonia was used to determine the acidity of the samples. The effects of Fe‐doping on the structure, acidity and catalytic activity of sulfated zirconia for liquid‐phase α‐pinene isomerization were investigated. The incorporation of small amounts of Fe into sulfated zirconia results in the increase of sulfate content and the number of acid sites, which is responsible for the enhanced activity of Fe‐doped catalysts in comparison with the undoped one. Meanwhile, hydrothermal treatment helps to improve the activity of the catalyst.     

Activation and isomerization of n-butane on sulfated zirconia model systems--an integrated study across the materials and pressure gaps

Butane activation has been studied using three types of sulfated zirconia materials, single crystalline epitaxial films, nanocrystalline films, and powders. A surface phase diagram of zirconia in interaction with SO(3) and water was established by DFT calculations, which was verified by LEED investigations on single-crystalline films and by IR spectroscopy on powders. At high sulfate surface densities a pyrosulfate species is the prevailing structure in the dehydrated state; if such species are absent, the materials are inactive. Theory and experiment show that the pyrosulfate can react with butane to give butene, H(2)O and SO(2), hence butane can be activated via oxidative dehydrogenation. This reaction occurred on all investigated materials; however, isomerization could only be proven for powders. Transient and equilibrium adsorption measurements in a wide pressure and temperature range (isobars measured via UPS on nanocrystalline films, microcalorimetry and temporal analysis of products measurements on powders) show weak and reversible interaction of butane with a majority of sites but reactive interaction with <5 micromol g(-1) sites. Consistently, the catalysts could be poisoned by adding sodium to the surface in a ratio S/Na = 35. Future research will have to clarify what distinguishes these few sites.     

Sol-Gel Preparation of Highly Active Sulfated Zirconia Supported by Alumina Catalysts

A series of sulfated mixed oxides of alumina and zirconia having a relative composition of 5% and 10% of ZrO₂ was prepared by means of sol-gel methods using zirconium propoxide or zirconium acetylacetone as precursor. The characterization of the physicochemical properties was carried out using ²⁷Al NMR, XRD, N₂ adsorption at 77 K, thermogravimetry, FTIR analysis of adsorbed pyridine, ²⁷Al NMR-MAS and XPS. The catalytic properties were studied by means of isomerization of n-hexane at 250°C. Results obtained allowed to propose that the use of Zr(acac)₄ as a zirconium precursor leads to a better retention of sulfate species which seems to form polymeric superficial sites. The symmetry of aluminium undergo an increase from tetrahedral to octahedral coordination and Zirconium atoms seems to be located in the second coordination sphere of Al. XRD analysis indicated an amorphous structure of obtained solids calcined at 650°C. The sulfated solids presented both Lewis and Brönsted acidic sites. Catalytic results showed that both activity and selectivity towards isomerization products were better using Zr (acac)₄ as precursor. Furthermore, the increase of the Zr loading affected considerably the catalytic properties of sulfated zirconia supported by alumina.     

Redox properties of manganese-containing zirconia solid solution catalysts analyzed by in situ UV-vis spectroscopy and crystal field theory

The optical absorption spectra of manganese-promoted sulfated zirconia, a highly active alkane isomerization catalyst, were found to be characterized by oxygen-to-manganese charge-transfer transitions at 300-320 nm and d-d transitions of manganese ions at 580 and 680 nm. The latter were attributed to Mn(4+) and Mn(3+) ions, which are known to be incorporated in the zirconia lattice. The oxygen surroundings of these ions were modeled assuming a substitutional solid solution. The crystal field splittings, vibronic coupling constants, and oscillator strengths of the manganese ions were calculated on the basis of a cluster model that considers the manganese center as a complex with the adjacent ions of the lattice as ligands. The ratio of Mn(3+) to Mn(4+) ions was determined using the spectra and the model, and the relative concentrations of Mn(2+), Mn(3+), and Mn(4+) ions were determined with the help of the average valence known from X-ray absorption data in the literature. The redox behavior of manganese-promoted sulfated zirconia in oxidizing and inert atmosphere was elucidated at temperatures ranging from 323 to 773 K.     

SO42-/ZrO2-Al2O3催化剂表面酸性质对正丁烷异构化反应性能的影响研究

采用“沉淀-浸渍”法制备一系列不同硫酸负载量的SO₄^2-/ZrO₂-Al₂O₃催化剂,利用N₂吸附-脱附、Py-FTIR、XRD等手段对催化剂进行表征。在常压、200 ℃、H₂：C₄=2：3和质量空速为3 h^-1的反应条件下,在固定床微型反应评价装置上考察了硫酸负载量对SO₄^2-/ZrO₂-Al₂O₃催化正丁烷异构化反应性能的影响。Py-FTIR结果表明,硫酸化处理为催化剂表面提供了丰富的Brønsted酸性位,其中,强Brønsted酸性位在正丁烷异构化反应中起重要作用,因此,硫酸化处理可显著提高正丁烷异构化活性,而Lewis酸性位与之没有直接关系。     

SO4^2—／ZrO2的相结构和超强酸性及其对丁烷异构化反应的催化活性

通过沉淀、回流和掺杂等方法制备了ZrO2呈四方相及单斜相的SO4^2-／ZrO2（SZ），并用XRD，TEM，低温N2－BET和吡啶吸附IR等技术定量测量地测定和探讨了SZ的结构特征和表面超强酸性及其对丁烷异构化反应的催化活性，结果表明，ZrO2呈单斜相结构的SZ表面Broensted（B）酸与Lewis（L）酸的浓度比[B]/[L]较ZrO2以四方相为主的SZ高约40％，但其对丁烷异构化反应的比催化活性则较后者低约31％，由掺Mg^2 所制备的ZrO2呈四方相的SMZ具有与ZrO2呈纯单斜相的SZ非常接近的[B]/[L]比，且表现出比末掺Mg^2 的ZrO2以四方相为主的SZ更高的比催化活性，从催化剂晶结构对表面B酸浓度及强度影响的角度进行了讨论。     

氧化硅掺杂对硫酸化氧化锆酸性中心浓度和强度的提高

用氧化硅掺杂硫酸化氧化锆可以增强硫酸化氧化锆的酸性. 以413～453 K下甲醇液相脱水为模型反应考察了改进催化剂的性能. 结果表明,在掺杂和未掺杂氧化硅的硫酸化氧化锆催化剂上甲醇均相继脱水生成二甲醚和乙烯. 在掺杂了氧化硅的催化剂上还有一定量的丙烯生成,而未掺杂氧化硅的催化剂上则没有丙烯生成.     

n-hydrocarbons conversions over metal-modified solid acid catalysts

The quality of a straight-run fuel oil can be improved if saturated n-hydrocarbons of low octane number are converted to their branched counterparts. Poor reactivity of traditional catalysts in isomerization reactions imposed the need for the development of new catalysts among which noble metal promoted acid catalysts, liquid and/or solid acid catalysts take a prominent place. Sulfated zirconia and metal promoted sulfated zirconia exhibit high activity for the isomerization of light alkanes at low temperatures. The present paper highlights the original results which indicate that the modification of sulfated zirconia by incorporation of metals (platinum and rhenium) significantly affects catalytic performances in n-hydrocarbon conversion reactions. Favourable activity/selectivity of the promoted sulfated zirconia depends on the crystal phase composition, critical crystallites sizes, platinum dispersion, total acidity and type of acidity. Attention is also paid to the recently developed solid acid catalysts used in other conversion reactions of hydrocarbons.     

Effect of Mn and Fe on the reactivity of sulfated zirconia toward H2 and n-butane: a diffuse reflectance IR spectroscopic investigation

Sulfated zirconia (SZ) and sulfated zirconia promoted with 2 wt % manganese (MnSZ) or iron (FeSZ), all active in n-butane isomerization, were investigated using diffuse reflectance Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (DRIFTS). By adsorption of H(2) at 77 K or of n-butane at room temperature, it was found that the promoters neither enhance the Lewis nor the Br?nsted acid strength. SZ and promoted SZ do not exhibit higher acid strength than zeolites. In a batch experiment using 70 hPa of H(2), SZ did not react at 473 K. Reaction of H(2) with MnSZ produced water (band at 5242 cm(-1)) and a decrease in the sulfate groups (multiple bands). Heating of SZ in 10 hPa n-butane to 573 K caused total reduction of sulfate to H(2)S (2583, 2570 cm(-1)) and partial and total oxidation of butane to olefinic species (3062 cm(-1)), CO(2), and water. MnSZ and FeSZ reacted with n-butane already at 373 K; products of skeletal isomerization (methyne CH vibration at 2910 cm(-1)) were detected and sulfate groups were consumed. Rather than increasing the acidity, the promoters enhance the oxidation potential of sulfate and facilitate alkane activation via oxidative dehydrogenation.     

Butane isomerization over platinum promoted sulfated zirconia catalysts

The isomerization of n-butane to i-butane has been studied at 11 bar in a microflow reactor over sulfated zirconia (SZ) and platinum containing sulfated zirconia (Pt-SZ) catalysts. In the presence of H₂ a significantly higher temperature is required for isomerization over SZ than in its absence. The rate over SZ is higher with n-butane containing 33 ppm butene as an impurity than with a feed that is pre-equilibrated over a Pt/SiO₂ catalyst to a much lower butene content. Over Pt-SZ the reaction rate is higher, because any butene consumed is rapidly regenerated; the conversion is perfectly stable in 83 h runs, selectivity to i-butane is 95%; i-pentane and propane are the main byproducts. The activation energy is 53 kJ mol⁻¹. Upon increasing the pressure of H₂ from 1.1 to 6.6 bar, the reaction rate was found to decrease in a perfectly reversible fashion. Kinetic analysis reveals that the reaction order is negative in H₂ (−1.1 to −1.3 depending on the temperature) and positive in n-butane (+ 1.3 to +1.6), indicating that the mechanism of this isomerization is intermolecular: butene is formed and reacts with adsorbed C₄-carbenium ions to adsorbed C₈ intermediates which isomerize and undergo β-fission to fragments with i-C₄ structure. This mechanism is confirmed over Pt-SZ by isotopic labelling experiments, though at much lower pressure, using double labelled ¹³CH₃---CH₂---CH₂---¹³CH₃. The primary reaction product consists of i-butane molecules, containing zero, one, two, three and four ¹³C atoms in a binomial distribution.