Dehydrogenation of methanol to light olefins upon zeolite/alumina catalysts: Effect of reaction conditions, catalyst support and zeolite modification

The reaction of methanol to propene was studied in a fixed bed reactor using a pelleted zeolite in alumina matrix support catalyst. The effect of reaction conditions (temperature, pressure, space velocity, feed composition), as well as the effect of support to ZSM-5 zeolite ratio on the conversion of methanol to light olefins (C2 –C4) was studied. The best catalyst and optimum reaction conditions leading to a maximum yield of C2 –C4 were determined. Use of -alumina as support improved the catalyst selectivity to propene and light olefins.