43 - Isomerization of n-Alkanes under Supercritical Conditions over Al-promoted Sulfated Zirconia

Abstract

To minimize the deactivation of catalysts is the key technology for the isomerization of n-alkanes over strong solid acid catalysts. In this study, sulfated zirconia (SZ) and alumina-promoted sulfated zirconia (SZA) were studied as the solid catalysts for isomerization of n-alkanes. SZA has higher thermal stability and much higher catalytic activity for the isomerization of n-pentane. Under the supercritical conditions of reactant molecules, the deactivation was well suppressed, and its higher activity was maintained. The active sites of SZ and SZA were characterized by FT-IR and XPS: SZA has larger acid amounts and stronger acidity values than SZ.