One-Pass Conversion of Benzene and Syngas to Alkylbenzenes by Cu–ZnO–Al2O3 and ZSM-5 Relay

Abstract

Graphic Abstract Alkylbenzenes have a wide range of uses and are the most demanded aromatic chemicals. The finite petroleum resources compels the development of production of alkylbenzenes by non-petroleum routes. One-pass selective conversion of benzene and syngas to alkylbenzenes is a promising alternative coal chemical engineering route, yet it still faces challenge to industrialized applications owing to low conversion of benzene and syngas. Here we presented a Cu–ZnO–Al 2 O 3 /ZSM-5 bifunctional catalyst which realizes one-pass conversion of benzene and syngas to alkylbenzenes with high efficiency. This bifunctional catalyst exhibited high benzene conversion (benzene conversion of 50.7%), CO conversion (CO conversion of 55.0%) and C7&C8 aromatics total yield (C7&C8 total yield of 45.0%). Characterizations and catalytic performance evaluations revealed that ZSM-5 with well-regulated acidity, as a vital part of this Cu–ZnO–Al 2 O 3 /ZSM-5 bifunctional catalyst, substantially contributed to its performance for the alkylbenzenes one-pass synthesis from benzene and syngas due to depress methanol-to-olefins (MTO) reaction. Furthermore, matching of the mass ratio of two active components in the dual-function catalyst and the temperature of methanol synthesis with benzene alkylation reactions can effectively depress the formation of unwanted by-products and guarantee the high performance of tandem reactions. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10562-021-03617-5.

Recent Advances in the Technologies and Catalytic Processes of Ethanol Production

“…Methanol catalysts, e.g., Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 (CZA), catalyze the reactions at Equations ( 6)-( 8), whereas catalysts with acidic properties such as HZSM-5, zeolites or γ-alumina catalyze reactions at Equation ( 9) [281][282][283][284]. CZA is a dominant conventional catalyst in the DME reaction due to its capability to improve the catalytic performance and selectivity toward methanol production.…”

Alkylbenzene synthesis from benzene and syngas over a ZnCrOx/beta bifunctional catalyst

“…18 In the bifunctional catalyst, the metal or metal oxides are usually traditional methanol synthesis catalysts, such as Cu-ZnO-Al 2 O 3 , ZnO-Cr 2 O 3 and their derivatives. 1,[19][20][21] In addition, the zeolite component is usually ZSM-5 or its derivatives. [22][23][24] For the alkylation of methanol with benzene on zeolites, the reaction is usually carried out at temperatures over 400 °C, however, the Cu-ZnO-Al 2 O 3 catalyst is industrially operated at ∼250 °C for methanol synthesis due to the sintering of Cu and thermodynamic equilibrium limitation.…”

“…18 In the bifunctional catalyst, the metal or metal oxides are usually traditional methanol synthesis catalysts, such as Cu–ZnO–Al 2 O 3 , ZnO–Cr 2 O 3 and their derivatives. 1,19–21 In addition, the zeolite component is usually ZSM-5 or its derivatives. 22–24…”