Ethylbenzene (EB) is an important bulk chemical intermediate. The vapor-phase process is considered to be more efficient than the liquid-phase process when using dilute ethylene (e.g. FCC or DCC off-gas) as the feed due to its high ethylene space velocity. However, realizing a balance between reducing the xylene formation and enhancing the EB selectivity is still a challenge due to the poor performance of ZSM-5 at low reaction temperature. This study concerns an IM-5 zeolite (IMF topology) modified by H2SiF6, with 89% ethylbenzene selectivity, 98.6% total EB + DEB selectivity and only 540 ppm of xylene at 330 °C. IM-5 zeolites with different Si/Al2 ratios (40-170) were prepared by H2SiF6 modification and their catalytic performance in vapor phase alkylation of benzene with ethylene was investigated. There was an obvious decrease in the acid sites and acid strength of IM-5 in the H2SiF6 treatment process, which led to a slight decrease in ethylbenzene selectivity and a significant decline in xylene yield. Under the conditions of complete ethylene conversion, the selectivity to EB + DEB increased from 96.1% to 98.6% in the parent I-40 and modified IM-5. Compared with ZSM-5 that has a similar acidity, the slightly bigger channel opening makes IM-5 more conductive to the formation and diffusion of DEB while xylene may present adverse effects. The 120 hour-lifetime test showed that IM-5 (I-110) has superior activity, equivalent stability, higher DEB selectivity and a much lower xylene selectivity in comparison with ZSM-5. The catalytic performance of the IM-5 zeolite in the vapor phase process provides a new choice for the production of ethylbenzene.
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