Catalytic Conversion of Biomass-Derived Polyols into Para-xylene over SiO₂-Modified Zeolites

This work proved that biomass-based polyols (sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, glycerol and ethanediol) were able to be converted into high-value chemical (p-xylene) by catalytic cracking of polyols, alkylation of aromatics, and the isomerization of xylenes over the SiO₂-modified zeolites. Compared to the conventional HZSM-5 zeolite, the SiO₂-containing zeolites considerably increased the selectivity and yield of p-xylene due to the reduction of external surface acidity and the narrowing of pore entrance. The influences of the methanol additive, reaction temperature, and types of polyols on the selectivity and yield of p-xylene were investigated in detail. Catalytic cracking of polyols with methanol significantly enhanced the production of p-xylene by the alkylation of toluene with methanol. The highest p-xylene yield of 10.9 C-mol% with a p-xylene/xylenes ratio of 91.1% was obtained over the 15wt%SiO₂/HZSM-5 catalyst. The reaction pathway for the formation of p-xylene was addressed according to the study of the key reactions and the characterization of catalysts.