Methanol‐to‐Light Olefins Reaction using Zn‐Ag Modified SSZ‐13 Catalyst

Abstract The 2 wt.% of Zn and Ag (Zn 1‐x ‐Ag x; x=0.2, 0.4, 0.6 %) modified SSZ‐13 (SZ‐13) zeolite was prepared by wet‐impregnation method, and its catalytic activity was demonstrated for methanol‐to‐olefin (MTO). The Zn 0.6 ‐Ag 0.4 /SZ‐13 catalyst exhibited high catalytic activity due to change in properties of catalyst. The Zn particles were highly dispersed inside the SZ‐13; while Ag particles were dispersed on the surface of SZ‐13, confirmed by HRTEM and surface area. The small % of Ag over SZ‐13 promotes ethylene production via aromatization of reaction, and highly dispersed Zn on SZ‐13 help to produce stable ethylene and propylene. The Zn 0.6 ‐Ag 0.4 /SZ‐13 catalyst showed (∼10 %) higher light olefin (87 %) selectivity than parent SZ‐13 as well as mono metal incorporated SZ‐13. The higher catalytic activity was attributed due to effect of both metals (Zn and Ag), where Ag promotes partial aromatization on the surface, and Zn increases the Lewis acidity in the zeolite pore. This catalyst can help to improve the selectivity of light olefin using MTO reaction.