Dehydrogenation of Ethylbenzene to Styrene Using Commercial Ceramic Membranes as Reactors

Abstract

Abstract The catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene in a membrane reactor was studied at 600° to 640°C. The reactor selected in this study is a commercial alumina membrane tube with 40Å pore diameter packed with granular catalysts. One of the reaction products, hydrogen, was separated through the membrane. Therefore, the catalytic dehydrogenation was enhanced by reducing the hydrogen partial pressure in the reactor. The conversion of ethylbenzene increased ∼15% compared to the conversion in the packed-bed reactor. The hydrothermal stability of membrane reactor after reactions was examined by nitrogen permeation test and SEM. It indicated that the pore diameter increased to 60 ∼ 90Å and the microstructure of membrane remained intact.