The Effect of 1-Butanol Co-Feeding on Propylene Production in the MTP Reaction

The propylene production with 1-butanol co-feeding for methanol in relation to propylene process (MTP) at 440-490 °C temperature range and at 0.9-15 hr^-1 WHSV range over H-ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst is assessed in a isothermal fixed-bed reactor. The feedings here are of: pure 1-butanol, pure methanol and a 1-butanol and methanol mixture. The effect of 1-butanol co-feeding on selectivity of propylene is assessed through RSM an experimental design method. The results indicate that the selectivity of propylene is 69% in the feed mixture of 13, 37 and 50 wt% of 1-butanol, methanol and water, respectively. The optimum conditions to obtain high level of propylene selectivity is suggested to be at 480 °C, WHSV of 0.9 hr^-1 and 1-butanol concentration of 0.135 wt.% through RSM method. The sensitivity analysis of the RSM method reveals that the WHSV is the most effective parameter on the propylene selectivity with a P-value of 0.003.