Issue 112, 2015

Effect of precursor on the performance of phosphate-modified γ-Al2O3 catalysts for the dehydration of methanol

Abstract

A series of PO43−/γ-Al2O3 monolith catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of phosphate with different additives, including ammonia, triethanolamine (TEA), hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) and diethylenetriamine (MSDS). These catalysts were compared for their catalytic properties in a fixed-bed reactor at 1 atm, 250–350 °C and liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) of 4 h−1. The catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH3-TPD). The results revealed that the catalytic activity of PO43−/γ-Al2O3 for methanol dehydration increased significantly as the content of phosphate increased to 7 wt%. However, when the phosphate content of PO43−/γ-Al2O3 was further increased to 10 wt%, the activity for methanol dehydration decreased. The catalytic activity of PO43−/γ-Al2O3 is found to be determined mainly by the amounts of weak and medium acid sites. At 7 wt% PO43− loading, the proportion of weak and medium acid sites can be improved by addition of additives with high basicity to the impregnation process. The catalyst containing 7 wt% phosphate with added diethylenetriamine demonstrated the highest activity.

Graphical abstract: Effect of precursor on the performance of phosphate-modified γ-Al2O3 catalysts for the dehydration of methanol

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Oct 2015
Accepted
21 Oct 2015
First published
21 Oct 2015

RSC Adv., 2015,5, 92628-92633

Effect of precursor on the performance of phosphate-modified γ-Al2O3 catalysts for the dehydration of methanol

L. Xu, D. He, L. Liu, T. Pei and J. Ren, RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 92628 DOI: 10.1039/C5RA19951D

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