Ethylation of benzene with ethanol to ethylbenzene using synthesized HZSM-5 catalysts : effects of textural properties and acidity

Abstract

Ethylbenzene (EB), which is a key intermediate in the manufacture of styrene in the petrochemical industry is usually produced via alkylation of benzene with ethylene. The direct use of ethanol as an alkylating agent has also become a suitable substitute for ethylene. Ethanol has gained more attention because it provided a longer catalyst life and higher production efficiency when it was used for the ethylation of benzene accompanied by a HZSM-5 catalyst. In this work, HZSM 5 catalysts were synthesized at a desired SiO2/A12O3 molar ratio of ca.195 with different textural properties and Brönsted acid sites via hydrothermal synthesis. The catalytic activity of the catalysts was tested using a fixed-bed continuous down-flow reactor under various conditions: reaction temperature (300-600 °C), weight hourly space velocity (10-20 h-1), and benzene to ethanol ratio (1:1, 2:1, and 4:1). The results showed that textural properties and acidity of the synthesized HZSM-5 catalysts significantly affected the catalytic activity.