Assessment of Acid Catalytic Properties of Ferrosilicate Mfi Zeolite by Methanol-to-Hydrocarbon Conversion

Abstract

Four representative methods of synthesis were applied to obtain Fe-containing siliceous MFI zeolites. The resultant Fe-MFI zeolites exhibited markedly different catalytic performance for methanol-to-hydrocarbon (MTH) conversion, according to the Fe incorporation status in siliceous frameworks. The catalytically active Brønsted acid sites were analyzed with FT-IR spectroscopy of adsorbed pyridine, which gave characteristic signal intensities according to the acid-base interactions. Based on the MTH and acidity analyses, we confirmed a proper synthesis method to incorporate Fe within the MFI zeolite framework. However, compared to the catalytic reaction, structural analyses by UV-vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray absorption were much less conclusive, or obscured differences.

Keywords: Ferrosilicate, Fe-MFI zeolite, Methanol to hydrocarbon, Acidity, Heteroatom incorporation