Catalytic properties of Ga-substituted ZSM-5 zeolite in propane aromatization

A Ga-substituted ZSM-5 zeolite was synthesized by a method of the hydrothermal synthesis, and its catalytic performance and physicochemical properties in propane aromatization were studied. Characterizations by XRD, SEM, ICP-AES, IR, NH ₃ -TPD, XPS, N ₂ adsorption-desorption and TG showed that Ga species were less prone to incorporate into the scaffold of ZSM-5 zeolite than Al species. The aluminosilicates doped with gallium (GaAlZ5) with the biggest specific surface area and acid content ^{exhibited the superior aromatic selectivity of 86.2 % and propane conversion of 66.1 %, which were higher than those of gallosilicate (GaSiZ5) by 22.2 % and 5.6 %, respectively. Experimental results also showed that there is a linear relationship between the specific surface area and acid content of the catalyst and its catalytic performance. At the same time, the formation of the intergranular mesopores in GaAlZ5 accelerated the mass-transfer rate and suppressed the formation of carbon deposits.}