Catalytic Longevity of Hierarchical SAPO-34/AlMCM-41 Nanocomposite Molecular Sieve In Methanol-to-Olefins Process

Abstract

: SAPO-34/AlMCM-41, as a hierarchical nanocomposite molecular sieve was prepared by sequential hydrothermal and dry-gel methods studied for catalytic conversion of methanol to light olefins. Pure AlMCM-41, SAPO-34, and their physical mixture were also produced and catalytically compared. Physicochemical properties of materials were mainly investigated using XRD, N2 isothermal adsorptiondesorption, FESEM, FT-IR, NH3-TPD, and TG/DTG/DTA techniques. Micro-meso hierarchy of prepared composite could be demonstrated by XRD and BET analyses. Catalytic performance of materials illustrated that the methanol conversion on the prepared composite was about 98% for 120 min which showed a higher activity than the other catalysts. The initial reaction selectivity to light olefins for the composite was also comparable with those for the other catalysts. Furthermore, the results revealed that SAPO-34/AlMCM-41 preparation decreased the concentration and strength of active acid sites of the catalyst which could beneficially affect the deposition of heavy molecular products on the catalyst. However, as observed, the prepared composite was deactivated in olefins production faster than pure SAPO-34. The small mean pore diameter of composite could be mainly responsible for its pore blockage and higher deactivation rate. Meanwhile, since the SAPO-34 prepared by dry-gel method had inherently high mesoporosity, the AlMCM-41 introduction didn't promote the molecular diffusion in the composite structure. The coke content was found 15.5% for deactivated composite smaller than that for the SAPO-34 catalyst which could be due to the pore blockage and deactivation of the composite in a shorter period.

Recent Advances in Adsorption and Separation of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Greenhouse Gases Using Metal–Organic Framework-Based Composites

“…MCM-41 is a well known mesoporous silica from the family of M41S materials. Its honeycomb-ordered porous structure, adjustable pore size distribution, high porosity, and good functionalization capability have made it an interesting silica material for researchers in the functionalized form , or a nanocomposite structure. , A MCM-41 composite with MOF was also studied in gas adsorption and separation when Tari et al used it as the matrix phase to produce a stable MOF­(Cu)/Si composite for CO 2 /CH 4 separation. In this research, HKUST-1 MOF was loaded into the hexagonal mesochannels of MCM-41 through a microwave-assisted synthesis procedure (Figure ).…”