The application of INS to investigate the isomerization of xylene in zeolites (MAPS)

The global demand for p-xylene production is significant, totalling 37 Mt in 2014. Following on from a recent initiative to use neutron scattering to investigate a single class of ZSM-5 catalyst for the methanol-to-hydrocarbon reaction, a new academic/industrial project is now looking at the application of different classes of ZSM-5 catalysts for the formation of p-xylene. This proposal seeks to use MAPS to characterise molecular entities retained by the catalyst as a function of reaction temperature. The resulting profile will provide information on the deactivation characteristics of a new industrial grade ZSM-5 sample active for p-xylene formation. This MAPS application is linked to associated TOSCA and QENS proposals.

2014年全球对二甲苯(p-xylene)的生产需求极为旺盛，总需求量达37百万吨。此前已有研究借助中子散射技术，针对单一系列ZSM-5催化剂开展甲醇制烃类反应的相关探究；在此基础上，一项全新的产学研联合项目正聚焦于不同系列ZSM-5催化剂在对二甲苯合成中的应用。本研究计划利用MAPS对不同反应温度下催化剂所留存的分子物种进行表征。所得表征图谱将为用于对二甲苯合成且具备催化活性的新型工业级ZSM-5催化剂的失活特性提供关键信息。本次MAPS应用关联了相关的TOSCA与QENS研究计划。