The effects of the local concentration and distribution of sulfonic acid groups on 1-butene isomerization catalyzed by macroporous ion-exchange resin catalysts

Abstract

The catalytic activities of sulfonated macroporous poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) beads in 1-butene isomerization were investigated through a model concerning the effects of the distribution and concentration of the sulfonic acid groups. The reaction rate constant increased nonlinearly with the sulfonic acid group concentration and the order of nonlinear power dependence was about 2.4. The values of effectiveness factors of the microparticles in the macroporous resin catalysts with 40 and 50% DVB ranged from 0.1 to 0.3. The diffusivities were 10 −13 and 10 −14cm 2/sec for 40 and 50% DVB, respectively. The result showed that the major reaction arena was the pore space between the microparticles.