This
work investigates the effects of both zeolite accessibility
and reaction temperature on the conversion of phenol assisted by 2-propanol
over the tandem system Raney Ni + ZSM-5 zeolite. Two different zeolite
samples, containing similar SiAl ratios, were used: nanocrystalline
ZSM-5 (n-ZSM-5) and hierarchical ZSM-5 (h-ZSM-5), operating at temperatures
of 125, 150, and 175 °C. When working with the Raney Ni + n-ZSM-5
system, at low and intermediate temperatures, the main products were
mostly benzene and cyclohexene formed by phenol deoxygenation. In
contrast, on increasing the temperature up to 175 °C, a shift
in the reaction pathways was observed, leading toward a significant
share of valuable alkylphenols (mostly cresols and cyclohexylphenols)
in the product distribution, generated by the occurrence of alkylation
reactions catalyzed by the zeolite acid sites. This effect was enhanced
in the case of the h-ZSM-5 sample, due to its improved accessibility
and larger mesopore/external surface area.
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