Unraveling the deactivation mechanism of methanol-to-olefin conversion over zeolite catalysts

Because of the complexity of methanol-to-olefin (MTO) conversion, clarifying the deactivation mechanism is still challenging. In this issue of Chem Catalysis, Weibin Fan and co-workers clarify the formation and evolution of coke precursors, i.e., cross-linked conjugate species, over zeolite catalysts, providing new insights into the deactivation mechanism in MTO conversion. Because of the complexity of methanol-to-olefin (MTO) conversion, clarifying the deactivation mechanism is still challenging. In this issue of Chem Catalysis, Weibin Fan and co-workers clarify the formation and evolution of coke precursors, i.e., cross-linked conjugate species, over zeolite catalysts, providing new insights into the deactivation mechanism in MTO conversion. Formation and evolution of the coke precursors on the zeolite catalyst in the conversion of methanol to olefinsFan et al.Chem CatalysisFebruary 26, 2024In BriefResolving the deactivation mechanism of zeolite in methanol to olefins (MTO) and clarifying the formation and evolution of coke precursors (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs]) are crucial to understanding the whole MTO process; however, they are challenging due to the extraordinarily complex reaction network. Herein, the deactivation behavior of typical zeolite catalysts (viz., H-SSZ-13, H-beta, and H-ZSM-5) in MTO was investigated. The results indicate that the alkylation of cyclic intermediates (e.g., methylbenzene and cyclohexene) with cyclic carbocations (e.g., cyclopentadienyl and cyclohexadienyl cations) is a main manner to form PAHs and that the cross-linked PAHs act as the primary coke precursors. Full-Text PDF