m-xylene isomerization in SAPO-11/HZSM-5 mixed catalyst

The catalytic isomerization of m-xylene was studied over a solid acid silicoaluminophosphate type SAPO-11, mixed to HZSM-5 zeolite. The reaction was processed varying the temperature and weight hourly space velocity, using a fixed bed continuous flow reactor. The m-xylene suffers isomerization to p-xylene and o-xylene by molecular displacement of methyl groups. The mixed catalyst was selective to p-xylene at 623 K and 2.5 h(-1) with a maximum p/o ratio of 2.05. The ethylbenzene formation was not observed in the products. In this process an apparent activation energy of the order of 13.9 kJ mol(-1) was obtained.