Alkylation on Solid Acids. Part 1. Experimental Investigation of Catalyst Deactivation

The alkylation of i-butane with 1-butene on a proton-exchanged Y-zeolite was investigated in the liquid phase at 35 bar and within a temperature range of 353-393 K in a fixed-bed reactor to provide an experimental database for the kinetic modeling of the process. Particular attention was given to the evolution of the product composition with increasing deactivation. A reaction network based on elementary steps of carbenium-ion chemistry was generated by computer. The occurrence, absence, or evolution of components is connected to the amount of butane processed to provide clues for a better understanding of the nature of the phenomena leading to the deactivation of the catalyst.