Synthesis of butenes through 2-butanol dehydration over mesoporous materials produced from ferrierite

Mesoporous materials synthesized from commercial ferrierite (MMZ-FER) were applied to butanol dehydration. The MMZ-FER was produced by disassembling ferrierite into unit structures in the presence of alkali solution, adding a surfactant as a templating material, followed by hydrothermal treatment. The effect of the alkali/(Si + Al) ratio in the disassembling step on the characteristics of the catalyst and butanol dehydration performance was investigated. The MMZ-FER materials, synthesized in a condition in which the NaOH/(Si + Al) mole ratio in the disassembling step was 0.67 and 1.0, demonstrated similar textural properties to those of MCM-41. Many weak acid sites developed on the MMZ-FER (0.67) and MMZ-FER (1.0) samples, which is attributed to the creation of ferrierite-induced acid sites. The MMZ-FER materials showed excellent catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability during the dehydration of 2-butanol.