Selective production of propylene from methanol over high-silica mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolites treated with NaOH and NaOH/tetrapropylammonium hydroxide

The influence of alkaline treatments with NaOH and NaOH/TPAOH mixtures on the physicochemical properties and catalytic performance of high-silica ZSM-5 zeolites (Si/Al = 175) during the methanol-to-propylene (MTP) reaction have been investigated. It was found that alkaline treatment in an NaOH/TPAOH solution with TPAOH/(NaOH + TPAOH) = 0.4 ensures the formation of narrow and uniform intracrystalline mesoporosity without severely damaging the crystal structure and the intrinsic acidity of the zeolite, leading to the best catalytic performance, including the highest propylene selectivity (47.2) and P/E ratio (4.97) as well as the longest catalyst lifetime (80 h).