High-Temperature Cracking of Pentene to Ethylene and Propylene over H-ZSM-5 Zeolites: Effect of Reaction Conditions and Mechanistic Insights

Abstract

The effects of reaction conditions on the yield of ethylene and propylene from pentene cracking were investigated in a fixed-bed reactor at 500–750 °C and for a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 15–83 h−1. The total yield of ethylene and propylene reached a maximum (67.8 wt%) at 700 °C and 57 h−1. In order to explore the reaction mechanism at high temperatures, a thermal/catalytic cracking proportion model was established. It was found that the proportion of pentene feed chemically adsorbed with the acid sites and cracked through catalytic cracking was above 88.4%, even at 750 °C. Ethylene and propylene in the products were mainly derived from catalytic cracking rather than thermal cracking at 650–750 °C. In addition, the suitable reaction network for pentene catalytic cracking was deduced and estimated. The results showed that the monomolecular cracking proportion increased from 1% at 500 °C to 95% at 750 °C. The high selectivity of ethylene and propylene at high temperatures was mainly due to the intensification of the monomolecular cracking reaction. After 20 times of regeneration, the acidity and pore structure of the zeolite had hardly changed, and the conversion of pentene remained above 80% at 650 °C.