Study and Pilot Scale Development of Catalyst for Ethylebenzene Synthesis THrough Transalkylation of Benzene and Polyethylbenzene

This paper refers to the results of study and development of benzene and polyethylbenzene transalkylation catalyst (type AEB-1) for synthesis of ethylbenzene. The effect of reaction conditions on the reaction performance of the catalyst was investigated in the pressurized microreactor CDS-900. A transalkylation catalyst with high activity, good selectivity and stability was developed following a 2000-hour test on the activity and stability of the catalyst. The preparation of this catalyst was implemented in pilot scale and this catalyst was tested for activity and stability in a 150 t/a pilot unit for production of ethylbenzene. The test results have shown that this transalkylation catalyst has excellent activity, selectivity and stability. The operation of pilot test unit ran smoothly and the process scheme is viable.