Zeolite-based microreactor

Gavriilidis, a., Yeung, K. L., Design and fabrication of zeolite-based microreactors and membrane microseparators, Micropor. Mesopor. Mater. 42 (2001)... 

The syntheses of the ZSM-5 zeolites were based on two different patents (refs. 2-3). In two of the synthesis mixtures sodium ions were, however, largely replaced by potassium ions (table 1). Protonation was achieved by ion-exchange with an aqueous 1 M solution of ammonium-nitrate followed by calcination for 8 hours at 500 °C. In addition, one H-ZSM-5 catalyst was kindly supplied from MOBIL. The zeolites were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, pore-volume measurements (BET) and elemental analysis (ICP). Catalytic experiments were performed at atmospheric pressure by feeding methanol diluted with nitrogen (1 5) into a continuous flow quartz microreactor containing 25-300 mg H-ZSM-5. The reaction temperature was varied from 245 to 400 °C and the products were analyzed by gas-chromatography. 

Currently, the membranes incorporated in MMRs are mainly zeolite and Pd-based dense metal ones. Incorporation of these membranes in microreactors can be achieved using one of the preparation methods described in previous chapters. 

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