Research on ethylbenzene dehydrogenation over the Fe-Al-based catalysts in a circulating fluidized-bed unit

Abstract Background In the traditional ethylbenzene dehydrogenation process, much superheated steam is needed to ensure the activity and stability of the catalyst, inevitably leading to high energy consumption. Methods A novel ethylbenzene dehydrogenation process based on a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) reactor was used for the ethylbenzene dehydrogenation reaction under a low steam-to-oil ratio. In this work, a series of Fe-Al-based catalysts were prepared by a sol-gel method and the effect of alumina content on the catalytic performance of Fe-Al-based catalyst for ethylbenzene dehydrogenation was investigated. Significant findings Among a series of Fe-Al-based catalysts, the FeAl40 catalyst (the Fe-Al-based catalyst with 40 wt. % alumina) had the highest dehydrogenation activity and suitable attrition resistance for the CFB reactor. Further investigation found that the adding alumina could inhabit the formation of KFe11O17, leading to poor stability. Interestingly, the high activity of the FeAl40 catalyst could be completely recovered through a reaction-regeneration operation. Compared with the conventional ethylbenzene dehydrogenation process, the CFB process benefits from high activity, low steam-to-oil ratio and no induction period. Consequently, the FeAl40 catalyst had high dehydrogenation activity (∼51 wt. % yield of styrene) and low preparation cost, showing an extraordinary potential for industrial application.