Study of Two Catalyst Configurations under Microwave Irradiation for the Selective Benzaldehyde Production over Co-ZSM-11 and Fe-ZSM-11
Abstract
Intensification process by the use of microwave heating was investigated by testing two catalyst configurations on the selective styrene oxidation for benzaldehyde production. The oxidation reaction was studied over Co-ZSM-11 and Fe-ZSM-11 catalysts. Their catalytic activity was evaluated by using these catalysts in two different forms: compacted pellets and fine particles. Thus, two reaction systems were studied under microwave: a batch system with fine particles in suspension (system 1) and a recirculating batch liquid through a fixed bed system comprising the compact catalyst pellets (system 2). Despite a better microwave interaction with the catalyst in the pellet form, the fixed bed configuration did not lead to a significant intensification of the process. At 60°C, the styrene molar conversions by using Co-ZSM-11 catalyst were found to be 33% and 3% for systems 1 and 2, respectively. With fine particles, the catalytic activity was higher since the styrene oxidation was able to occur without significant internal diffusional resistance of the reagents toward the active acid sites of the zeolite structure.