Benzene alkylation with propylene was studied in the gas phase using a catalytic membrane reactor and a fixed-bed reactor in the temperature range of 200-300 °C and with a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 51 h-1. β-zeolite was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis using silica, aluminum metal and TEAOH as precursors. The membrane's XRD patterns showed good crystallinity for the β-zeolite film, while scanning electron microscopy SEM results indicated that its random polycrystalline film was approximately 1 μm thick. The powders' specific area was determined to be 400 m²×g-1 by N₂ adsorption/desorption, and the TPD results indicated an overall acidity of 3.4 mmol NH₃×g-1. Relative to the powdered catalyst, the catalytic membrane showed good activity and product selectivity for cumene.
Keywords: acid catalysis; alkylation; zeolite membrane; β-zeolite.