Synthesis of SAPO-34 Molecular Sieves via Novel Intermittent Hydrothermal Treatment and Its Effect on the Crystallization and Product Properties

Intermittent hydrothermal treatment was introduced into the synthesis of SAPO-34 molecular sieves to control the nucleation and the growth in the crystallization. The effect of the crystallization time, the order of long-time and short-time crystallization in two-stage crystallization, and frequency in multi-stage crystallization on synthesis, physicochemical properties and catalytic performance for conversion of methanol to light olefins (MTO) has been studied. The results show that pure SAPO-34 can be obtained with increasing crystallization time. The interruption of the initial crystallization is more beneficial for improving the Si distribution and the MTO catalytic performance of SAPO-34 molecular sieves. The sample obtained by repeatedly alternating heating and cooling during crystallization shows smaller particle size, higher acidity, longer lifetimes and higher yields of ethylene than that obtained by the conventional continuous crystallization at high temperature.