Catalytic Properties Study of Mixed MFI-MORD Type Zeolite in Bioethanol Transformation

Abstract

The decrease in stocks of traditional fossil fuels contributes to the widespread growth of interest in renewable sources of raw materials and energy. Bioethanol can become a serious alternative to traditional types of fossil raw materials and fuels due to the possibility of its widespread production from agricultural waste and wood processing. Bioethanol can be used directly as a fuel, or after transformation into hydrocarbons. The transformation of bioethanol into hydrocarbons is carried out using zeolites and zeotypes of various types, while the main problem encountered for these systems is deactivation during the catalytic transformation. In this case, one of the possible solutions to this problem is the regulation of the acidic and diffusion properties of the catalytic surface of zeolites. Changing the acidic properties can contribute to a significant increase in the stability and activity of zeolites. In this case, the variation of acidic properties is possible by combining different types of zeolites. The article presents the results of a study of a mixed zeolite of the MFI type and mordenite in the reaction of the transformation of ethanol into hydrocarbons. Zeolite synthesis was carried out by a sequential method using zeolite seed grains for the synthesis of MFI structures and n-butylamine for the synthesis of a mordenite layer. The synthesized sample was tested on a flow-type setup with a tubular reactor. The effect of temperature, specific ethanol feed rate, and total pressure in the system was investigated. An increase in the reaction temperature from 350℃ to 370℃ contributed to an increase in the rate of accumulation of liquid hydrocarbons from 0.52 to 0.64 g(HC)/(g(Cat)*h), while a further increase in temperature to 430℃ contributed to a decrease in the rate of formation of liquid hydrocarbons to 0.32 g(HC)/(g(Cat)*h). An increase in the specific feed rate of ethanol from 0.5 to 2 g(EtOH)/(g(Cat)*h) contributes to a decrease in the yield of liquid hydrocarbons. An increase in the total pressure in the system from 1 atm to 15 atm promotes an increase in the rate of accumulation of liquid hydrocarbons from 0.34 to 0.83 g(HC)/(g(Cat)*h).