An INS investigation on the effect of a steaming pretreatment of Fe-modified ZSM5 catalysts applied to xylene isomerisation reactions (TOSCA)

The global demand for p-xylene production is considerable, totalling 37 Mt in 2014. One production route involves the use of ZSM5 zeolites to affect the isomerisation of m-xylene to p-xylene. However, catalyst deactivation constitutes a significant impediment to the process operation. In partnership with a major catalyst manufacturer, this application seeks to use the TOSCA spectrometer to examine the effect of a steaming pretreatment on a series of new Fe-doped ZSM5 catalyst formulations under development by the industrial partner. The catalyst experiences steaming as part of the process operation, therefore post-reaction spectral acquisition will reveal, firstly, how steaming has affected the Brønsted acid site density of the samples and, secondly, speciate the form of retained hydrocarbon with respect to modifier concentration. INS is unique in being able to provide such molecular insight. This TOSCA application is linked to associated MAPS and LET proposals.