Abstract
Search for effective catalysts for butane reforming was made to produce liquid hydrocarbon fuels. Butane was chosen as a representative of lower paraffins. Ga-loaded HZSM-5 with a high aluminium content was found to be one of the best catalysts. On a 1wt% Ga-loaded HZSM-5 (Si/Al=20) catalyst, the conversion of butane and the fraction of aromatics in the products were 88% and 62 C-%, respectively. It was found that Ga supported on HZSM-5 by impregnation or Ga introduced into the crystal framework of ZSM-5 type zeolite showed catalytic activity for dehydrogenation. Based on the series of reactions-from butane decomposition to aromatics formation-, it was proposed that dehydrogenation of cycloparaffins and cycloolefins was effectively promoted by Ga, and that other reactions, such as cracking, polymerization, and cyclization, were catalyzed by the acid sites on the zeolite.
