Shape Selective Pillared Clay Catalysts For P-Xylene Production

Shape selective xylene production is very important in the polymer industry because ofits extensive use as raw material for monomer preparation. the acidity associated withthe lewis and broensted centers present in the pillars interlayered clay and its texturalproperties allows good catalytic activity and shape selectivity toward p-xyleneproduction. so, in the present study, ultrasonic and microwave as a new and efficientmethod was used in the preparation of co, cr and zro2-pillared clay with enhancedtextural properties, improved thermal stability and significant reduction in processingtime. catalytic alkylation of toluene with methanol was carried out over the preparedcatalysts in a catalytic flow system operated under atmospheric pressure at atemperature range 250-450°c. results indicated that the pillaring of montmoriloniticclay material with polyoxy-metalic cations (zr-, cr- and co-) improves the textureproperties and thermal stability of the obtained catalysts. the co-pilc catalyst is themost active and selective catalyst towards p-xylene formation, i.e. co-pilc catalyst isa shape selective for p-xylene formation.