The Effect of Zinc Content on n-Pentane Isomerisation Over Zn–S2O82–/ZrO2–Al2O3 Catalyst

Abstract

A number of Zn–S2O82–/ZrO2–Al2O3 (Zn( x)–SZA) catalysts with different Zn mass fractions were synthesised and characterised by using X-ray diffraction, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, and H2 temperature-programmed reduction. The structure and isomerisation performance of Zn( x)–SZA catalysts were studied using n-pentane as a probe reaction. The results showed that a pure tetragonal ZrO2 phase was formed on Zn( x)–SZA, and the ZrO2 crystallite sizes of the tetragonal phase increased in the order: Zn(0.5)–SZA < Zn(1.0)–SZA < Zn(1.5)–SZA < Zn(2.0)–SZA < SZA. Zn can strengthen the interaction between persulfate ions and the support, promote the formation of stronger acidity, lead to a better dispersion of sulfate ions on the surface, and improve the redox performance of the catalysts. The Zn(1.0)–SZA catalyst exhibited the best catalytic activity for n-pentane isomerisation. At a temperature of 170 °C, a reaction pressure of 2.0 MPa, a molar H2/ n-pentane ratio of 4:1, and a weight hourly space velocity of 1.0 h−1, the isopentane yield reached 58.0%.