Adsorption–desorption of ethanol on sulfonated resin catalysts for ethyl-tert-butyl ether synthesis

Abstract

Ethanol adsorption on sulfonic resins of different morphological types, such as gel, macroporous sulfonic resin, mixed sample (1:1 mixture of gel-type sulfonic resin with aerosil) and sulfonic resin loaded on wide-porous mineral carrier was studied using the methods of quasi-equilibrium thermal desorption and quartz crystal microbalance. It has been observed that the faster ethanol adsorption proceeds on the macroporous sulfonic resin and the slower ethanol adsorption on the gel-type one. It is due to different swelling ability. It was found that the transfer of the ethanol molecules through the gel phase of sulfonic resin proceeds by means of the adsorption–desorption mechanism. The ratio of ethanol adsorption on sulfonic resin is one molecule per one acid site. During the ethanol adsorption on the gel and mixed sulfonic resin, one type of adsorbed complex is formed, whereas on the macroporous and loaded samples two adsorbed complexes with different energies are formed. This is probably because of the different localization of the acid sulfonic groups.