Main > PETROLEUM > Gas Processing > Gas Conversion Processes > LPG to Liq. Aromatics Conversion > Co.: USA. U (Commercial Proc./Pat.) > NPLS Contents

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Zeolites loaded with gallium are useful catalysts for converting alkanes to aromatic compounds. Ga/ZSM-5 is used commercially in the TradeMarked process developed by Companies, for converting liquefied petroleum gas, which is mainly propane and butane, into benzene, toluene, and xylenes. "But the role of gallium in these reactions is still unclear," AUTHOR noted.

To learn about the nature and environment of gallium species in porous materials, AUTHOR and coworkers used vapor deposition of trimethylgallium to prepare Ga/ZSM-5 specimens. The samples were probed with X-ray absorption spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and other tools, and exposed to oxidizing and reducing conditions.

The measurements indicate that gallium bonds as Ga(CH3)2+ in tetrahedral coordination at Brønsted sites in preference to silanol sites. The finding is consistent with computational results, AUTHOR pointed out. She also observed that reductions proceed faster for tetrahedrally coordinated species than for those with an octahedral geometry and that gallium is more readily dispersed into zeolite micropores upon treatment with hydrogen than oxygen



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