Reaction coupling of diethylbenzene dehydrogenation with water–gas shift over alumina-supported iron oxide catalysts

• Published in: Catalysis communications Vol. 4; no. 9; pp. 441 - 447
• Main Authors: Chen, Shuwei, Sun, Ailing, Qin, Zhangfeng, Wang, Jianguo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: AMSTERDAM Elsevier B.V 01.09.2003; Elsevier
• Subjects: Carbon dioxide; Chemistry; Chemistry, Physical; Dehydrogenation; Diethylbenzene; Divinylbenzene; Physical Sciences; Reaction coupling; Science & Technology; Water–gas shift; Diethylbenzene; Water–gas shift; Divinylbenzene; Dehydrogenation; Carbon dioxide; Reaction coupling; water-gas shift; carbon dioxide; reaction coupling; ETHYLBENZENE DEHYDROGENATION; dehydrogenation; STYRENE; OXIDATIVE DEHYDROGENATION; FE2O3/AL2O3 CATALYSTS; divinylbenzene; CARBON-DIOXIDE; diethylbenzene
• ISSN: 1566-7367; 1873-3905
• DOI: 10.1016/S1566-7367(03)00110-9

Starting from the thermodynamic analysis of the coupling of diethylbenzene (DEB) dehydrogenation to divinylbenzene (DVB) with reverse water–gas shift, the dehydrogenation of DEB in the presence of carbon dioxide over alumina-supported iron oxide catalysts was carried out at 450–650 °C under atmospheric pressure with CO 2/DEB mole ratio of 10–70 and DEB liquid space velocity (LHSV) of 0.2–1.2 h −1. The effects of reaction temperature, LHSV, CO 2/DEB ratio, as well as iron loading and addition of promoters upon DEB conversion and DVB selectivity were investigated. It was revealed that the yield of DVB and ethylstyrene (EST) could be greatly improved by the reaction coupling due to the simultaneous elimination of the hydrogen produced in the dehydrogenation by reverse water–gas shift. A typical result with EST + DVB selectivity of 90.3%, DVB yield of 43.9% and EST yield of 38.0% was obtained at 550 °C with DEB LHSV of 0.4 h −1 and CO 2/DEB mole ratio of 40.