Iron modified SO42−/ZrO2 in application of removing trace olefins from aromatics

AbstractA solid super-acid catalyst SO42−/Fe2O3-ZrO2 (FeSZ) was prepared by coprecipitation method to remove olefins from aromatics. Effects of iron sources and Fe2O3 content were studied. FeSZ and SO42−/ZrO2 (SZ) were characterized by XRD, FT-IR and NH3-TPD. The characterization of the catalysts revealed that the addition of iron purified the tetragonal phase of ZrO2, increased the strength of the acid sites. Catalytic activity test showed that FeSZ with 5 wt% Fe2O3, using Fe2 (SO4)3 as iron source, exhibited the highest activity for removal of olefins. Compared with SZ, the catalytic activity of FeSZ increased 6.1%.