Abstract
Dimerization of isobutene (IBE) to C8s olefins was evaluated over a range of solid acid catalysts of diverse nature, in a fixed bed reactor working in a continuous mode. All catalytic materials were studied in the title reaction performed between 50–250 °C, being the reaction feed a mixture of IBE/helium (4:1 molar ratio). In all materials, both conversion and selectivity increased with increasing reaction temperature and at 180 °C the best performance was recorded. Herein, we used thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and temperature programmed desorption of adsorbed ammonia (NH3-TPD) for catalysts characterization. We place emphasis on the nature of acid sites that affect the catalytic performance. High selectivity to C8s was achieved with all catalysts. Nicely, the catalyst with higher loading of Brønsted sites displayed brilliant catalytic performance in the course of the reaction (high IBE conversion). However, optimum selectivity towards C8 compounds led to low catalyst stability, this being attributed to the combined effect between the nature of acidic sites and structural characteristics of the catalytic materials used. Therefore, this study would foment more research in the optimization of the activity and the selectivity for IBE dimerization reactions.
Highlights
The energy dependence of fuels obtained from fossil sources continues to be a serious problem in many countries that do not count with such natural reserves
In the literature among the solid acid catalysts used for this reaction we find ion exchange resins [6,11,12,13], sulfated metal oxides [14,15,16,17,18], heteropolyacids [19,20,21], zeolites [22,23,24,25,26] or Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) [27,28]
The study of the IBE dimerization, under gas phase at moderately low temperatures, over different solid catalysts has led to outstanding results
Summary
The energy dependence of fuels obtained from fossil sources continues to be a serious problem in many countries that do not count with such natural reserves. In 2017, gross imports of massive energy into the European Union (EU) stood at 87% [1], highlighting transport as the sector that consumes the most energy (33%) [2]. This sector is deeply dependent on fossil fuels, since 95% of the energy it uses is derived from these sources [3]. There is a need to progressively replace the non-renewable energy sources by inexhaustible ones One of these renewable sources for fuel production is biomass [4], which is a sustainable carbon resource with neutral CO2 emissions
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