The dynamic catalysis of Ga/ZSM-5 catalysts for propane-CO_(2) coupling conversion to aromatics and syngas

Alkane coupling with CO_(2) by metal-containing zeolites catalysis is found to be a promising way to produce aromatics and syngas in recent years,but the real active sites and the role of CO_(2) are still unclear owing to the quick evolution of the metallic active sites and the complex reaction processes including direct propane aromatization,CO_(2) hydrogenation,reverse water-gas shift reaction,and propane-CO_(2) coupling aromatization.Herein,Ga/ZSM-5 catalysts were constructed to study the dynamic evolution of the metallic active sites and the role of CO_(2) during the propane and CO_(2) coupling reaction.After optimizing the reaction conditions,a notable propane conversion rate of 97.9%and an impressive aromatics selectivity of 80.6%in hydrocarbons can be achieved at the conditions of 550℃and CO_(2)/C_(3)H_(8) of 4.^(13)CO_(2)isotope experiments illustrate that C-atoms of CO_(2) can enter into CO(86.5%)and aromatics(10.8%)during the propane-CO_(2) coupling reaction process.In situ XANES and FTIR spectroscopies at 550℃and H_(2)/C_(3)H_(8) atmosphere reveal that GaO_(x) species can be gradually dispersed into[GaH_(2)]^(+)/[GaH]^(2+)on the Bronsted acid sites of ZSM-5 zeolite during H_(2) and/or C_(3)H_(8) treatment,which are the real active sites for propane-CO_(2) coupling conversion.In situ CO_(2)-FTIR experiments demonstrate that the[GaH_(2)]^(+)/[GaH]^(2+)species can react with CO_(2) and accelerate the propane and CO_(2) coupling process.This work not only presents a cost-effective avenue for CO_(2) utilization,but also contributes to the active site design for improved alkane and CO_(2) activation in coupling reaction system.

High-silica faujasite zeolite-tailored metal encapsulation for the low-temperature production of pentanoic biofuels

Zeolite-encapsulated metal nanoclusters are at the heart of bifunctional catalysts,which hold great potential for petrochemical conversion and the emerging sustainable biorefineries.Nevertheless,efficient encapsulation of metal nanoclusters into a high-silica zeolite Y in particular with good structural integrity still remains a significant challenge.Herein,we have constructed Ru nanoclusters(~1 nm)encapsulated inside a high-silica zeolite Y(SY)with a SiO_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3) ratio(SAR)of 10 via a cooperative strategy for direct zeolite synthesis and a consecutive impregnation for metal encapsulation.Compared with the benchmark Ru/H-USY and other analogues,the as-prepared Ru/H-SY markedly boosts the yields of pentanoic biofuels and stability in the direct hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived levulinate even at a mild temperature of 180℃,which are attributed to the notable stabilization of transition states by the enhanced acid accessibility and properly sized constraints of zeolite cavities owing to the good structural integrity.

Insights into the size effect of ZnCr_(2)O_(4)spinel oxide in composite catalysts for conversion of syngas to aromatics

Direct conversion of syngas to aromatics(STA)over oxide-zeolite composite catalysts is promising as an alternative method for aromatics production.However,the structural effect of the oxide component in composite catalysts is still ambiguous.Herein,we investigate the size effect by selecting ZnCr_(2)O_(4)spinel,as a probe oxide,mixing with H-ZSM-5 zeolite as a composite catalyst for STA reaction.The CO conversion,aromatics selectivity and space-time yield(STY)of aromatics are all significantly improved with the crystal size of ZnCr_(2)O_(4)oxide decreases,which can mainly attribute to the higher oxygen vacancy concentration and thus the rapid generation of more C1oxygenated intermediate species.Based on the understanding of the size-performance relationship,ZnCr_(2)O_(4)-400 with a smaller size mixing with H-ZSM-5 can achieve32.6%CO conversion with 76%aromatics selectivity.The STY of aromatics reaches as high as 4.79 mmol g_(cat)^(-1)h^(-1),which outperforms the previously reported some typical catalysts.This study elucidates the importance of regulating the size of oxide to design more efficient oxidezeolite composite catalysts for conversion of syngas to value-added chemicals.

Coking and decoking chemistry for resource utilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)and low-carbon process

Low-carbon process for resource utilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)in zeolitecatalyzed processes,geared to carbon neutrality-a prominent trend throughout human activities,has been bottlenecked by the lack of a complete mechanistic understanding of coking and decoking chemistry,involving the speciation and molecular evolution of PAHs,the plethora of which causes catalyst deactivation and forces regeneration,rendering significant CO_(2) emission.Herein,by exploiting the high-resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry(MALDI FT-ICR MS),we unveil the missing fingerprints of the mechanistic pathways for both formation and decomposition of cross-linked cage-passing PAHs for SAPO-34-catalyzed,industrially relevant methanol-to-olefins(MTO)as a model reaction.Notable is the molecule-resolved symmetrical signature:their speciation originates exclusively from the direct coupling of in-cage hydrocarbon pool(HCP)species,whereas water-promoted decomposition of cage-passing PAHs initiates with selective cracking of inter-cage local structures at 8-rings followed by deep aromatic steam reforming.Molecular deciphering the reversibly dynamic evolution trajectory(fate)of full-spectrum aromatic hydrocarbons and fulfilling the real-time quantitative carbon resource footprints advance the fundamental knowledge of deactivation and regeneration phenomena(decay and recovery motifs of autocatalysis)and disclose the underlying mechanisms of especially the chemistry of coking and decoking in zeolite catalysis.The positive yet divergent roles of water in these two processes are disentangled.These unprecedented insights ultimately lead us to a steam regeneration strategy with valuable CO and H_(2) as main products,negligible CO_(2) emission in steam reforming and full catalyst activity recovery,which further proves feasible in other important chemical processes,promising to be a sustainable and potent approach that contributes to carbon-neutral chemical industry.

Regeneration of catalysts deactivated by coke deposition:A review

In industrial catalytic processes,coke deposition can cause catalyst deactivation by covering acid sites and/or blocking pores.The regeneration of deactivated catalysts,thereby removing the coke and simultaneously restoring the catalytic activity,is highly desired.Despite various chemical reactions and methods are available to remove coke,developing reliable,efficient,and economic regeneration methods for catalytic processes still remains a challenge in industrial practice.In this paper,the current progress of regeneration methods such as oxidation(air,ozone and oxynitride),gasification(carbon dioxide and water steam),and hydrogenation(hydrogen)is reviewed,which hopefully can shed some light on the design and optimization of catalysts and the related processes.

Investigation of low-temperature hydrothermal stability of Cu-SAPO-34 for selective catalytic reduction of NO_x with NH_3

The low‐temperature hydrothermal stabilities of Cu‐SAPO‐34samples with various Si contents and Cu loadings were systematically investigated.The NH3oxidation activities and NH3‐selective catalytic reduction(SCR)activities(mainly the low‐temperature activities)of all the Cu‐SAPO‐34catalysts declined after low‐temperature steam treatment(LTST).These results show that the texture and acid density of Cu‐SAPO‐34can be better preserved by increasing the Cu loading,although the hydrolysis of Si-O-Al bonds is inevitable.The stability of Cu ions and the stability of the SAPO framework were positively correlated at relatively low Cu loadings.However,a high Cu loading(e.g.,3.67wt%)resulted in a significant decrease in the number of isolated Cu ions.Aggregation of CuO particles also occurred during the LTST,which accounts for the decreasing NH3oxidation activities of the catalysts.Among the catalysts,Cu‐SAPO‐34with a high Si content and medium Cu content(1.37wt%)showed the lowest decrease in NH3‐SCR because its Cu2+content was well retained and its acid density was well preserved.

An effective route to improve the catalytic performance of SAPO-34 in the methanol-to-olefin reaction

An effective route to improve the catalytic performance of SAPO-34 in the methanol-to-olefin reaction by simple oxalic acid treatment was investigated. The samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, N2 adsorption-desorption, XRF, TG, 29Si MAS NMR and NH3-TPD techniques. The results indicated that the external surface acidity of SAPO-34 was finely tuned by oxalic acid treatment, and the selectivity to C2H4 on SAPO-34 and the catalyst lifetime in the methanol-to-olefin reaction were greatly improved.

Construction of 2D-2D TiO_2 nanosheet/layered WS_2 heterojunctions with enhanced visible-light-responsive photocatalytic activity

Constructing nanocomposites that combine the advantages of composite materials,nanomaterials,and interfaces has been regarded as an important strategy to improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2.In this study,2D‐2D TiO2 nanosheet/layered WS2(TNS/WS2)heterojunctions were prepared via a hydrothermal method.The structure and morphology of the photocatalysts were systematically characterized.Layered WS2(~4 layers)was wrapped on the surface of TiO2 nanosheets with a plate‐to‐plate stacked structure and connected with each other by W=O bonds.The as‐prepared TNS/WS2 heterojunctions showed higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of RhB under visible‐light irradiation,than pristine TiO2 nanosheets and layered WS2.The improvement of photocatalytic activity was primarily attributed to enhanced charge separation efficiency,which originated from the perfect 2D‐2D nanointerfaces and intimate interfacial contacts between TiO2 nanosheets and layered WS2.Based on experimental results,a double‐transfer photocatalytic mechanism for the TNS/WS2 heterojunctions was proposed and discussed.This work provides new insights for synthesizing highly efficient and environmentally stable photocatalysts by engineering the surface heterojunctions.

Enhancing ethylene selectivity in MTO reaction by incorporating metal species in the cavity of SAPO-34 catalysts

The SAPO‐34 catalysts were modified with metal cations by different processes(conventional ion exchange(CIE),template‐assisted ion incorporation(TII)and alcoholic ion exchange(AIE)),systematically characterized by XRD,XRF,N2 adsorption‐desorption,UV‐VIS,H2‐TPR,EPR,SEM,EDX,XPS,NH3‐TPD,1H NMR and IGA,and applied in MTO reaction.The metal cations incorporation introduces extra diffusion hindrance by metallic species located in the cavity of SAPO‐34.In particular,the Zn cations‐modified SAPO‐34 catalysts exhibit core‐shell like structure,with Si‐rich and Zn‐rich sublayer near the external surface,which favors the coke deposition at the beginning of MTO reaction,exerts marked impact on the diffusion of the generated products with relatively large molecular size(e.g.propylene),and significantly increases the selectivity to ethylene and the ratio of ethylene to propene in the MTO reaction.

DMTO:A Sustainable Methanol-to-Olefins Technology

1.Introduction Ethylene and propylene are the cornerstones of the chemical industry,with more than 75%of chemical products as their downstream derivatives.They are conventionally produced via naphtha steam cracking and fluid catalytic cracking(FCC),in which oil is mainly used as feedstock.China,however,relies heavily on imports for crude oil.The Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics(DICP),together with China Petroleum&Chemical Corporation(Sinopec)Luoyang Petrochemical Engineering Company and SYN Energy Technology Co.,Ltd.,have developed a methanol-to-olefins technology—namely DMTO—which opens up an alternative path to synthesize light olefins from methanol,a platform chemical that can be readily derived from coal[1].As coal is relatively abundant in China,the success of DMTO is of practical significance in balancing the supply and demand of light olefins,reducing China’s dependence on imports for crude oil,and promoting national energy security.This report outlines the catalyst,fluidized-bed reactor,and process of DMTO technology,with an emphasis on the key technologies involved in commercial units and sustainable development for future applications.

Eco-friendly synthesis of high silica zeolite Y with choline as green and innocent structure-directing agent

Zeolite synthesis in contemporary chemical industries is predominantly conducted using organic structure‐directing agents(OSDAs),which are chronically hazardous to humans and the environment.It is a growing trend to develop an eco‐friendly and nuisanceless OSDA for zeolite synthesis.Herein,choline is employed as a non‐toxic and green OSDA to synthesize high silica Y zeolite with SiO2/Al2O3 ratios of 6.5–6.8.The prepared Y zeolite samples exhibited outstanding(hydro)thermal stability at ultrahigh temperature owing to the higher SiO2/Al2O3 ratio.The XRF,SEM,29Si‐NMR and 13Na+results suggested that choline plays a structure‐directing role in the synthesis of Y zeolite,while the feed molar fraction of Na+is a crucial determinant for the framework SiO2/Al2O3 ratio and the crystal morphology.

Insight into catalytic properties of Co3O4-CeO2 binary oxides for propane total oxidation

A series of Co3O4-CeO2 binary oxides with various Co/(Ce+Co)molar ratios were synthesized using a citric acid method,and their catalytic properties toward the total oxidation of propane were examined.The activities of the catalysts decrease in the order CoCeOx-70>CoCeOx-90>Co3O4>CoCeOx-50>CoCeOx-20>CeO2.CoCeOx-70(Co/(Ce+Co)=70% molar ratio)exhibits the highest catalytic activity toward the total oxidation of propane,of which the T90 is 310℃(GHSV=120000 mL h^-1 g^-1],which is 25℃ lower than that of pure Co3 O4.The enhancement of the catalytic performance of CoCeOx-70 is attributed to the strong interaction between CeO2 and Co3O4,the improvement of the low-temperature reducibility,and the increase in the number of active oxygen species.In-situ DRIFTS and reaction kinetics measurement reveal that Ce addition does not change the reaction mechanism,but promotes the adsorption and activation of propane on the catalyst surface.The addition of water vapor and CO2 in reactant gas has a negative effect on the propane conversion,and the catalyst is more sensitive to water vapor than to CO2.In addition,CoCeOx-70 exhibits excellent stability and reusability in water vapor and CO2 atmosphere.

Formaldehyde intermediate participating in the conversion of methanol to aromatics over zinc modified H-ZSM-5

Metal-modified H-ZSM-5 has a high selectivity of aromatics in methanol to aromatics(MTA)reaction,which is often attributed to the metal promoting the aromatization of intermediate olefins.However,the effect of methanol dehydrogenation on aromatics formation over these catalysts is rarely studied.Here,we report that HCHO,which is formed by methanol dehydrogenation over Zn/H-ZSM-5 prepared by Zn impregnation,can participate in the synthesis of aromatics.Methanol conversion can produce more aromatics than olefins(propylene or ethylene)conversion over Zn/H-ZSM-5,indicating the conventional MTA pathway including methanol-to-olefins and olefins-to-aromatics is not complete.Moreover,an MTA mechanism including the conventional pathway and the methanol and HCHO coupling pathway is systematically proposed.

Role of ball milling during Cs/X catalyst preparation and effects on catalytic performance in side-chain alkylation of toluene with methanol

Ball milling modification was performed on Cs/X catalysts before or after cesium ion exchange.Multiple characterization results(such as pyridine-FTIR,XPS,and solid-state NMR)demonstrated that ball milling played a distinct role in these two different preparation procedures of the catalyst.Ball milling performed after the cesium modification has a strong influence on the Cs/X structure and acid-base properties,which results in the enhancement of the catalytic performance for side-chain methylation of toluene with methanol.Detailed studies revealed that ball milling intensified the interactions between oxides and molecular sieves,which not only increased the dispersion of the Cs species but also generated some weaker basic centers.It is proposed that the new basic centers could be Si-O-Cs and Al-O-Cs,which are produced by breaking of the Si-O-Al bonds of the zeolite framework under the synergetic effect of ball milling and alkali treatment.These new active sites may help to promote the side-chain methylation reaction.However,excessive ball milling will lead to the vanishing of zeolite micropores,thus deactivating side-chain methylation activity,which indicates that microporosity plays a key role in side-chain methylation and individual basic centers cannot catalyze this reaction.

Synthesis and applications of mesoporous Cu-Zn-Al_2O_3 catalyst for dehydrogenation of 2-butanol

A series of mesoporous Cu-Zn-Al2O3 materials have been synthesized at ambient temperature and their structure was characterized by XRD, N2 physical adsorption and TPR techniques. Their catalytic applications for the dehydrogenation of 2-butanol to methyl ethyl ketone （MEK） were evaluated in a fixed-bed flow reactor at atmospheric pressure. It is demonstrated from the XRD patterns that both the as-synthesized samples and calcined samples have the typical XRD patterns of meso-structured materials and the results of N20 chemical adsorption showed that Cu was embedded in the framework of the mesoporous materials and homogeneously dispersed in the mesoporous Cu-Zn-Al2O3 materials. The catalytic activity of 2-butanol dehydrogenation was varied in the order of CZA（10） 〈 CZA（CP） 〈 CZA（20） 〈 CZA（30）; while the selectivity of MEK was increased in the order of CZA（CP） 〈 CZA（10） 〈 CZA（20） 〈CZA（30）.

A facile sulfur-assisted method to synthesize porous alveolate Fe/g-C3N4 catalysts with ultra-small cluster and atomically dispersed Fe sites

Heterogeneous catalysts with ultra-small clusters and atomically dispersed(USCAD)active sites have gained increasing attention in recent years.However,developing USCAD catalysts with high-density metal sites anchored in porous nanomaterials is still challenging.Here,through the template-free S-assisted pyrolysis of low-cost Fe-salts with melamine(MA),porous alveolate Fe/g-C3N4 catalysts with high-density(Fe loading up to 17.7 wt%)and increased USCAD Fe sites were synthesized.The presence of a certain amount of S species in the Fe-salts/MA system plays an important role in the formation of USCAD S-Fe-salt/CN catalysts;the S species act as a"sacrificial carrier"to increase the dispersion of Fe species through Fe-S coordination and generate porous alveolate structure by escaping in the form of SO2 during pyrolysis.The S-Fe-salt/CN catalysts exhibit greatly promoted activity and reusability for degrading various organic pollutants in advanced oxidation processes compared to the corresponding Fe-salt/CN catalysts,due to the promoted accessibility of USCAD Fe sites by the porous alveolate structure.This S-assisted method exhibits good feasibility in a large variety of S species(thiourea,S powder,and NH4SCN)and Fe salts,providing a new avenue for the low-cost and large-scale synthesis of high-density USCAD metal/g-C3N4 catalysts.

HZSM-35 zeolite catalyzed aldol condensation reaction to prepare acrylic acid and its ester:Effect of its acidic property

Acrylic acid(AA)and its ester,methyl acrylate(MA),were produced by a green one‐step aldol condensation reaction of dimethoxymethane and methyl acetate.The reaction was conducted over ZSM‐35 zeolites with different concentrations of Bronsted acid,which were prepared by the sodium ion‐exchange process with H‐form zeolite.The acidic property of HZSM‐35 was studied in detail through infrared experiments.About 51%of all bridging OH groups were distributed in cages,while 23%and 26%,respectively,were distributed in 10‐and 8‐ring channels.The catalytic performance was enhanced by a high concentration of Bronsted acid,indicating that Bronsted acid is an active site for the aldol condensation reaction.The ZSM‐35 zeolite possessing a concentration of Bronsted acid as high as 0.049 mmol/g demonstrated excellent performance with a MA+AA selectivity of up to 73%.

Methanol-to-olefin induction reaction over SAPO-34

The methanol-to-olefin induction reaction over the SAPO-34 was performed using a fluidized-bed system.We found that the whole induction period could be divided into three reaction stages.Further investigation of the reaction kinetics revealed that this induction reaction behavior was different from that over H-ZSM-5 catalyst.Compared with the H-ZSM-5,the generation of initial active centers is easier over SAPO-34 because of its limited diffusivity and the spatial confinement effect of the cages.However,the autocatalysis reaction stage is difficult over SAPO-34 because of the continuous formation of inactive methyladamantanes.

Synthesis of mesoporous high‐silica zeolite Y and their catalytic cracking performance

Mesoporous high‐silica zeolite Y with advantages of improved accessibility of acid sites and mass transport properties is highly desired catalytic materials for oil refinery,fine chemistry and emerg‐ing biorefinery.Here,we report the direct synthesis of mesoporous high‐silica zeolite Y(named MSY,SiO_(2)/Al2O_(3)≥9.8)and their excellent catalytic cracking performance.The obtained MSY mate‐rials are mesoporous single crystals with octahedral morphology,abundant mesoporosity and ex‐cellent(hydro)thermal stability.Both the acid concentration and acid strength of H‐form MSY are obviously higher than those of commercial ultra‐stable Y(USY),which should be attributed to the uniform Al distribution of MSY zeolite.The H‐MSY displays an obviously reduced deactivation rate and improved catalytic activity in the cracking reaction of bulky 1,3,5‐triisopropylbenzene(TIPB),as compared with its mesoporogen‐free counterpart and USY.In addition,H‐MSY was investigated as catalyst for the cracking of industrial heavy oil.The MSY‐based catalyst(after aging at 800 oC in 100%steam for 17 h)exhibits superior conversion(7.64%increase)and gasoline yield(16.37%increase)than industrial fluid catalytic cracking(FCC)catalyst under the investigated conditions.

External surface modification of as-made ZSM-5 and their catalytic performance in the methanol to propylene reaction

Post-synthetic treatment of high-silica as-made ZSM-5 with organic template in the micropores was explored to reduce/remove the external surface acid density of ZSM-5. It is found that Na_2H_2 EDTA treatment can selectively remove the surface Al atoms, but generates new acid sites（likely silanol nests） on the external surface. H_3PO_4 treatment is unable to remove surface Al atoms, while small amount of P is left on the external surface, which effectively decreases the acid density. The catalytic performance of the resultant materials is evaluated in the methanol conversion reaction. H_3PO_4 treatment can effectively improve both the catalytic lifetime and the stability of propene selectivity.This occurs due to a combination of the increased tolerance to the external coke deposition and the depressed coking rate（reduced side reactions）. Na_2H_2 EDTA treatment only prolongs the catalytic lifetime, resulting from the improved tolerance to the external coke deposition. Under the optimized H_3PO_4 treatment condition, the resultant ZSM-5 gives a catalytic lifetime of about 1.5 times longer than the precursor. Moreover, the propene selectivity is improved, showing a slight increasing trend until the deactivation.