Effect of Impurities on the Initiation of the Methanol-to-Olefins Process: Kinetic Modeling Based on Ab Initio Rate Constants

The relevance of a selection of organic impurities for the initiation of the MTO process was quantified in a kinetic model comprising 107 elementary steps with ab initio computed reaction barriers (MP2:DFT). This model includes a representative part of the autocatalytic olefin cycle as well as a direct initiation mechanism starting from methanol through CO-mediated direct C-C bond formation. We find that the effect of different impurities on the olefin evolution varies with the type of impurity and their partial pressures. The reactivity of the considered impurities for initiating the olefin cycle increases in the order formaldehyde < di-methoxy methane < CO < methyl acetate < ethanol < ethene < propene. In our kinetic model, already extremely low quantities of impurities such as ethanol lead to faster initiation than through direct C-C bond formation which only matters in complete absence of impurities. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

The relevance of organic impurities for the initiation of the MTO process varies depending on the type and partial pressures of the impurities. In the kinetic model, even small quantities of impurities such as ethanol can lead to faster initiation compared to direct C-C bond formation, which is only significant in the absence of impurities.