Regeneration of deactivated beta-zeolite by coke oxidation

An accurate description of coke burn off is obtained from a catalyst based on beta-zeolite and used for benzene alkylation with propylene giving cumen e by using the thermogravimetric technique. A simple empirical kinetic model was successfully applied to interpolate th e data of thermogravimetric analysis performed on samples after partial bur n off. Different temperatures, partial pressures of oxygen and gas flow rates were the variables studied in order to calculate the apparent rates and the act ivation energy for the coke oxidation reaction and to outline the best cond itions for the industrial regeneration procedure of our proprietary catalys t PBE-1 for cumene synthesis. Combining the unusually long lifetime per rea ction cycle with the optimized regeneration procedure leads to an outstandi ng overall catalyst life.