The benefit of design of support architectures for zeolite coated structured catalysts for methanol-to-olefin conversion

Zeolites are commonly used as catalysts for a wide range of industrial applications. Macroporous supports with a thin active layer of zeolite make it possible to avoid a trade-off between pressure drop and mass- and heat transfer. The architecture of these porous supports defines the mass- and heat transfer properties of the catalyst. By innovative three dimensional fibre deposition different architectures for the catalyst support can be manufactured rapidly. In this work a wash coating method was optimized for the coating of ZSM-5 on different types of support. The manufactured catalysts were evaluated for the conversion of methanol to light olefins. The effect of architecture of the support structure on the selectivity and activity of the reaction is demonstrated. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.