Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2025

Laboratory Production of Biofuels and Biochemicals from a Rapeseed Oil through Catalytic Cracking Conversion
Published on: September 2, 2016
Cr- and Ga-Modified ZSM-5 Catalyst for the Production of Renewable BTX from Bioethanol
Swati Saini1,2, Tolulope Oluokun1,3, Bhawna Sharma1,2
1CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun, 248005, India.
Abstract:
Light aromatics (benzene, toluene, and xylene, collectively known as BTX) are essential commodity chemicals in the petrochemical industry. The present study examines the aromatization of bioethanol with Cr- and Ga-modified ZSM-5. Both Cr and Ga were incorporated by the ion-exchange method. Cr-modified ZSM-5 outperforms the Ga-modified ZSM-5 and H-ZSM-5 catalysts. Cr-H-ZSM-5 almost doubled the carbon yield of aromatics compared to H-ZSM-5 at an optimum reaction temperature of 450 °C. Cr-H-ZSM-5 produced aromatics with a yield of ~40 %. The effect of dilution in feed on BTX production is also studied. Cr-H-ZSM-5 was found to be more active than H-ZSM-5. Complete ethanol conversion was obtained with both pure and dilute bioethanol. The Bronsted-Lewis acid (BLA) pair formed after metal incorporation is responsible for dehydrogenation followed by aromatization, leading to increased aromatic production.
Related Concept Videos
Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...
Reduction of Benzene to Cyclohexane: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Metals like palladium, platinum, and nickel are commonly used in their solid forms — fine powder on an inert surface. As these catalysts remain insoluble in the reaction mixture, they are referred to as heterogeneous catalysts.
The hydrogenation process takes place on the...
Alkynes to Aldehydes and Ketones: Hydroboration-Oxidation
One of the convenient methods for the preparation of aldehydes and ketones is via hydration of alkynes. Hydroboration-oxidation of alkynes is an indirect hydration reaction in which an alkyne is treated with borane followed by oxidation with alkaline peroxide to form an enol that rapidly converts into an aldehyde or a ketone. Terminal alkynes form aldehydes, whereas internal alkynes give ketones as the final product.
Hydroboration-Oxidation of Alkenes
Reactions of Aldehydes and Ketones: Baeyer–Villiger Oxidation
The carbonyl center is...

