Olov Öhrman

Application of the seed-film method for the preparation of structured molecular sieve catalysts

Abstract The seed-film method has been applied for the preparation of various materials of potential interest as structured molecular sieve catalysts. The method has proven to be very flexible and allows for the reproducible preparation of a number of molecular sieve–substrate combinations as well as the control of the materials’ properties of importance in catalytic applications such as zeolite loading, film thickness, film density and crystal orientation. The preparation of thin molecular sieve films on ceramic foams, α-alumina pellets and porous alumina supports as well as various metal surfaces is described. The preparation of zoned coatings with a compositional gradient is also discussed.

The Catalytic Evaluation of Structured Zeolite Catalysts

ZSM-5 films, with thicknesses between 150 and 2300 nm, supported on 3 mm diameter alumina beads are characterised in terms of their catalytic activity and selectivity for tri-isopropylbenzene cracking and para-xylene isomerisation at 450 °C. A reaction-diffusion model adequately represents the experimental data and is used to estimate intrinsic reactivity and diffusion properties of the zeolite films. Results show that the external activity, overall activity and the diffusivity increase with increasing film thickness. The variation in reactivity and diffusivity, when compared to physio-chemical data, are a result of structural defects and non-homogeneities of the zeolite film. The measured diffusivities are within an order of magnitude of those extrapolated from literature. Thick zeolite films have the largest Thiele modulus as the increase in zeolite film thickness dominates over the structural defects. The largest selectivity improvements are observed for thick zeolite films.