Alkylation of Benzene with Propylene in a Flow-Through Membrane Reactor and Fixed-Bed Reactor: Preliminary Results

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 m(2)·g(−1) by N(2) adsorption/desorption, and the TPD results indicated an overall acidity of 3.4 mmol NH(3)·g(−1). Relative to the powdered catalyst, the catalytic membrane showed good activity and product selectivity for cumene.