Accelerated catalyst screening and scale-up for aromatics alkylation

Developing heterogeneous catalysts for petrochemical processes continues to be of major interest in industrial R&D. The main objectives in this case are higher stability and longer lifetime of the catalysts for extended and more efficient production cycles in commercial operation. We are describing an advanced high throughput approach for the accelerated development of novel catalysts for the alkylation of aromatics toward heavy products. The multi-stage project comprised screening of 150 novel materials within just 15 weeks, scale-up and testing of the most promising materials in the shape of industrial-sized pellets, as well as quality control for commercial operation. SABIC provided all catalytic materials as well as process knowledge, whereas hte performed the screening experiments based on 20 years of experience in the application of high throughput workflows.

Authors: Benjamin Mutz, Peter Kolb, Alexander Higelin, Douglas Lenz