Scaling a bifunctional catalytic Fixed-Bed reactor for acetone-to-mesitylene Jet-Fuel additive production

Abstract

De-fossilization of the aviation sector will require the use of renewable synthetic jet fuels and additives that comply with strict regulations. One such additive, mesitylene, can be produced using a novel sustainable process based on the fermentation of biomass waste to acetone, followed by the self-condensation of acetone to mesitylene. This study addresses the viability of gas-phase self-condensation of acetone, catalyzed by TiO2 and Al-MCM-41 acid catalysts, at a technological readiness level of TRL-4.The reactor used was a bench-scale fixed-bed reactor (28 mm diameter and 500 mm height) loaded with commercial-sized catalyst pellets (1/8″ diameter). It was equipped with a jacket for heat transfer using flowing thermal oil. The performance of commercial-scale reactors was approximated under conditions of 275 °C, 280 kPa, and a space velocity of 50–500 mol/kg·h.The catalyst pellets exhibited significant mass transfer resistances, which limited the reaction rate. This, in turn, reduced the deactivation rate caused by the adsorption of high-molecular-weight condensation products on the strongest acid sites. Additionally, the product distribution differed between pellet and powder forms of the catalysts, with higher yields of isophorone and mesitylene being observed on TiO2 and Al-MCM-41 pellets, respectively. A reaction and mass transfer model was proposed and fitted to the bench-scale data.The study also considered the combination of both catalyst pellets in the same reactor for the bench-scale unit. It was demonstrated that mesitylene yield could be improved, with the best configuration being two separate beds placed consecutively in the reactor with a catalyst ratio of 1:2 (TiO2:MCM-41).