Alternative processes for the production of styrene Review Article

This short review compares different technologies for the synthesis of styrene which are currently studied as alternatives to the industrial dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene: dehydrogenation of ethyl-benzene followed by oxidation of hydrogen, catalytic and stoichiometric oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene, and dehydrogenation in membrane reactors. The advantages and drawbacks of each technology are illustrated and discussed, and the catalytic systems employed are described.