Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2025, Vol. 72: 359-375.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(25)64678-X

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Single [Ga(OH)]2+ species supported on mesoporous hollow-structured H-ZSM-5: A highly efficient light alkanes aromatization catalyst

Dezhi Shia,b, Yanyan Chena, Xiao Chenc, Sen Wanga,*(), Qiang Wangd, Pengfei Wanga, Huaqing Zhua, Mei Donga, Jun Xud, Feng Dengd, Jianguo Wanga, Weibin Fana,*()   

  1. aState Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, China
    bThe Cultivation Base of Shanxi Key Laboratory of Mining Area Ecological Restoration and Solid Wastes Utilization, Shanxi Institute of Technology, Yangquan 045000, Shanxi, China
    cBeijing Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Reaction Engineering and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
    dNational Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China
  • Received:2024-11-06 Accepted:2025-03-11 Online:2025-05-18 Published:2025-05-20
  • Contact: *E-mail: wangsen@sxicc.ac.cn (S. Wang), fanwb@sxicc.ac.cn (W. Fan).
  • Supported by:
    National Key R&D Program of China(2023YFB4103700);National Key R&D Program of China(2020YFA0210900);National Key R&D Program of China(2020YFA0210902);National Key R&D Program of China(2020YFB0606402);National Natural Science Foundation of China(U1910203);National Natural Science Foundation of China(21991090);National Natural Science Foundation of China(21991092);National Natural Science Foundation of China(22322208);National Natural Science Foundation of China(22272195);National Natural Science Foundation of China(U22A20431);Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province of China(202203021224009);Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province of China(202303021222277);Scientific and Technological Innovation Programs of Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi(2021L586);China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2022TQ0351);Innovation foundation of Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences(SCJC-DT-2023-06);Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS(2021172)

Abstract:

Aromatization of light alkanes is a value-added process in both petrochemical and coal chemical industries. Here, single [Ga(OH)]2+ ion-exchanged mesoporous hollow-structured ZSM-5 (Ga-MH-ZSM-5) material was prepared, and it shows unprecedented catalytic performance in light alkane aromatization, considering activity, product selectivity and catalytic stability. The average aromatics yields in ethane aromatization at 600 °C and WHSV of 0.8 h-1 within 28 h and in propane aromatization at 580 °C and WHSV of 1.1 h-1 within 20 h reach ’18.4% and ’70.8% with benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX) accounting for 96% and ’88% of aromatics, respectively. Ga-MH-ZSM-5-0.41 gave a TON for formation of aromatics (TONaromatics) from propane as high as 57479, whereas the reported catalysts maximally show a TONaromatics of 5514. This also holds true for ethane aromatization; the TONaromatics obtained on Ga-MH-ZSM-5-0.41 was ≥ 3845 in contrast to £ 392 on reported non-noble metal catalysts. The catalytic activity of Ga-MH-ZSM-5 highly depends on Ga species structures. [Ga(OH)]2+ ions are predominant species at Ga loading ≤ 0.3 wt%, while more [Ga(OH)2]+ and GaOx oligomers are formed with increasing Ga content. Upon reduction with H2, [Ga(OH)]2+ and [Ga(OH)2]+ are transformed into [GaH]2+ and [GaH2]+ species, which show a propane dehydrogenation rate of 300 and 15 times of that of Brønsted acid sites respectively. The light alkanes are mainly dehydrogenated into light olefins on [GaH]2+ species, and then, oligomerized and cyclized into (alkyl)cycloalkanes on H+ sites, which is followed by possible ring expansion on H+ and sequential dehydrogenations into aromatics primarily on [GaH]2+.

Key words: Light alkane aromatization, Mesoporous hollow-structured, H-ZSM-5, Isolated Ga species, Active site, Reaction mechanism