| Summary: | The m-xylene isomerization was studied on mesoporous catalyst type MCM-48, which was impregnated with tungstophosphoric acid. The synthesis was carried out hydrothermally at 423 K, using cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTMABr) as the structural directing agent. The catalysts were prepared with different percentage of tungstophosphoric acid (15, 20, 25, 30 y 40 wt. %) in methanol under stirring. The solids were characterized by XRD, nitrogen adsorcion, TPD-NH3, SEM and FTIR. The tungstophosphoric acid was found highly dispersed inside the pores of the mesoporous material; however, the acid presence inside the pores reduced markedly the surface area, pore volume and to a less extent the diameter. The catalysts were active in the m-xylene trans-formation to p- and o-xylene and trimethylbencenes. The catalyst prepared with 30 wt. % of tungsto-phosphoric acid resulted the most active, due to its higher number of active acid sites accessibles to the reacting molecules and to their higher activity per site. The catalysts were selective to isomerization reaction and to p-xylene.
|
|---|
